and some of the Conzmmlsts were indignant that they 

 should be persecuted and thet some of us shouldn't 

 be. I don't think that many of the young people 

 understood the risk they were taking* 



Oilbs John Francis Neylan was her defense attorney, on the 

 appeal* Did you ever have any contact with him in 

 connection with that ease? 



Coggins: I never did, no* Older was the one who — 



0ilb: Persuaded Neylan to take the case* 



Coggins: Yes* Neylan felt obligated to him* There was a 

 much better aaH at the time* 



Gilb: Who was that? 



Coggins: Tom O'Connor* All of us who attended the trial were 

 in a hostile group and everybody looked at us as if 

 we were crackpots* The minute O'Connor got up to 

 speak, he seemed to reverse the whole conduct of the 

 trial* First he put the Judge in a bad spot, and 

 the latter stuttered and he couldn't pronounce his 

 words* The court staff was on the defensive* 

 O'Connor's confidence was contagious, and by the 

 time the court adjourned for the day he had carried 

 the whole audience with him* Then as luck would 

 have it, in the midst of the case he got pneumonia 

 and died* I never saw such a sudden change of 



