The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-03-19
Dist. Attorney Billiard Made
Fierce Attack in Clos
ing Argument
JUDGES CHARGE
VERY IMPARTIAL
He Instructed Jury to Bring in Verdict
Under Second and Third Counts in the
Count.
Especial TO The Rcformer. }
BURLINGTON, March

At l2l5 this noon the fate of Rev.
Clarence H. Waldron, leader of the Holy
Rollers of Windsor and the former pas
tor OF the Baptist church of that town.
was placed in the hands OF the Il men
who composed the jury.
Court will not convene until o'clock
this afternoon. Attorney Rufus +.
Brown for the defense made the final ar
guments this morning at the opening of
court and he stated that you could find
seditious statements in most any part Of
the Bible if taken alone. He referred to
Rev Waldron as the little Baptist pas
tor Even in the ten commandments
there is sedition for there, as plain as day
is the command, Thou shalt not kill
When Attorney Vernon A Bullard for
the government got up to open his clos
ing argument Immediately following the
morning recess the room was hushed
ard an almost deathlikc silence seemed
everywhere. The attorney warmed up to
his subject in great leaps and bounds.
The only defense of Rev Waldrons coun-
sci for him is simple sympathy" not
evidence stated the district attorney.
His propaganda, had il been allowed to
spread, would have forever made us sub
ject to the yoke of Germany.
In the views of Rev. Waldron, contin-
ued Attorney Bullard, every woman who
is knitting in this courtroom right now
/ is committing horrible sin, and can
never reach the heavenly gates because
they are Christians and are knitting in
aid of the war.
According to his teaching, continued
Attorney Bullard, any law passed against
the word of Christ should be disobeyed
In my personal opinion the words
Made in Germany are stamped clearly
and surely on the back of the defendant :
witness Nordlund. If the propaganda
started BY Waldron ever got good hold
on this country, spread as it was under
the guise OF religion. conditions here
would be worse than III Russia"
'Waldron is no better than Trotsky
Lenine the Bolsheviki or the |. W. VS.
of America"
AT ll35 o'clock Judge Harland B
Howe began his charge to the jury. Il
was of great length and was very fan
and impartial He took considerable
/ pains to bring out the full meaning of tn,
law under the espionage act and TO eX
plain each word in detail used III the in
dictments The jury, he instructed
+, would be asked only to bring in verdict
1 under the second and third counts in tn
. indictments, the first one the court woul'
decide, its decision depending OH the re
| suit of the other two counts.
4 Special seating arrangements wer,
5 ordered made by Judge B. Howe to ae
4 commodate the large crowds who wante
to hear the reading of the pamphlet
i The Word of the Cross, and the plea
cf the attorneys, at the opening o
court yesterday afternoon.
Attorney A. II. King Of the Unite
States customs department at st. Al
bans, who assisted District Attorne
n Bullard III the prosecution of the cas-;
read the first l5 or IS pages and the
Attorney c. r. Williams of Utic;
l. n. ", of the four lawyers for the d,
L fensc. read the other half.
X Following the reading b. the defens
e Attorney A. H. King OF the prosecl
y. ton made the government plea for
N conviction on the second and thir
$ counts in the indictment, which define
r under the third section OF the espiol
q age act of June 10, 1917, are relatiy
d TO mutiny, insubordination, disloyalt
$. and obstructing of recruiting for II
army and navy of the United State
The government eontended in its pie
that the defense would offer denia
of all sworn statements made by IL
or government witnesses on the stand al
would offer to convince the jury tn;
the meeting of the Dartmouth studen
1o was a patriotic meeting which IN itse
ne showed the patriotism of the defen
NJ ant and his good will toward the go