The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-07-12

discussion of circumstantial evidence |
in general and the unbreakable chain |
here forged in particular, he exhorted |
the jury to put aside any natural re- |
vulsion to imposing capital punish |
ment, and if they believed the men |
were guilty as charged, to mete out
the full penalty of the law.
Mr.. McGeachy spoke for two and
a half hours, leaving 1lve and half
hours more for the state.
viii Blackwell's Speech.
Upon permission given by the
jury. His speech, which was twenty
minutes long, could hardly be called
an argument, but a conglomeratlon
of boasting, politics, abuse OF the
authorities, a comparison of himself
to Jesus Christ, and the jury to Pom
thus PLATE, a reading from the
Bible, and a quotation from Patrick
Henry.
COnsorted With Millionaires.
81 have had a taste of life" he
said. Il have been east and west,
and south, and as far north as the
Canadian border l know what it is
to dine at the table of a millionaire,
and I also know what it is to share
the humble crust of the cottage.
have slept in the bed of a millionaire
and l have also slept on the dirt
| under the trees"
| He expressed great indignation at
| what he characterized as the infa-
nous treatment he had received in
the Escambia county Jail in Pensa-
cola, being locked in a condemned
cell, he said, and held quasi-incom-
municado. That he should have been
denied a change of venue and a con-
| tinuance, he declared an outrage.
Dodges Picture.
He referred to the picture on the
wall and the Woodman card, and
without trying to explain anything,
| passed on to something else. This is
the closest he came to arguing any
of the terrible evidence that has been
piled up against him.
"Victim of a conspiracy" he in
toned, referring to his escape, 'my
only hope was to rest my case with
Jesus Christ" The jury he said was
in the position of Pontius PLATE who
when our Saviour was brought before
him at first said that He was innO-
cent; later when he was bounded by
the populace (Mr McGeachy and Mr..
Stokes). to sentence Him to death,
he washed his hands of the whole
business; he suggested that the jury
be little tronger minded than Plate
and liberate him before reaching the
hand-washing stage.
Quotes Bible.
Blackwell then read the 18th, 18th,
and 14th verses of the Fourth Chap
ter of Peter, the list and End verses
of the Seventh Chapter of St. Mat
thew, the 5th verse of the Fourteenth
Chapter of Proverbs.
eve have all got to go into otern-
ity," he declaredT land I would rather
pay the debt Of nature now than be
tortured as l have been since March
%. Give me liberty or give me
death"
Nelson Speaks.
L, w. Nelson opened the defense
proper with a vigorous denunciation
of the 'perjured testimony" an in
situation against the righteousness
of the prosecuting officials, and an
appeal to give his clients the benefit
of the doubt and let them 60. Better
for guilty man to escape he de-
clared, than that an innocent man
suffer"
Life Imprisonment.
In this connection, Mr.. Nelson
made an indirect plea for life i'm
. prisonment in general, though he die
not ask that this penalty be given
for VIII Blackwell had already de-
clared for liberty or death. By life
e Imprisonment. argued Mr.. Nelson
1 the state would be reimbursed, in the