Show PUBLIC DEFENDER TO GET JUSTICE fUR FOR POOR 1 Special c Correspondence 1 OS JL-OS S CaL No Nov 30 Walton 30 Walton J J. J Wood WOO of this city Is b tho the only public defender In tho the United States Ills His appointment which marks an cp epoch ch In penal history came caino ten months a ago aco o when bon a man named David Evans a a. ar freeholder r holder proved pra to his fellows that tho the new V r should try to Give tho the defendant an equal show before the law I I- I Evans argued that t while tho the spirit of or orthe the the- law held the dJ district attorney to be a n ju judicial I It has 1111 J como come about U that I he bo Is lit now nothing but a n public prose prose- prosecutor and that against him hint and hi lily bl big bis machinery the defendant without money or Influence has lias ml mighty little chanco Wo Vo Wo have 11 handled C felony cases or nearly half ono of ot a all the criminal cases cule on record In the last ten months months' said Wood Tho The fact that practically everyman every everyman everyman man accused who Is unable to hire a lawyer er has asked for our services shows how o badly wo we are ara needed Our motto Is 15 s snot not to get set people oft off It Is ia to give bi them thema a 1 square deal Wo We 0 have handl handled d caso case after case cobe of oC migratory men who vho stole because b cause they were era starving Wo 0 are different from tho the probation officer for whon when wo take a n case cUe the defendant feels that we are aro not noL a R part of tho district attorneys attorney's office but that wo 0 are his counsel Thus wo we cnn can set get et at the motives bettor better than anyone anono else Ve We have havo done morn more to 10 prevent over over- than to prove people innocent Inno Inno- cent But tho most surprising thIng Is that wo we have actually saved Ved tho the county money moner We c have havo prevented presented delays s. s ex- ex o Jury trials and app appeals s. s But best of all 4 wo we havo o done dona awa away with that band of or chec cheap p and venal shysters who Infest the courts waiting for tor an nn appointment appointment appoint appoint- ment from tho jU judge to defend the friendless friendless friend friend- less Ics and poor Wood has many stories of down and outers who T would havo have undergone one severe Ec penalties had hod not his office found the tho real facts In tho the c case e. e One Ono was that of a modern Jean who pleaded guilty to burglary burglar and was about to lo be La sentenced sentenced sen sen- en- en for lOI Colony olon when It was found through tho the defenders defender's that he had b been en living on oranges for two days as be before before beloro be- be fore loro ho entered a a. house to steal something some some- thing to eat cat Tho The court released him on probation and he ho has 1188 since made good I 1 I once defended a man who Mho was a willIng will will- Ins Ing to plead guilty to Lo murder although he had killed Jellied his opponent In defense defenso of oC his own life me and was locally legally Justified In committing the thc act Ho was entirely of the th law and w was WIK entitled to tn I Ii i I ETT t I ye h t r 8 w l ly p y A I s i I I WALTON J. J WOOD I have competent nt advice M upon the the- subject Ho lio was acquitted Another case Olse was of ot a year nineteen old boy named Ross floss accused of burglary Wood found him lying dying of tuberculosis li liIn In tho cH city Jail although ho he had been heen before the court on a preliminary hearing His plight was brought to the notice of the the- superior Judge and ho he was sent to tho the country to recuperate Lacy Llcy was a similar case Co He Ho HeV V was a n friendless negro and would have died tiled of or his disease had hadnot hadnot hadnot not the public defender secured his re release release release re- re lease and found friends for him These nr are a few fow of the cases capes that have Justified the exl existence of ot Wood and hI his deputies The civil department Is also very Important and mon many a family has han been saved sa from tho the clutches hes of the loan sharks and find heartless landlords through this branch of Woods Wood's office It Is probable probable able ablo that a law will be presented at the next legislature creating such sueh offices In ot e every county In tho the state or at least in inthe the tho ten tn t cities cities' |