The menace., 1916-01-29
Synopsis of Last Two Days Of The Trial

face q orntop flaming with the hre
Of truth and rghteousnes.
AZ . particularly tense pcriOd in
his appeal for q Just consideration
Of a Just cause which. II rightly
scitled according 10 the law and
evidence would ave the defendants
from the ignominy Of being branded
a. felons. Mr.. Sheppard sAid:
"The Roman Catholic machine Is
trying 10 scnd these men 10 prison
because they dared 10 tell the truth.
Only q few years ago William Gar
rison was dragged BY the neck
through the streets Of Boston be-
cause he dared advocate abolition
IN the LibenstOr. and the people
arose in arms II the newspapers
can't print the truth about the Ro-
man Catholics-I WARN YOU
NOw-there will be another armed
arising"
Instead Of following lines Of tech
nical legality in his argument Mr..
Sheppard rather launched forth
into a forccful and gripping ar
raignment Of the Roman Catholic
church. setting forth that the pur-
pose Of THE MENACE is 10 expose
and exterminate the treacheries and
cruolties practiced by the Roman
Catholic church. Through all the
ages since IL was established, the
Roman Catholic church has been
cruel and oppressive and now il is
menacing, with a sinister power,
the freedom which America has
come 10 love and which every true
patriot would lay down his life TO
defend.
This mode Of argument took the
prosecution by surprise as il had
anticipated and prepared for a keen,
hair-splitting argument Of legal
questions. When Mr.. Wilson took
the floor TO close the argument for
the prosecution he was forced "a
change his plans and method Of ar.
gument and was visibly nonplussed.
Whipped TO a stand-still through
out the whole proceedings, from the
taking Of testimony TO the closing
Of argument, Mr.. Wilson paled
when he faced the task Of meeting
the intrepid, daring and dramatic
brilliance Of Mr.. Sheppard. With
wavering mentality Mr.. Wilson be
gan laudation Of the Roman Cath
olic church, after asserting agar
that Rome had no part in bringing
this prosecution, and disclosed hi
own religious affiliations by stating
that he was Methodist upon on,
side and Baptist upon the other il
the matter Of ancestry.
Yet he could not refrain from
paying high tribute to pope, pries
and nun.
In this connection he stated Will
vehemence that to his knowledg
] there was but one Roman Catholi,
in the court room, and that one wa
Mr.. Schneiderhohn, of st. Louis
No., who had testified. IL the Ro
man Catholics had been behind thi
Prosecution the court room would
have been filled with Catholics, h,
insisted.
Remember" he said, "that IN,
Roman Catholic church was ole
when Cesar's legions tramped tn,
streets Of Rome, and that il ha
stood the trials Of time. 1t vii
take more than a book, 'The Pope,
and more than Father Crowley I,
undermine the Roman Catholi
church."
Applause in the rear of the cour
room disturbed the solemnity Of tn
scene and the disturbers were ejecte
: by order Of Judge Van ValkenburI
incidentally Mr.. Sheppard n
5 marked, al thought you said ther
E were no Catholics herep'
E Speaking of Caesar, Mr.. Wilso
{ was apparently mixed on his histor
e as a result Of the unexpected tur
: taken by the defense in its arg
T ment. There were two Of the Ca
sar boys, one Of them being prom
a nent nearly sixty years before Il
: time Of Christ, from whose birth Il
el Roman Catholic church dates, ar
e the other being in evidence durir
1 Christs time. II Wilson referr
Il to the first of these, the RomI
Ie Catholic church had not yet ''ha
e pened." II to the other, then 4
5 church was in its veriest infanc
= IN NO WAY COULD 1T r
d CALLED OLD IN THE TIN
OF CESAR.
le But perhaps Mr.. Wilson had
l. mind Cesar Borgia, the infamo
n son Of the infamous pope Alexand
g VI who reigned from 1492 un
m 1903, being the 216th pope in Ii
b. of succession. Mr.. Wilson was e
ID IDENTIFY ratified. AT any rate
evidently failed to impress the iu