Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 June 1894 — A Cute Judge. [ARTICLE]

A Cute Judge.

Fifteen yews ago Judge MoSweeney woe a famous criminal lawyer of Southern Michigan. He was oalled upon to defend a young woman from the charge of having poisoned her old husband. It was a question of whether or not she had placed poison In a oaks of which the old man had eaten. A portion of the cake had been analyzed by a ohomlst and found to oontain a great deal of deadly poison. The chemist testified to this In court and other witnesses succeeded in making a ohaln of damaging evldenoe against the pretty young widow. The time oamo for the sum-ming-up speeches of the attorneys. Tho firoseoutlon began and finished and all ooked hopeless for the pioneer of the bar. Judge MoSweeney, the only speaker for the defense, arose amid breathless silenoe. He began in a low tone to sum up the defense of the prisoner. He had been allowed an hour In which to plead his side of the case. He dealt with everything but the cake. It rested upon the* table just at his right hand, whore it had stood during the weary trial. Thirty minutes passed and the people were still motionless, oharmed by the sweet eloquence of the gruff old lawyer. Three-quarters of an hour passed by, then another ten minutes. When the clock over the big desk told him there were but five minutes left he readied his hand out to the cake, half of whloh stood upon the table and broke off a ragged chunk. He hold this In his hand and between sentences took great mouthfuls of It During those five minutes ho calmly argued the case and ate cake. He demolished morn than half of It. The chemist had declared that there was enough poison in it to kill fifty men. The good people lodked at him In amazement, and the Jurors turned to each other and whispered. MoSweeney wound up hls speech, took another chunk of oake and walked uulelly from the oourt-room eating It. He closed the door behind him, ran into a small room close by and looked the door. Two physicians stood ready with a stomach pump, and In ten minutes the cake was all In the slop jar. The Jury returned a verdict of “not guilty" without leaving the oourt-room.