The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-08-08

u..--.zs....sr -. Alcorn's grievous charge? Do you think he was partner to sup posed agreement? What has the state produced to convince you be- Yond reasonable doubt that Charlie O'Connor knew of any such alleged corrupt agreement?
 Insofar as the keeping of records was concerned, that once he had accounted to the city of Waterbury for his petty cash, once he had filed with MT. Purcell his voucher, that he was under no obligation to retain those items which he kept subse- quently.
 Certainly he had a right to rely upon the validity of the city's books. I can't conceive Charles O'Connor being part of scheme to cheat and defraud the city of Waterbury. You remember MT. Levy said he met MT. O'Connor and that's about all. Now if Mir. O'Connor was in on this proposition, the evidence would have been that he would have drawn this corrupt agreement if that's what it was, and he would have shared in the lawyers fees, wouldn't he?
 Hickcy's Job
 Another strong argument in favor of MT. O'Connor's innocence is the fact that MT. Hickey's job, claim, is to gather in the loose ends. He didn't mention MT. O'Connor; he didn't even talk with him. find, ladies and gentlemen, that he is en- titled to acquittal and 1t would par italy compensate him for @ great injustice done.
 The state rests its case upon ir1- erence-inference It gets to be a guessing contest. That's what this is. It's a guessing party. Inference! Inference! Inference! They want you to conclude from certain statements that large checks had been paid, that 8 great corrupt fraud has been perpetrated. He wants these 19 men punished as members of a cor rupt gang. He says they did noth- ing during all these years they were in office in the city where they were born, where their parents live, and where they had been rcspected-are respected--by everybody who knows them. No, my dear friends.
 Now, in a controversy of this kind, the conduct and motives of the at torney in the case become a part of the document, naturally. MT. Alcorn received criticism. In the great re- gard I have for him and his purpose, 1 think in the present conspiracy, I fear he has been misled by the political leaders in the city of Wa terbury and there has been sketched to him a commission of great crime. He has taken six months in an endeavor to prove one gigantic conspiracy, and when he admitted he was through, what had he proved? A conspiracy? No. What he has proved is that large sums of money were paid for truck hire, legal ser- vices, lobbyists
 Music Went Around!
 Now, as I sat back there right between the defendants, watching the play, have been watching and waiting for something big to hap pen. Of course, there has been some strike -outs but I'm waiting for an explosion in the spoken word which would justify that long document which Is called the in! formation, which would justify the arrest and prosecution of these lt men, which would prove beyond 8 reasonable doubt that allegation contained therein that long.lived gigantic, stupendous conspiracy wa; formed in '930 and lived for eight years. But I say that I have waited and undoubtedly some of you have waited. The weather grew colo and the weather grew hot and the chairs you are sitting on became hard and what happened? The mu- sic just went around and around.
 You know some years ago, there lived an outstanding painter named John Sarge {. He had a wonderful ability of putting paint on canvas: so that when he finished the por- trait was life-like. But Sargent wal terribly afflicted with peculiar stigmatism. He always saw a smal red or blue or green line around tht object he had painted.
 An ObsessiOn
 I give MT. Alcorn all the credi that is due him for his wonderful work. but I fear he suffered iron mental stigmatism that make him see only guilt in a most inno cent act. that that stigmatism hal grown on him until 1t has becomI an obsession which he can't throv off. I think he has developed tn , faculty of making an innocent ac into a guilty one and to conclud' i. from innocent acts. guilt that som , terrible crimes had been commit ted. Then by the force Of this, h endeavors to convince others tha he is correct in his conclusion. I fea very much that like John Sargent ! Mir. Hugh Alcorn. greatest rrosecu tor of this generation. sees red whel , only white, portraying innocence.