A BRIGAND’S INGENIOUS DEFENDER

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1354, 11 September 1883, Page 4

A BRIGAND’S INGENIOUS DEFENDER

In Sansosti, a watering place in the province of Cosenza, a jury tried the case of a brigand, whose conscience, if he possessed any, was burdened with the death of thirty-seven persons more or less. His counsel, the lawyer of Corbellini, delivered a magnificent speech in his defence, closing as follows: —“No, gentleman of the jury, you shall not pronounce this unfortunate man guilty; yen shall net sign his death warrant under tl e superb eyes of the beautiful Eulalia, the wife of our distinguished President who looks down on you from yonder tribune, clad in her elegaut pink robe trimmed with the most precious Venetian laces. Yes, 0! my beautiful lady, the pink color of your toilet speaks ‘hope to this unfortunate man and from among those precious laces flies forth the angel of mercy, who says to those enlightened jurymen: ‘ You must acquit this unfortunate man.’” What was the Prosecuting Attorney to do ? He became confused, feering to offend the beautiful dame, and knew not what to reply. The President, however, who seemed to enjoy the praise bestowed on his wife's toilet, was full of mercy in his address to the jury, who, unable to resist the superb eyes and the pink dress, promptly acquitted the scoundrel.