The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-12-27
A DOUBLE
CONFESSION
The Singular Case of q Pair !
Of Lovers
BY JOHN x. 0GELviH

onc VI tue uutstlOuS dS 10 WHAT is
and what is not allowable In the legal
profession that laymen are not apt To
understand il whether IL Is honora BILE
for lawyer to defend n 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 I'M
committed "A crime of which they are
entirely innocent.
! had very singular case of this
kind when | was practicing. before
went on the bench. A young man
was accused OF forging his uncle's will
volved by reason of relationship 10 the
testator. But several years before the
will was drawn one was executed leav-
Ing the property TO woman who was
his hOusekeeper lt WAS this house
keeper. Anna Blake. who accused the
y
having forged his uncle's name to It.
Arnold jefferson. my client. when l
came To confer with him about his
case, asked me whether | would de
fend II person who confessed himself
guilty. | said that | would. where
upon he told me that I'm order To pre-
vent his uncles property from going
out OF the family aud secure IL for
himself he had forged his uncles name
to the second will
| was somewhat staggered ut this, for
IF ! proved him innocent | would divert
the property from the channel in which
the testator intended il To 20 and de
priye the real owner of it that it might
so 10 criminal. piled the young man
with questions rs To how he had come
10 perpetrate such Il crime. and he told
me that he was in love with II 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
IL 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
judge would assign him counsel. There
fore | proceeded with IL. though reluc-
family, for IL is not pleasant for a con
scientious lawyer To defend "A man who
has admitted his guilt. ] would content
myself with trying To get my client off
with as light sentence AS possible.
There was IA chance for the young
man in this-experts In chirography
would he called who would compare
the signature To the will with Jeffer-
sons handwriting These experts are
apt 10 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
II. But unfortunately of the five ex-
perts called four testified that there
We're certain strokes in the signature
that were to Ice found In Jefrerson'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.
Slas Ormsby. was not To be found
They We're supposed to be myths, and
the plaintiffs attorneys. though they
had no proof that the defendant had
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-
ression and throw himself on the mercy
OF the cour: by this means he might
secure 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 adj |
journed on Saturday. and feared
could not keep the trial IN progress |
more than day or two longer. And |
ms the case stood jefferson was sure to |
he 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.
l felt 1t incumbent upon me to sub
iect her To searching examina ton
to get at the truth. She said that she
was the person whom jefferson was
To marry. He had been all
Il 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 will would
be found II she had to write one her
self. This, she added, she had done.
i asked Miss Wentworth III she
would sign written confession to
this effect, and she said she would. So
asked her to write 1t. Before she
could again see jefferson went to the
Jail and. showing him her confession.
asked him why he had made false
Dne himself He seemed a good deal
agitated at seeing the matter laid :
down In black and white. Then he
burst out passionately:
II didn't believe when she threaten.
al to do this thing that she would be
20 desperate. Nevertheless when the
second will was found | feared she
had written and signed IT, Preferring
o suffer myself rather than that she
should suffer for her crime. / have