The Tears of the Courtroom
A three-week embezzlement trial in Everett ended in acquittal after an emotional defense moved jurors to tears.
The story, cleaned up
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Angus Buchanan is a free man. Following the three weeks' trial, during which time an immense mass of tangled evidence had been sifted by Prosecuting Attorney Cooley and Attorney Ronald, the jury after an hour and a half's deliberation, reported through its foreman that it found Buchanan innocent of the charge of embezzlement from Contractor McKenzie. So impassioned was the address of Judge Ronald that two jurymen wept, and one attorney broke into tears, though he was not representing the prosecution. Assistant Counsel Johnson, for the defense, also delivered a strong address. Judge Denney consumed three-quarters of an hour in charging the jury. He instructed the jurors that if they believed Buchanan honestly thought himself a partner of McKenzie he should be acquitted.
“So impassioned was the address of Judge Ronald that two jurymen wept, and one attorney broke into tears.”
The trial hinged on the distinction between employment and partnership—a precursor to modern labor and gig economy disputes regarding who really owns the value produced by a worker.
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