Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-08-16
PLEA OF BARROW
PRODUCES TEARS
Expected That Case of Chicago
Lawyer Will Be Given to
Jury Tonight.

has been on trial in the superior court /
on an indictment charging bribery OF /
jurors in the Mcnamara case, gave I
the most brilliant oratorical effort yes
terday that ever has been heard in a !
local court.
The speech was unusual and rem
dered by an unusual master of the (
English language Darrow's logic was /
profound, his argument effective and |
the word pictures painted we're at once |
beautiful and sublime. He held his !
audience spellbound from almost the
moment he began speaking at s:22
o'clock this morning until his final
plea, which was completed, as the
chimes of St Vibiana's cathedral. near
by, sounded the noon hour.
There was hardly a dry eye in the
courtroom when the famous labor law
yer Of Chicago concluded his plead
ings. Two of the jurors, Williams and
hammers, shed tears; Associate Coun-
sci Appel sat at the attorneys table
and cried like child and even Dis
tTict Attorney Fredericks was visibly
affected.
AT times Darrow used sarcasm, to be
! followed in a few minutes by elo-
quence. He was one minute child;
the next, a giant denouncing his enc
mics with fierce invective. Bit by
( bit he analysed the testimony which
| had been presented against him and
/ denounced Detectives Franklin and
! Harrington, the states chief witnesses,
| onapIy cbor0ip0 yhar7 with rOrruDfion
! treachery and perjury.
Gentlemen of the jury" said Oar
row in making his final plea, the only
question you have to decide is whether
gave Franklin $4,000 on the morn
| ing of Nov. % You couldn't have sat
here for three full months without hav-
, ing some idea about the truth of the
evidence. Do you believe Franklin?
: Remember. l must be convicted be-
yond a reasonable doubt.
IF you convict me il must be on
Franklin's statement that Nov. %, Job
Hartman gave me $4,000 and I gave
il TO him for the bribery"
Just before concluding. Darrow re-
counted the events leading up to the
close of the Mcnamara case, and
answered the allegations that had
been made against him that he had
sacrificed the McNamaras to save him
self Tears rolled down his cheeks
and his voice grew husky as he told
how he had induced the McNamaras
to plead guilty to save their lives, and
TO lend the war" when he realized
that the case was hopeless. despite the
TACT that he knew he would suffer.
The closing of Darrow's plea was
dramatic in the extreme. He told how
ne had spent his life in the cause of
the downtroddeu; had assumed worry
and care and responsibility, only to
be dragged to a court of justice and
made to stand trial for most serious
crime.
IF you convict me, gentlemen,
which ! know you won't; but if you
should" said Darrow in closing,
there will be people who will applaud
you for your act; but if in your judg-
ment and your wisdom and your hui
mainly you believe me innocent and
return a verdict of not guilty in this
case, as l know you will, thous-
ands and tens of thousands, and, yes,
perhaps millions of the weak and the
poor and the helpless throughout the
world will give thanks TO this jury for
protecting NE.
81 know that deep down in the
mines are workmen | have helped and
have served, who are giving their
prayers today for my distress. | know
that in factories and in mills and in
workshops and in stores are thous-
ands of people who believe in me and
who love me, and are looking TO this
jury 10 indicate my name. ! know
that if you find me not guilty,
that over these mountain peaks and
across your broad valleys and across
the wide Pacific will be thousands OF
men and women, yea, and little chill
dren. who viii give their thanks tC
you"
When barrow finished his appeal
Judge Hutton announced an adjourn
ment till the afternoon.
To take the jury after Darrows won
derful appeal had touched their feel
ings, as it was apparent that it had
was the task of District Attorney Fred
ericks. who this afternoon began the
final appeal for the prosecution.
Referring TO Darrow's plea, Freder
icks commented
Il want TO tell you. gentlemen" be
said to the jury. that you have lis
tened to one of the most marvellous
addresses, orations or pleas, ever de
Hvered in any courtroom when yol
listened TO Mr. Darrow. Plausible, elo
quent, his 35 years of training back o
it, his tremendous interest in it, made
it indeed a wonderful plea.
But that, gentlemen" he continued
"only reflects the ability of a man AMI
has mighty little to. do with his gull
OF innocence. If you would pay al
tention to that, it would mean that ;
nan Of his ability could commit crim'
at his pleasure and he could no
Re convicted for IL"
!, The district attorney proceeded Il
. take away the effect OF Dsrrov's pie
by answering some of his points, de
claring that the prosecution was no
a after" ANYBODY. and that there ha
8 been no plot to get" barrow. but b
e vas simply doing his duty.
e He then proceeded to take up IN