The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-04-20

$500 -
ing words He Is brilliant and re-
sourceful, and has captivated the
fancy of the jury and of the crowded
court room; and, am free to con-
fess, he has captivated me also. If
matchless language and exquisite fin
ish of voice were to decide between
him and me, between the three pri-
soners at the bar, and the dead Smith
field, between guilt and innocence, the
case might well rest here But,
Gentlemen of the jury, there are is
sues that even el0quence can not tide
over; minds that beauty Of language
can not sing to slumber; clamoring
rights that crushing invective and pic
turesque irony can not hush into 81
lence. Above all, there is just God"
(here the young councillor lifted his
right hand high above him), whose
truth is eternal and must prevail, who
holds rich and poor alike in the hol-
low of His hand, and who will bring
to light the hidden things of dark
ness"
Then his charger cantered, and later
galloped, and finally flew. How like
a prophet was this man tearing to
tatters circumstance after circum-
stance till there was not a shred of it
left! How puny-to mix the figure
was the polish of Ferendale, Jr., be-
fore the giant blows of this towering
man! How every bit of adverse testi-
foI1 fr,&o rr,s+ +h0 c%r
of his sledge! How the jurymen lis
tened, with extended necks and part
ed lips, as he sent home every telling
circumstance, every crushing weight
that battered down the feeble breast
works of his opponent! There were
demonstrations and the court raped
for order.
Suddenly he swerved from his
thought:
And who is this. Smithfield? "A
blameless man. the worthy counsel
says, away from home, rendering
legitimate service in the face of boy
colt and intimidation A blameless
man? Does blameless man beat an
biliyt to steal away her virtue? Does
blame1ess man wait for an inno-
cent girl on the highroad and beat
her down in the darkness of night?
Is this the worthy counsePs concept
of blamelessness, of chivalry, of mod
ern knight-errantry?
He went on and on. At one moment
mems eyes blazed fire, at another
tears were streaming down their
rough, weatherbeaten faces. He made
witnesses contradict themselves, and
pointed out discrepancy after dis
crepancy in the testimony. Half of
them were perjurers before he had
finished the cross-examination, and
other half did not wish to stand spon-
sor for what they had at first testi-
fed. Young Ferendale objected here
and there as matter of duty, but
this mad rider could neither be refined
nor thrown. On he went to the bitter
end, and closed with a peroration that
put the court room into a frenzy of
enthusiasm.
4u0 Cud1S was UllOl duu,
to all intents, a verdict. The jury
filed out, and returned in just two
minutes with the words, mot guilty"
The wild joy that followed one passes
over as matter of course. There
are scenes and moments and feelings
that always lose in the telling.
Coming out from the court, warm
hand clasped the hand of the now inn
perishable Maurice Ahern. 1t was
that of John Crimmins.
Maurice, Maurice, I'm proud of
you! 1t was victory for ten lives!"
Maurice returned the pressure of
his old friend and teacher.
'My dear old teacher, my dear old
friend, you share in the triumph! It
is yours as well as mine. And isn't
it worth waiting for all the years?'
Rep. P. j. Carroll C. S. c., in Ave Maria. -