Show t THOSE FLAGS OF PEACE 1 rguments in the Coxey Casey < Ysr Are Concluded ALLEGED THE POLICE CAUSED THE TROUBLE I I Now Looks as Though the Verdict Will Bo Guilty Hudson Says the Goiiitnonwealer Are UeiK Tried Itccanbe of Their Political Belief Rather Than for a iolation of Law Xorthwesterj Industrials Steal a rrain lint An Repulsed Kelly lay Get Out oDes iI i I o-Des Moines Toilay Coxey Syinpa i thizers Condemned in St Paul RandaH Vandals Split by Dis1 senslon Washington May iThe defense had its inning today in the trial of Coxey Browne and Jones for the May day demonstrations Attorney Hyman made the opening statement for the defense There was no denial or defense for I what the commonwealers had done He began to say that the defense would I I consist ir the lawfulness of their ac tio He could remember but one similar occurrence in history and thereupon there-upon he produced a Bible and began to read a scriptural passage I The gentleman should confine himself I him-self to the statement of facts interposed inter-posed the district attorney Does the attorney deny that this is a fact < demanded the young attorney holding the Bible aloft dramatically He was permitted to read a passage of the Old Testament citing that the I Lord commanded Moses to take off his shoes because he trod on holy ground From his discursive statement it was I leathered that the defense would be based largely on the brutality of the I police clubbing the citizens I would be shown that Coxey had not walked I I in the grass and Browne had been L Riven through the shrubbery by the ponce Coacy Was Sot on the Grass Frank Harper a newspaper man from Alexandria Va testified that thai police had driven the citizens 01 the grass before the procession arrived in order to clear the pathways Coxey walked so quietly to the steps that he was not recognized until the people pointed him out Thirteen police surrounded sur-rounded the general when he arrived Witness was certain Coxey had not walked on the grass On examination he said there were 50000 or 60000 people peo-ple waiting and cheering for Coxey I Disorderly were they not inquired in-quired the district attorney HOh no they had the right to cheer they were American citizens I The police came car running down a little girl in front of Harper Head He-ad been ordered off the asphalt streets two or three times but returned every timeThen Then you disobeyed the police i said the district attorney The police are not the law they are < he agents of the people to carry out the law was the reply One person in the crowd on the grass was Senator Alien Aienitness Witness No2 Samuel L Perrick colored when asked his business explained ex-plained I am one of the army of the unemployed Until the beginning of the Democratic administration he had been employed in the treasury He swore that Coxey did not touch the Err ass Being called upon to give a ruling t tiTi a question asked this witness JuVge Miller said i might be a mitigating mitigat-ing circumstance bearing upon the intent in-tent to violate the law that defendant had been forced upon the grass by circumstances cir-cumstances The judge added that a hundred thousand violations of law did not excuse one violation This witness 4lso had seen the police drive the people peo-ple on the grass gas Coxey Takes the Stand Coxey took the stand and skid he was a lobbyist in behalf of the unemployed unem-ployed The men who came with him did so Coxey said upon the principle that they might as well be with him a anywhere Coxey said he told Major oore the army might break up and enter the capitol grounds as American citizens The chief said there was no objection ul1y object in going to the said Coxey to capjiol was present to Congress my two bills the good road bill and the noninterest bearing bonds bill and address the Congress of the United States and the American people t on them I demanded the protection of the police who seemed to be Colariel Brights right hand bower to present to Congress a petition from the lubor organizations in favor of the bills Judge Miller would not permit the 1 introduction as evidence of the speeh Coxey intended to mike 1 the protest he issued saying that they hil Hhlng to do with the trial Coxey tcld history story of the march to Washington without with-out embellishments Those Fines of Peace Concerning tne flags of peace carried car-ried by the army General Coxey said they had been provided for the men in order to bring into notice the two bills which were designed to bring peace on earth and good will towards men The organization itself was a minor affair merely an emblem of the bills He did not know that Browne had the banner when he started for the capitol steps and he did not consider con-sider the avenue leading to the steps as a part of the grounds Xext came to the stand Representa tive Bland a Missouri After some wrangling over objections to questions I Judge Miller refused to permit the congressman to tell how the police had I clubbed the citizens I Representative Pence argued that the I defense wanted to show that all the trouble was caused toy the police and said they had a dozen members of Congress to testify to that effect Finally the members of Congress were allowed to tell that the police had driven women and children and mejj < ver the grass in their charge W F Longstreet of Worcester Mass and Mr Stettstust a law student in Mr Llpscombs office said I that paths were made across the capitol capi-tol turf by people who took shortcuts i short-cuts W O Shelby a lawyer described i Brownes arrest telling how the policemen police-men placed their clubs on people and that the officer who arrested Browne had shown him the stick taken from Browne I had no flag on it What the Judge Will Charge i se defense closed its case and Mr Liscomb asked Judge Miller to charge the jur that the act of 1885 wa not intended in-tended to restrict the right of citizens to peaceably assemble and petition Con I o gress and also that the banner carried i was grss displayed and designed to bring the I organization to notice They must acquit ac-quit Coxey since he had not advised or I abetted the others to display a banner and to walk on the grass I Judge Miller said he would charge 1 that the jury must find the defendants fully and knowingly trod on the grass The attorneys for Christopher Columbus Colum-bus Jones asked the judge to instruct that his client was to be acquitted of the second count that there was no evidence that he had walked on the grass Assistant District Attorney Mullow ney made the opening speech Representative Hudson of Kansas who began for the defense said it was plain the defendants were not tried on technical charges against them but because they held political opinions contrary con-trary to the opinions of those in power These men are not being tried for stepping on the grass he argued The district attorney will argue to you against Mr Coxey himself and the I Ooxev movement Mr Hudson was followed by Mr Lip scomb also for the defense and then I the court adjourned |