The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-07-27

James, who was then county attorney
for Crittenden county. Kentucky. Two
or three days after | had secured my
license, he sent me down in the coun.
try to Il justice court to prosecute
three boys for cruelty TO animals. Well
| got down, all the witnesses were
there, no one to defend the boys and
all for me to do was just to proceed
with the prosecution. | had just been
around the courthouse long enough
to learn that the first thing n lawyer
should do was to get continuance of
the case. SO, | asked for continu
ance. Quite naturally-and with no
little bit of wonderment by the court
at that place, | wager-l was grant
ed the continuance, and feeling that
| had acquitted myself quite grace
fully in my first case, | returned to
the office expecting all sorts of praise.
Mr.. James said, We'll. Bill, how did
you come out?' l replied, fine, l sue
ceeded in getting all my cases con-
tinued" | can appreciate now a little
more his state of feeling when he said,
why you d fool, what did you do
that for?' Replying | said, Why
thought that was always the first
thing you had to do
"Wcll, that was my first and last
experience i'm prosecuting. Through
the passing years l have learned that
there are just about as many lies told
on the one side as the other. and if
| was ever instrumental in convicting
someone when he was innocent no
matter how honest | might have been
in my endeavor, | would never get
over ii. 1t is bad enough for a man
to pay the penalty when he is guilty,
but there is nothing so terrible as to
pay when innocent. OF course some
one must prosecute. 1t is a work that
must be done, but for all that. some one
else must do it, for | will not. / never
took part in any of my brothers prose
cution cases.
Refuses to Prosecute
There is more good in the aver
age man than there is bad Very often
a man commits n crime under stress
of great emotion, and when he is not
at himself, and many and many a
boy has been sent to the penitentiary
who forgot himself only for moment.
committed crime, the verdict pass
ed, and he goes-and comes out man |
broken in health and morals.
This was strillingly illustrated in
my school days. l was going to school |
in a little Illinois town, went there |
about Is months, getting my board |
washing. and sleeping quarters for |
$40 a month. My best friend then |
was w. w. Duncan, who is now on |
the supreme bench of Illinois. We
were members of little society, which
we called The Pythagorans.' The So
ciety met every Friday night, and be-
cause we lived out in the country we
would always take our lunch with us
those nights and would not return to
our rooms until after the meetings.
Wei, there was one fellow who did not
like anyone or nothing pleased him ana
everything seemed to bother him. One
Friday night he had a fight with my
room The next morning word
came to us that this fellow had said
hat he and his three brothers would
be up at the little store and if Duncan
Jared to go up there they would do
him up Duncan turned to me-
Cruce I'm going up there, do you
want to go?' | unhesitatingly replied
Yes We each got two pistols ana
vent. deliberately, to kill or get killed.
rhe other boys were not there, how
,ver, and nothing ever came of it all.
But that explains my point, 1 would
,ave killed one of those boys, or they
would have killed me. Had | have
lilled them, 1 would certainly have