the
hardships of his father in his mind, and all the hardships to which
he has been subjected, might feel as if he could take a dagger and
plunge it into the heart of a British spy, and then kneel down
before his God and ask a blessing of the Divinity upon him. But
John F. Beggs never believed that Dr. Cronin was a British spy.
John F. Beggs is not deserving of mercy if he stood at the head of
that cruel conspiracy to effect Dr. Cronin's murder. No words of
commendation, no thought of pity, not one syllable, would I say in
his behalf were he guilty of this atrocious and cold-blooded
murder, because John F. Beggs is the dupe of no man. He is the tool
of no man. He stands forth responsible for his acts, without a
mitigating circumstance if he is guilty. Therefore, I say to you,
gentlemen, in all candor and sincerity, you must either destroy the
life of John F. Beggs or else you must turn him free.

"Are you opposed to the execution of the death penalty? You and
each one of you have sworn that you were not. Are you waiting for a
murder more atrocious? In the name of heaven when do you expect to
hear of one? I am talking sense now. I am appealing to your reason
and your judgment. If John F. Beggs is guilty John F. Beggs must
die. Shame to the verdict, shame to the verdict, I say, which,
under the circumstances surrounding this case, would say, 'We will
not torture our minds and we have not the moral turpitude to hang a
man upon this evidence, but, by guessing and imagining and
speculating that he might be guilty, we will give him a term in the
penitentiary upon general principles and upon speculation.' Shame
to such a verdict as that. Humanity can stand no such outrage
perpetrated upon her citizens. I said yesterday that the conduct of
John F. Beggs had been an open book before you. Why, when the
organization of the coroner's jury was effected, one of the members
of Camp 20, Captain Thomas O'Connor, rushed to Beggs, as the
highest officer in the camp, and said: 'How about the secrets of
the organization? I have been subpoenaed as a witness.' What was
his reply? Was it concealment? Captain O'Connor, the most
prejudiced witness in this case against my client, the man who has
more feeling than any other witness against my client, is compelled
by trut