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The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917, April 05, 1913, FINAL EDITION, Image 4

Image and text provided by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

Persistent link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045487/1913-04-05/ed-1/seq-4/

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tio'n for the release of Enright.
A week after this campaign had
begun, a week during which the peti
tion had been lying openly in the
Chicago Federation of Labor head
quarters, the trust newspapers found
outaboucit.
They immediately broke inlo
screaming headlines about how. "or
ganized labor was trying to get one
of its sluggers, a convicted murderer,
out o'f the penitentiary."
Also, they declared that the peti
tions for Enright's release were being
circulated secretly; which was not
the truth-.
The newspapers were successful to
a certain extent in preventing En
right's friends from signing the peti
tion. Many were tpo cowardly to do
so after the yelp made by' the news
papers. If the Pardon Board should free
Enright, he probably will be put on.
trial immediately for the murder of
Dutch Gentleman.
Dutch Gentleman came to a violent
death at the 'hands of Enright in the
summer of 1911. His" sister testified
against Enright when Enright was
tried for the Altmart murder
Attorney Charley E. Erbstein trav
eled fourteen thousand miles in order
to be in Illinois when the Enright,
petition came up before the Pardon
Board. He said today:
'"The conviction of Maurice En
right always will live as a monumen
tal miscarriage of justice, due to the
prejudicial stories in the newspapers
about Enright before his trial. These
stories so incensed the public mind
that it was An utter impossibility to
secure twelve men in the jury box
who were not prejudiced and who not
an opinion that Ennght was guilty:
fifteen years; I have known him as
a husband and a father; I have known
his hpme life.-1 was his personal at
torney, and during his. trial remained
in my office after court hours until
3 and 4 o'clock in the morning, work
ing out the details of the case,
' "Mr. Brady, iny associate, and my
self did all we could as lawyers tp
bring about"" the acquittal of Enright,
and while it is true that several wit
nesses were not called, the layman
does not understand why. The ma
jority of these witnesses would have
been unable to give any but hearsay
evidence, no admissible in a trial but
adinisslble before a board 6 pardons.
"Enright at the time he was upon
trial was under indictment on several
other charges. To have placed him
on the witness stand under these cir
cumstances, with what was a perfect
ly clear defense, would" have simply
laid him open and given the state's
attorney an opportunity to-gain what
he sought a chance to bring out
testimony that would have fastened
"Upon Enrights other offenses of
which he also was not guilty, in a full
cross-examination.
"At the time of the arrest of En-4
right lor the murder of Dutch Gen
tleman, in his own necessary self
defense, he had theretofore be'en ar
restedXor the murder of Vincent Alt
man and discharged by a coroner's
jury.
"Certain police officials, by the lav
ish .expenditure of money, put upon
the 'witness stand an irrespopslble,
fanatical person who claimed to have
seen Enright fire the shot in question,
and this was clearly proven at the
trial. ' Witness after witness testified
that Enright was not, the man who
had done the shooting; BUt the
venom and poison of the press had
done Its work.
"Upblrthe very same testimony on
which Enright was convicted, a re
spected and learned judge .of a court
of this county admitted him to bail
on charge of naving killed Altaian.
"I have known Maurice Enright forp "I have journeyed fourteen thou
sand miles so I might appear and tes
tify in Enright's behalf, and when tne
time comes neither, fear nor favor
shall or will prevent me from giving
facts in reference to tne prosecution
of this case that will astound every''
American."

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