The Butte daily bulletin. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1918-1921, 1919-05-12
JOSEPH R. JACkS0N'S DEFENSE
OF THE COUNTY ATTORNEY

as to whether or not q leud is on be-
tween the chief OF detectives and any
set of men or any newspaper or news
papers in this city. That is none oil
my business and | want that distinct
| ly understood. | also want it thor
oughly understood that the office OF
county attorney has been conducted
by me every minute of the time dur
ing which | have held office with a
fair, scrupulously honest and imper-
sonal spirit.
THAT my oath of office and my
conscience guide me in my every pub,
lie act and l am not influenced nor
governed nor controlled nor directed
by any class of men, by any set of
men, by any party or any interest.
"This has been my policy and my
principle and my conviction and no.
body can deny it nor say it is politics
or interest Of either personal or other
character.
Mrs Ed Morrissey died on the
night of March %. | knew nothing
of her death until l bought copy OF
the Bulletin and read the article that
appeared therein March 20.
1.-The account was of such start
ling character that | felt an extraor-
dinary medical examination and au-
topsy was necessary in the interests
, of the state of Montana. Actuated
by this idea | called seven doctors,
two of whom, Drs. Lhotka and Horst,
were suggested to me by Attorney a.
| B. Melzner. At Walsh's undertaking
parlors, where the autopsy took
place, | had each doctor examine the
exterior of the body separately and
alone, in the presence of Deputies
Riley and Mcdaniel and myself,
Every mark upon the body of Mrs.
/ Morrissey was carefully noted by
each doctor separately and then all
were called in for dissection of the
body, which Was done by permission
of the sister of Mrs. Morressey.
"The doctors discovered and unan-
imously agreed That Mrs. Morrissey
had come to her end through natural
causes as was evidenced by the un-
sound condition of heart, liver and
Kidneys ] wish ii distinctly under
stood that there was not a single dis,
sentng opinion among the doctors.
AS to those who think, and. maybe
! honestly so as far as their knowledge
! leads them to believe, that Ed Nor
rissey should be prosecuted as being
the cause of his wife's death, have
| this to say:
''In every case of murder or man
slaughter, unless the death of the de-
ceased is proved by positive testi
mony, and that the cause of death is
due to violence on the part OF the
person accused. the case will be dis
missed by the presiding judge on mo-
tion by attorney for the defense.
I'm this case, how far would the
state of Montana get with seven re-
putable physicians testlfying that
| Mrs. Morrissey came to her end
/ through natural causes? The evil
! dence given by the physicians at the
] inquest and under oath shows that in
! their opinion Mrs. Morrissey did not
die from violence, but from the ter
ribly disordered condition of her or
/ gans.
sIn answer TO those who feel that
| the Bulletin should be prosecuted for
/ criminal libel. | wish to call their at
/ tention to the fact that the state
ment made at the inquest by Miss
Ethel Bailey, who stated that she had
seen Morrissey on two different oc-
casions handle his wife roughly with
| his hands, removes the very essential
| ingredient to the crime of criminal Ii
| bel, viz. malice in the writing of the
| article referred to.
Il have in mind that the people of
| Continued on Page Two.)