Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1931-10-08

O0tJt NH ktG Fif1I 10 BOW 10
Achievement"
Recognition where recognition ia due
this, gentlemen. has ever been nv
way. May !, then. before l begin my
poor plea In defense OF this lady. nv
client. most respectfully call your at
tentlon to that which, In my humble
opinion has never before been
achieved much less duplicated, IN the
whole OF the Southwest Turn your
eye to the figure which has so recently
and 80 deservedly held yonr attention.
Gaze once more upon him. Regard
him we'll You will not look upon his
like again. For. gentlemen. In nv
opinion this gifted person. Mr.. Patrick
Leary, is the only man In the Okla
homa tsrritory--in the Indian terri.
tory-in the whole Of the brilliant and
glorious Southwest may. may even
90 so far rs to shy the ONLY man In
this magnificent country. The United
States Of America !--of whom 1t actin
ally can he said that lie Is able to
strut sitting down"
The puffed little figure in the chair
collapsed, then bounded to its feet.
redfaced gesticulating. your honor
I object
But the rest was lost In the gigantic
roar OF the delighted crowd.
go 1t. Yanceyl"
That's the stuff, Cimarron -
Here was what they had come for
Doggone. there was nobody like him.
Even today. though more than a
quarter OF a century has gone by.
there still are people In Oklahoma
who have kept Il copy, typed neatly
now from records made by hand OF
the speech made that day by Yancey
Cravat in defense OF the town woman.
Dixie Lee. "Yancey Cravat's Plea for
a Fallen Woman" 1t Is called. and |
never was speech more sentimental. /
windy, false and utterly moving. The |
slang words hokum and bunk were NOT !
then In use. but even had they been
they never would have been applied
by that appreciative crowd, at least
TO the flowery and impassioned oratory
OF the Southwest Silver Tongue, yam
cey Cravat.
Cheap, melodramatic gorgeous. i'm.
passioned. A quart OF whisky In him.
an enthralled audience behind him.
White-faced woman with hopeless eyes
TO spur him On the cry Of his wronged
and righteous wife still sounding in
his ears-Booth himself, In his heydey.
never gave more brilliant, more
false performance.
Your honor gentlemen OF the Jury,
You have heard with what cruelty the
prosecution has referred to the sins
OF this woman, as Ii her condition was
or her own preference. A dreadful
a vic1ous-a revolving picture has been
painted for you OF her life and sur
roundings. Tell me-tell me-do you
really think that she willingly en-
braced a life so repellent. so horrible?
No. gentlemen! A thousand times, no!
Ihis girl was bred In such luxury,
such refinement, as few of us have
known. And just as the young girl
was budding into womanhood, crwel
fate snatched all this from her, bereft
her of her dear ones, took from her,
one by one, with terrible and fierce
those upon whom she had
come to look for love and support.
And then. In that moment OF darkest
terror and loneliness, came one OF our
sex. gentlemen. A wolf In sleeps
clothing A fiend In the guise OF a
human. False promises. Lies De-
,eit SO palpable that 1t would have de-
,eived no one but young girl as inno-
cent, as pure, as starry eyed as was
his woman you now see white and :
trembling before you. One Of our sex !
Tas the author Of her ruin, more to q
blame than she. What could be more I
'athetic than the spectacle she pre- {
'ents7 An immortal soul In ruin. A I