ought here and sworn as witnesses, and not one of
them can say he ever heard a word--that he ever saw John F. Beggs
rise in his place and utter one word of denunciation against the
murdered Dr. Cronin.

"Gentlemen of the Jury, Beggs was right when he made that
statement. If you are going to hang him for that I may as well stop
here and now. Take him inside the narrow limits of the jail and
hang him, and let this farce end at once, and with it end the
institution which we term our glorious courts of justice."

Mr. Foster went on to say, that there was not one syllable in the
case from beginning to end to show that Beggs was not one of the
most consistent friends that Dr. Cronin ever had. No hatred had
been proven, no ill will shown. It was simply sought to convict
Beggs, because the testimony showed that Burke had gone to his
office twice in January and once in February. It was not now,
however, that he had ever gone there afterward, or that Beggs had
ever associated with him anywhere else. As for the proceedings of
Camp 20, it was simply unfortunate for Beggs that he had allowed
himself to be elected senior guardian of the camp. But for that he
would be walking upon the street and breathing the free air. Had he
had a headache on the 8th day of February, if he had a toothache,
if he had gone to the theatre with his wife, if any thing in God's
world had happened to him, except the chance that took him down to
preside for the first time after installation in the office of
senior guardian of camp 20, he would have been a free man that day.
There was no question about that, with no animosity toward Dr.
Cronin, and no ill will, and a clamor and a claim for unity and
peace was the offense that he had committed, and nothing more.

Mr. Foster concluded his speech on the morning of Saturday,
December 7th. He again reviewed the affairs of Camp 20, urging that
there was no proof of the existence of a secret committee, and no
evidence against Beggs. Stress was laid upon the fact that the
ex-senior guardian had set up no alibi, but that he had endeavored
to aid the State by every means in his power. In conclusion Mr.
Foster said:

"Now, there is another matter, gentlemen, to which I desire to call
your attention. I can imagine that an Irishman, with all