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ecution included John J. Davis, one of the most prominent attorneys in West Virginia, John A. Howard, Hon. A.Y. Dayton, A.B. Persons, A.M. Cunningham and the local prosecutor, William G. Conley, who was, at the same time, editor and publisher of The Parsons Advocate. “Needless to say, Conley’s newspaper, which still has on file its weekly editions for 1897, reported the affair with a great deal of bias toward the prosecution’s side, using much of its space to defend ‘His Honor, Judge Holt’ against mounting public criticism. Most of the other "* space went to damn all other West Virginia editors who dared to side with the defendant — including some outside the state. Conley was a political animal who later parlayed his fame into the executive mansion of West Virginia,” said Eastham.
Bob Ridley’s defense was handled by the prestigious Marshall McCormick of Virginia, Col. Arnett of Wheeling, C.W. Daily, T.M. Reynolds, W.B. Maxwell, C.O. Strieby, H.J. Wagoner and Horatio Gates Moffett of Washington, Virginia. “As far as Easthams were concerned, any Moffett had the job of commonwealth’s attorney if he wanted it!” Bob Ridley’s historian noted.
“The brillance, wit and legal ingenuity of these teams — particularly Messrs. Davis and McCormick — overwhelmed all observers. In handling Eastham’s defense, Marshall McCormick and his assistants used every legal device in the law books, starting with multiple habeas corpus proceedings and continuing through writs of prohibition, writs of error, motions to perpetuate temporary writs and so forth, ad infinitum.
* Caused Court Change
“On three occasions during the case, Marshall McCormick, chief of Col.
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