The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1912-11-29
A DOUBLE
CONFESSION
The Singular Case Of q Pair
of Lovers
By JOHN Z. O0eLvle


One of tue questions as to what Is
and what is not allowable IN the legal
profession that Iaymen are not apt to
understand is whether it Is honorable
for u lawyer to defend q client who
has confessed himself guilty of the
crime with which be is charged. One
Of the reasons why this Is not only al
l0wable for an attorney, but is his
duty. is that the confession may he
false. Mary persons have IGbored I'M
der q Authorization that they have
committed a crime of which they are
entirely innocent.
had a very singular case of this
kind when | was practicing. before |
went Oh the bench. A young man
was accused of forging his uncIe's will.
He was leir-at-law to the property in.
volved by reason of relationship to the
t~estator. But several years before the
will was drawn u was executed ieav-
ing the property to a woman who was
his housekeeper. 1t was this house.
keeper, Anna Blake. who accused the
beneficiary under the second will with
having forged Ills nncIe's name to it.
Arnold Jefferson. my client. when !
came to confer with him about his
case. asked me whether | would de-
,fend Il person who confessed himself
guilty. | said that ! would, where
upon he told me that in order to pre-
vent his uncle's property from going
out of the family and secure it for
himself he had forged his uncIp's name
to the second will.
was somewhat staggered at this. for
tf ! proved him Innocent ! would divert
the property from the channel in which
prive the real owner Of it that 1t might
20 to q criminal. | piled the young man
with questions as to how he had cOlne
to perpetrate such Il crime. and he told
me that he was in owe with Il girt
whom he would like to marry and did
not consider himself able t. do so with
out this property, Besides. he believed
that his uncle was intending to leave
It to him at the time Of his death
II declined to take the case and he
could get no other lawyer to do so the
would assign him counsel. There
fore l proceeded with 1t. though reluc-
family. for it Is not pleasant for a con
scieDtious lawyer to defend Il man who
has admitted his guilt. | would content
myself with trying to get my client OFT
with as light a sentence rs possible.
There was a chance for the young
man in this-exprrts IN chirosraphy
would be called who would compare
the signature to the will with Jeffer-
sons handwriting. These experts are
apt to differ in such matters. The
plaintiff called the most prominent one
of the lot. who declared that my client
must have written the signature to the
will. | employed another expert. who
testified that he could not have written
Il. But unfortunately OF the five ex-
perts called four testified that there
were certain strokes in the signature
that were to be found in Jeffershn's
writing.
There were two signatures Of wit
hesses to the will Jefferson was charg.
ed with forging. One Of these PERSONS.
Edward Bronson. was dead: the other.
8ilas Ormsby. was not to be found.
They were supposed to be myths. and
the plaintiffs attorneys. though they
had no proof that the defendant had
written their names. threw out a broad
hint that he had done so.
The case looked so desperate that |
advised my client to produce his con-
fession and throw himself on the mercy
Of the court. By this means he might
secure a light sentence. whereas II he
persisted in denying his guilt in the
face Of such conclusive evidence he
would very likely get a heavy one.
He said that he would think the mat,
Der over. This was after court ad.
3ourned on Saturday. and | feared |
could not keep the trial In progress
more than n day or two longer. And
~ the case stood Jefferson was sure to
be convicted. Sunday evening | re-
ceived a call from a young lady, Miss
Dora Wentworth. who turned all my
expectations awry. She told me that 1t
was she. and not Arnold Jefferson. who
had committed the forgery.
felt 1t incumbent upon me to sub.
ject her to q searching examination
30 get at the truth. She said that she
was the person whom Jefferson was
engaged to marry. He had been all
q lover should be until about the time
HIS uncle had died and no will was
found leaving the property to him.
Then she told him that a will would
be found II she had to write one her.
Deif. This. she added, she had done.
asked Miss Wentworth II she
would sign a written confession to
tbs effect, and she said she would. So
4 asked her to write It Before she
.coold again rec Jefferson I went to the
Jall and. showing him her confession.
asked him why he had made Z false
ooe himself. He seemed 4 good deal
nsitated at seeing the matter laid
1own in black and white. Then Do
burst out passionately:
II didn't believe when she threaten.
"a to do this thing that she would N
- dasperats. Nevertheless when TN
second wfl was found I feared che
80 vriften and 5sipnaA NJ PrafAfrfns