The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-06-21

crude and crue, to the last degree
| they are a worse argument against
him than any the most eloquent law
yer can make at any bar.
1 wonder if Orpet's lawyers will be
able to keep them away from the
jury.
They Seem Essential.
They seem to plain every day
person like me absolutely essential to
the development of the real truth of
| the real story of this strange and
! battling case.
| For that very reason. 1 suppose
clever Mr.. Wilkerson or adroit Mr..
Potter, of the defense, will be sure to
be able to keep them locked up some
where where not one single man who
1 is supposed to have anything to do
with the final decision can ever hear
of them, until the verdict is in
| Tuesday was on the whole an Hum
mating, but not a particularly cheer
ing day at the trial
Two decided common sense sort of
men, each in an absolutely different
walk of life, went on the stand and
told that Will Orpet had told each of
them four or five entirely different
stories about what he did on the day
Marion Lambert died.
Watched Her Die?
| First, he said he was in Madison,
! but could not prove it. Second, he
said he could prove he was in Madi-
| SOH- ne maze out d QSldlleO
schedule of the day, hour for hour
and almost minute for minute. Fourth,
He admitted that he wasn't in Madi-
son at all, but was in Lake Forest.
And, fifth, he said, that he was in
the woods with Marion, that he saw
her take the poison, that he ran away
and then that he came back-and
| watched her die.
And in between these various arms
he asked one of the witnesses what he
would think if man would swear he
saw another man in Lake Forest
when the other man was really in
Madison and could prove it by a Mad
ison friend.
What effect would such a story
have on a jury?" said Orpet, SO the
witness declared. Which story would
the jury believe?''
I looked at the jury when this piece
of evidence was brought in. The wit
ness on the stand did not tell what
answer he made to this rather inter-
esting hypothetical question-and I
thought 1 saw Will Orpet stealing a
quick penetrating look at them, too
in a sudden disconcerting way he has.
1 wonder whether he saw any answer
in their faces to the strange round
about question he formulated on the
day that the police took him into Gus
tody-and whether or not he liked the
answer that he saw.
He Was Worn Out.
most particularly about how much
MIR. Orpet had had to eat when he told
these stories in so many varying
forms and he drew out from each wit
ness the fact that the boy had prob
ably not slept more than an hour or
so for nearly twenty-four hours.
He could not make anyone admit to
any sort of third degree methods. how
ever, and it looked to me toward the
close of the day aS if the prisoner
lawyers were beginning to realize quite
definitely that they are going to have
the fight of their lives before them
to win freedom for VIII Orpet.-
Celestia Youker waited all day in
the nte-roOm-eXpecting every min
ute to be called as a witness.
Poor child, she looked frightened
half to death. all in pink, with the
pink not quite faded from her cheeks
even with all her terror.
Her letters were brought into court
laid in a neat pile on the desk within
not too difficult reach of Will Orpet's
long arms
I wonder if his fingers didn't twitch
to lean over and catch them up, and
have done with them anyway-once
and for all.
told me an old, old story about a mar
who was locked in a room and left
there alone-to think over his mis-
takes.
An DID story.
But the ceilings were high. the win
dows were bright and big and the dco!
was broad and generous and the mar
did not waste much time over his mis-
takes. He just kept thinking abou
what he would do when he got out o
the room with the locked door.
But one morning the room looked
smaller to him. and the next da.
smaller yet, and the ceiling did no
seem so high ana on the fourth da.
when he awoke, one of the window
j was gone entirely-aad the Eext day
the other window was gene and tn
room was only half as large as it hat
been when he entered-anG it wa
very dark and he was all alone-ant
he just sat there-and waited-for tn
walls to close IN upon him.
Every time ] looked at Will Orpe
as he sat listening to this danagin;
Il testimony which came one piece afte
another with relentless precision
thought of the room, with the wall
that closed :n-closer-clcser-
the man who just sat and waited.
Will the walls of poor Will Orpet'
house of misery close closer We
around him?