The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-07-02
Jurors Weep At
PLEA FOR HENRY
Attorney for Defense Makes
lmpassioned Speech as
Trial Nears End.
WILL GO TO JURY TODAY
Lawyer Accuses Government of At
tempting to Conceal Whole
Truth.

One of the strongest pleas ever made
in District courts to save a man from
the penitentiary was delivered by At
torney Daniel Thew Wright yesterday
| for John William Henry. the former
stock broker being tried in Criminal d.
| vision No. 2, of the District Supreme
Court, on a charge OF embezzling $ilWo
| from a woman client.
Attorney Wright argued for three and
a. half hours, and in his closing words
grew so imprisoned that several jury
men were seen to wipe tears from their
eyes.
Attorney Wright concluded the closing
argument for the defense and United
States Attorney John f. Laskey began
the closing argument for the prosecu-
ton. Mr.. Laskey had barely outlined
the argument he will present when
court was adjourned until 10 o'clock
this morning Mr.. Laskey will conclude
his argument this morning. and the case
will be given TO the jury today.
AssaiI. Prosecutors Statement.
1T has been said by the distinguished
gentleman who preceded me" assistant
United States Attorney James b.
Archer, said Attorney Wright, that
Mr.. Henry is but another DIR. Jekyll
and Mr.. Hyde, nothing but a common
thief
Those statements We're neither neces-
sary nor kind delivered as they were
in the very faces of the wife and mother
Of Mr.. Henry. sitting here beside him.
Those statements but tore anew hearts
that already were torn. for to these
ladies' this is an hour of solemnfty, ana
the attack can be paralleled only to
an attack upon one in the solemn hour
of his last extremity"
Attorney Wright then took UP the Mt
tie memo book found in the private desk
of Henry =. This book, with entries show
ing purchases of Mexican Petroleum
stock for Mrs Isabel Barklie by Henry.
was found by accident and introduced
in the closing minutes of testimony TAX
ing. 1t is almost sufficient, the defense
claims to free Henry of the accusat OF
of embezzling Mrs. Barklie's money.
Wright referred to Mr.. Archer's char
acterization that the memo book was
but little thing" and then said: "A
little thing? Yes. little thing. gentle
men of the jury: a little voice from Tee
past, a voice like one from the forgot
ten dead: a voice that was heard in the
closing hours of this trial, never to De
forgotten by any of you.
There was once a little thing called
a bullet. little pellet OF lead. 1t en-
tered the breast of an Austrian Arch
duke, and then Austria assailed Servia.
and Russia flew at Austria's throat md
Germany climbed on Russia's back and
France and England and all of Europe
were swept into bloody battle, and tie
Lusitania was sunk and there is not n
man in your jury box who can say that
he will not be cngulfed ere long-aIL
mind you, because Of little thing. a
tiny bullet. Well. may my learned ad-
versary talk OF little things
Attorney Wright based his argument
on the theory that the prosecution has
failed to display the whole truth to the
jury concerning the Mexican Petroleum
stock Mrs Barklie ordered Henry to buy.
The government started its case on
the theory that Henry never bought
any Mexican Petroleum, and all the
evidence in chief was to
prove that theory. But all the time
the government was presenting that
evidence the governments prosecutors
were hiding from the jury the fact