8
s
LEGAL INCIDENTS. VI. JUSTICE EASILY MISTAKEN. YEARS ago," said one of the well-known a romantic proceeding," continued the law members of the Louisville Bar, " I yer; "but he was determined, and in order was called on to defend a man of nearly mid to do him justice in the defence, I obtained dle age, who was accused of having stabbed a the assistance of another lawyer, who did not man in a quarrel on the street. Imagine my know the facts, and would act in the defence astonishment when at the first consultation as if our client were guilty. Well, the case he told me these facts : ' Yesterday after came up. My client was identified by the noon,' said he, ' about dusk, my brother, man who had been stabbed and by the police who resembles me somewhat, was crossing man and other disinterested parties who had the street, when he met a stranger coming witnessed the fight in the semi-darkness and the other way. The crossing was muddy, the were sure of their man, as they thought. My stranger jostled him, and a quarrel ensued client swore that he did not commit the as that developed into a fight, in which my sault, but that he was at home at the time brother, who had his penknife in his hand, when it occurred : and his family swore to stabbed his opponent several times, and then that fact. Then several leading members of ran away as a policeman and several citizens the church testified as to his good character. came up. After we were all in bed last But the jury found him guilty and fined him night, the officers came to the house after fifty dollars. He paid it without a murmur, the assailant; and much to my surprise the and the record of his conviction stands in the warrant was made out against me. My orders of the court. All through the trial my brother is a man of dissipated habits, who client's guilty brother sat by his side in the has several times been in trouble; and if this court and heard the testimony without flinch case is pressed against him I am afraid he ing. I asked him what he would have done will be sent to the penitentiary. On the if his self-sacrificing brother had been sen other hand, I am a law-abiding citizen, and tenced to the penitentiary. ' I intended in can prove an excellent character. Now, what that event,' said he,. ' to get up in court and I propose to do is to stand trial on this acknowledge my own guilt.' The other charge, plead not guilty, prove an alibi, — lawyer was thunderstruck after the trial, when as I can, — prove my character, and take I told hini the facts. He refused to believe the consequences. If I am convicted, I it, and said the evidence was sufficient to may get off with a fine, and I am willing convict any man who lived. Only the proof to pay that to keep my brother out of of good character saved the accused from a severe sentence to the state prison." — Louis prison.' "I tried to persuade my client out of such ville Courier Journal.
