New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1915-06-23

ecutor said all point to the fact that
Montvid had some active part in the
actual commission of these murders
The mute testimony of the condition
Of the bodies shows that one man
could not have committed the crimes
Attorney MaItbie declared that
vigorous, ITO pound woman such as
was Eva Gilmanaitis,. could not have
been murdered as she was by krakas
alone. It would have been impossi-
BILE for Krakas to hold the fighting
woman and the light as well as cut
and tie the clothesl1ne, said the as
sistant states attorney. The only
conclusion, he said, IS that Montvld
helped in the murder. 4is
For the accused, Attorney Day
rose at 1890 to make his final ar
gument for. his clients life. Mr.. Day
spoke impressively as he gazed intent
" into the faces Of the jurymen. 1t
is because you are dealing with a
human life, that you will aways re-
member this case" said the lawyer
He Landed States Attorney Alcorn's
story set Of circumstances but said
he has but done his duty. But tho
final responsibility Of whether or not
Montvid shall be adjudged guilty b.
yond all reasonable doubt lies with
the jury. You must each one Of
you, feel certain that he is guilty
Of this crime beyond any reasonable
doubt before you can convict, he
said. He also explained that II IA
man, influenced by fear, is an ac-
cessory to. murder he Is not guiltsT
Lawyer Day admitted that this muir
der Is the most brutal murder hef'
ever heard of and the human In
stincts OF the jury men rise up and
demand that 1t be avenged. But he
begged the jury not to let the brutal
ity Of the murder influence them to
discard the possibility that Montvid
might not have been willing &C
jcomplice, even though he was pres
ert. The various circumstance
brought out by the state should not
convict Montvid of murder or the
first degree, he said. 'You don't want
to take q mans life just because he
lied. You all have seen times IN
your own lives when you would have
found it hard to explain said the
lawyer for the defense, who said there
are many cases where innocent men
have been hanged on circumstan-
tial evidence. /. /
NJ In further argument Attorney Day
said that Krakas was powerful man,
8 good sport but quiet. But think q
tha nerve Of that man who murdered
that priest and then mingled with the
lithuanian people and finally Went
to Wilmington, where he muruered
the policeman. Think OF his nerve
gentlemen" shouted the lawyer. he
then traced Montvid's past life and
remarked upon his previous good
character until he fell in with krakas.
=, III n Go
fell in with Krakas, be led on by him
and liked him? Peter Krakas had
the ability to keep his mouth shut.
He used people the attorney CON
tinued. II think, all the evidence
showed that Krakas was this kind Ct
q man and got hold Of Montvid, said
the lawyer, who then expounded upon
the accused's story that Krakas SHOT
him through the foot and threatened
to kill him and leave his body on the
railroad tracks. He said, he, did not
think this story is at al improbable.
ii The lawyer for the defense also
declared that the detectives. as they
always do, Influenced the prisoner info
making his confessions. Because
Montvid is a Russian and that race
has an inherent fear Of the police, It
il not queer that Montvid did not
run and tell the police Of the MUIR
der, he said.
1t Montvid had been shot In the
heel in Wilmington there would have
been a states witness here to- testify
to 1t, said the attorney. He de-
clared that States Attorney Alcorn
would have been sure to have the
man who shot Montvid In Wilmington,
IL he had been shot there. He min
- 49,
tinony that the shot was fired from
the bottom and was received when
he was fleeing from the Wilmington
police.
In conclusion Attorney Day argued
that the shoe story and its evidences.
is enough to produce reasonable
doubt about the accused's willing
participation In the crime.
On Stand Yesterday Too.
Exhibiting an outward calmness
that is astonishing in view of the APP
parent weight Of evidence against him,
Montyid commended for more than two
hours yesterday afternoon with the
brilliant cross examination of States
Attorney Hugh M Alcorn. Questioned
and cross questioned from all angles,
the prisoner replied promptly and con-
cisely and stoutly maintained that al
though he was a witness to the Zebris
murder he had no part in 1t and was
present only because he feared that
Krakas would kill him too Il he re-
sisted him. At times he became q
trife confused and his story became
highly improbable, but he stuck to it.
He branded the police as liars and
said that it was because OF this that
he lied to them himself In his eight
other confessions. He also admitted
on the stand that he has 1t in for