He had arranged that at the climax of
his address to the jury he would turn and, tearing away the
slender hands of his client from her tear-stained face,
challenge the jury to find guilt written there. Wellman was
totally unprepared for this and a shiver ran down his spine
when he saw Howe, his face apparently surcharged with emotion,
turn suddenly towards his client and roughly thrust away her
hands. As he did so he embedded his finger-nails in her
cheeks, and the girl uttered an involuntary scream of nervous
terror and pain that made the jury turn cold.
"Look, gentlemen! Look in this poor creature's face! Does
she look like a guilty woman? No! A thousand times no!
Those are the tears of innocence and shame! Send her back to
her aged father to comfort his old age! Let him clasp her in
his arms and press his trembling lips to her hollow eyes! Let
him wipe away her tears and bid her sin no more!"
The jury acquitted, and Wellman, aghast, followed them
downstairs to inquire how such a thing were possible.
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