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314 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.

ageous endugh to let that man who had taken that poor girl’s
life to save his reputation as the pastor of his flock, go, and it
is an illustration that will encourage and stimulate every
right-thinking man to do his duty. Then, there’s Beattie.
Henry Clay Beattie, of Richmond, of splendid family, a weal-
thy family, proved good character, though he didn’t possess
it, took his wife, the mother of a twelve-monthz-old baby, out
automobiling, and shot her; yet that man, looking at the
blood in the automobile, joked! joked! joked! He was cool
and ealm, but he joked too much; and although the detectives
were abused and maligned, and slush funds to save him from
the gallows were used, in his defense, a courageous jury, an
honest jury, 8 Virginia jury measured up to the requirements
of the hour and sent him to his death; thus putting old Vir-
ginia and her citizenship on a high plane. And he never did
confess, but left a note to be read after he was dead, saying
that he was guilty. Crippen, of England, s doctor, 8 man of
high standing, recognized ability and good reputation, killed
his wife because of infatuation for another woman, and put
her remains away where he thought, as this man thought, that
it would never be discovered; but murder will out, and he
waa discovered, and he wes tried, and be it ssid to the glory
of old England, he was executed.

But you say, you’ve got an alibi. Now, let’s examine that
proposition a little bit. An alibi—Section 1018 defines what
an alibi is, ‘‘An alibi, as a defense, involves the impossi-
‘dility’*—mark that—'‘of the prisoner’s presence at the scene
of the offense at the time of its commission.” ‘An alibi in-
volves the impossibility, and the range of evidence must be
such as reasonably to exclude the possibility of guilt’’—and
the burden of carrying that alibi is on this defendant. ‘It
involvea the impoesibility’’—they must show to you that it
was impossible for this man to have been at the scene of that
erime, The burden is on them; an alibi, gentlemen of the
jury, while the very best kind of defense if properly sus-
tained, is absolutely worthless—I’m going to show you in a
minute that this alibi is worse than no defense at all. I want

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