The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1912-12-05
A DOUBLE
CONFESSION
The Singular Case of a Pair
of Lovers
BY JOHN r. odRLvIR

profession that laymen are not apt to
understand is whether 1t is honorable
for a lawyer to defend client who
has confessed himself guilty of the
crime with which he is charged One
Of the reasons why this is not only al
lowable for an attorney, but is his
duty, is that the confession may be
false. Many persons have labored un-
der hallucination that they have
committed crime of which they are
entirely innocent.
had very singular case of this
kind when was practiclng, before |
went on the bench. A young man
was accused of forging his uncle's will.
He was heir-at-law to the property in
volved by reason of relationship to the
testator But several years before the
will was drawn one was executed leav.
ing the property to woman who was
his housekeeper. 1t was this house
keeper, Anna Blake. who accused the
beneficiary under the second will with
having forged his uncle's name to it.
Arnold jefferson, my client. when
came to confer with him about his
case, asked me whether l would de-
fend a-person who confessed himself
guilty. l 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 1t for
himself he had forged his uncle's name
to the second will.
| was somewhat staggered at this, for
IL proved him innocent would divert
the property from the channel in which
the testator intended It to go and de-
prive the real owner of 1t that it might
60 to criminal piled the young man
with questions as to how he had come
to perpetrate such crime. and he told
me that he was in love with girl
whom he would like to marry and did
not consider himself able to do so with
out this property. Besides, he believed
that his uncle was intending to leave
1t to him at the time Of his death.
If declined to take the case and he
could get no other lawyer to do SO the
judge would assign him counsel There.
fore proceeded with 1t, though reluc-
family, for It is not pleasant for con-
scientious lawyer to defend a man who
has admitted his guilt. Iwould content
myself with trying to get my client off
with as light a sentence as possible
There was a chance for the young
man in this-experts In chirography
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
It, But unfortunately of the FIVE ex-
perts called four testified that there
were certain strokes In the signature
that were to be found in Jefferson's
writing.
There were two signatures Of wit
nesses to the will Jefferson was charg-
ed with forging. One Of these persons,
Edward Bronson. was dead; the other,
Silas Ormsby, was not to be found.
They were supposed to be myths, and
the plaintiffs attorneys, though they
written their names, threw out 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 If he
persisted in denying his guilt In the
face of such conclusive evidence he
would very likely get heavy one.
He said that he would think the mat
ter over This was after court cd
journed on Saturday, and feared !
could not keep the trial In progress
more than day or two longer And
as the case stood Jefferson was sure to
be convicted. Sunday evening / re-
ceived call from young lady, Miss
Dora Wentworth. who turned all my
expectations awry. She told me that II
was she, and not Arnold Jefferson, who
had committed the forgery.
/ felt 1t incumbent upon me to sub.
ject her to searching examination
to get at the truth She said that she
was the person whom Jefferson was
engaged to marry. He had been all
a 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
self. This, she added, she had done.
asked Miss Wentworth II she
would sign written confession to
this effect, and she said she would Sc
1 asked her to write it. Before she
could again see Jefferson went to the
jail and. showing him her confession
asked him why he had made q false
one himself. He seemed good deal
agitated at seeing the matter laid
down in black and white Then he
burst out passionately:
81 didn't believe when she threaten
ed to do this thing that she would be
L