New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-04-24
WOMAN DEFENDS NEGRO
Miss Lucille Pugh to Plead for
Alleged Murderer.
SHUDDERS AT EXHIBITS
Refuses to Handle Bloodstained
Bathrobe, Shirt, Revolver
and Other Evidence"
SHOULDERS AT EXHIBITS

Miss Lucille Pugh the young woman law
YER who was assigned to defend Leroy
| Poindexter. a negro, on trial for murder De
| fore Justice Davis. in the Criminal Branch
| of the Supreme Court, seemed undismayed
Yesterday by the squalor which was I'M
| covered during the trial. All of the negro
witnesses called by Frank Moss and John
| NJ Minton, jr, the Assistant District At
| tOrneys-and most of tho witnesses were
negroes-were ccoss-examined by Miss
! Pugh.
| She called them all by their first names,
at least all Of them except Florence Brown
the common law wife Of Thomas Brown. the
negro. who. ii is alleged, PoindeXter shot
and killed Florence had publicly expressed
| her opinion of lady lawyers" I'm general
| and OF Miss Pugh in particular before the
| trial began. and Miss Pueh pu lctiliously
addressed her as Miss Brown" Miss
Brown" retaliated by eyasiye answers and
| sulky glances
Miss Pugh handled herself with aplomb
! although she did refuse TO handle the ex-
! hibits OF the prosecution which were ten
dered her by Mr.. Moss and Mr.. Minton.
Theexhibits consisted Of one bloodstained
bathrobe. one undershirt IN like Condi-
ton one ivory handled revolver, one opium
pipe and layout" one bone handled razor
one scarfpin with a bit Of glass in 1t and
several cartridges for the revolver. Miss
Pugh merely glanced al these and shook
her head.
Occasionally the big words affected by
some of the negro witnesses led Miss Pugh's
Southern tongue sympathetically astray
Thus. with an air Of great seriousness. she
asked samuel Freeman. who had told how
after Brown had lost $50 and his stickpE
shooting craps" he had threatened Poin-
dexter with a razor unless his money was
returned Now, Sam, what was the di-
mension Of those bills that this boy here
counted out TO Brown
Nobody smiled however. and Miss Pugh
| recovered herself bravely.
Florence Brown told her story TO Mr..
| Moss without much effort on his part She
| and Brown. she said. were on the bed with
! the opium layout between them. Brown
| had shown her the roll Of bills, but had
| not told her that they had been won from
| him at craps and that he had got them
| back with a razor SO she was surprised
when Baby" PoindeXter came in with q
| revolver and began TO shoot at Brown
| When Miss Pugh began 10 question her
Florence was evidently antagonistic
What time do you usually retire. Miss
| Brown? p asked Miss Pugh.
81 retiahs when gets sleepy said MISS
Brown" Il don't never hold no watch on
! myself
| Florence had testified that before Po!n-
dexter entered the room another negro or
! the name OF Ernest Reynolds had come in
| to visit with Thomas Brown, and Miss
Pugh sought TO embarrass her thereby.
You say you don't know this Ernest
| REYNOLDS" she said. and yet you allowed
| him TO come into the bedroom where you
were ready for bed?' she asked
| We'll" drawled Miss Brown, !
wasn't zackly undressed had some
clothes on though ! was ready for bed
| but he didn't come to see me. anyhow
Miss Pugh hadn't extracted much ihloi-
nation when she got through with Miss
| Brown" The prosecution closed YESTERDAY
| with the testimony Of Lieutenant Ihoihas
! Dcvine Of the West 9th street police sta-
| ton. who said that Poirdexter had admit
led the shooting 10 him. saying that Brown
| had threatened him with a razor earlier III
! the day and that he came back late al
| night TO do him up" Miss Pugh Will
omen the case for the defence this morn
! ing, Her colleague. State Senator James
7 D McClelland. will sum up.