Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1914-03-17

ndde apparent tnaL IL was VIII
great difficulty that they were mad
to comprehend the full import of tn
interrogations SHE'D at them by tn
district attorney, and ever whel
made to understand their recOllec
ton with regard to liquid purchase
became very indefinite and indis
tinct. And when finally reminded
by the citation of a number of cir
cumstances, that they had once up
on time made certain purchases
and were asked to tell the jury
what it was, they could not tell, but
when pressed to tell what it was
it was called they uniformly answer
ed tom and jerry; but whether
it was whiskey, or had any resemb-
lance thereto in taste or smell, their
ignorance of the qualities of that
particular beverage, rendered them
wholly incapable of judging or tes-
tifying. Hence it was only by the
most persistent efforts that the at
torney elected anything like an in
teligent and connected statement
of the facts clearly in possession of
| the witness.
These circumstances, combined
with public interest in the liquor
question and the distinguished char
acter of the attorneys, made the case
one Of absorbing interest.
Some of the episodes of the trial
were intensely interesting or highly
amusing. Colonel Hepburn was at
that tine quite young man-in ap-
pearance a mere boy. Magnetic and
prepossessing in an eminent degree,
he entered the case with one strong
point of advantage already estab
lished with the jury. Besides he
was young man. of remarkable
natural brilliancy. His chief char
acteristics were a nervous stirring
eloquence, flashing wit and an in
eXhaustible supply of caustic sar
caSm.
The attorneys for the defense
We're both past middle age, and
each had something of local repu-
tation in his profession. Skinner
was the elder of the two, and his
style was great earnestness and
volubility of language; words,
words, words, came hurting on the
ears Of the court almost like the
patter Of hail.
Burkley's mode of practice was
technical quibbling and bull doing
harangues. Both were sensitive and
irritable to a considerable degree. In
entering upon the prosecution, Hep
burn paid his respects to "the dis
tinguished counsel for the Defense"
and warned the jury in all apparent
solemnity to be on their guard
against being misled by the superior
eloquence of his opponents, whom
he called Ibis friends Demosthenes
and Cicero'-names which he used
in all his subsequent illusions to
them. This, as he evidently expect
ed it would, angered his antagon-
lists, and at any attempt to resent
it, he turned upon them with such
inimitable wit and drollery as to !
make them the subject of the laugh |
that was sure to follow. Burnley
finally threatened to resort to the
tactics of the Sullivanic era. This,
however, was promptly interdicted
by Judge Porter, and "order in the
court" was temporarily restored,
only to break out afresh as the /,
young prosecutor went on with his
dazzling display of oratorical pyro-
technics, meanwhile raining his |
invectives upon the heads i
of the accused, their attorneys and
ready witnesses. What penalty fol-
lowed the verdict of the jury and
the subsequent history of the case
are out of the memory of the narra-
tor.
1t was at this same term of court !
that another incident, illustrative
of the spirit of the time, occurred. |
One morning after "His Honor" had |
been duly and gravely seated on the
"bench" and the sonorous and mo-
notonous hear We! hear ye!" of the
sheriff had returned in feeble echoes
from the eastern bluffs of the classic
Boone, and the clack of the legal
mill was just about to start up, the
grand jury, composed of twelve
grave and revered seniors, with
Hon. Selim B. Rosenkrans at their
head as foreman, entered, and when
the sheriff had vacated the seats for !
them, sat down and awaited the sal
utation of the court. Be it remem- |