American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1824-12-28
THE INTREPID JURYMAN.

Extract from late English publication, entitled,
San Excursion from Sidmouth lin Degonshire)
to Chester, by the Rev. Edmund Batcher.'
! cannot help congrauating our country upon
the iDestimabe value of trial by jury. | have lae-
lily met with proof OF its excellence, which ought
not to be forgotten.
A Judge, on the north west circuit in Ireland.
tried cause, in which much of the local conse-
]quence OF a gentleman In the peghborhood was
implicated. 1t was landlords prosecution against
one of his tenants, for assault and battery, commit
led on the person of the prosecutor by the defend
ant, in rescuing his only child, an innocent and
beautiful girl, from personal violation. When the
defendant was brought into court, the prosecutor
also appeared and swore to every fact laid down in
the indictment. The poor defendant had no lawyer
to tell his story he however, pleaded his cause
effectually, by appealing to the judgment and the
heart. The jury found him not guilty.
The Judge was enraged, and told the Jury they
must go back and reconsider the matter; adding
he was astonished at their giving such an infamous
verdict The jury bowed went back, and in quar-
ter OF an hour returned, when the foreman,
venerable old man, thus addressed the bench:
|" My ord in compliance with your desire we went
back to our room but, as we there found no
to alter our opinions our verdict, now return
it to you, in the same words as before-not guilty.
We heard your lordshps reproof but we do not
and in our private capacities, it is true, we in
significant men we claim nothing out of this boxp
above the common regard due to our humble, yet
honest stations but my lord, assembled here,
la Jury, we cannot be nsensbe of the great import
ance of the Office we now sustain. We feel glad
that appointed you are, by the law and
the constitution: not only to act impariialy between
the king and his subjects, the offended and the Of
fender, but to form the barrier of the people,
against the possible influences prejudice, or corrup-
ton of the bench; 10 which we do not wish to offer
the smallest degree oil disrespect much less of
insult: we pay it the respect which one tribunal
should pay to another, for the common honor of
both. This jury did not accuse the bench OF par
TALLY oppresssion-no, we look upon it as the
sanctuary of truth and justice: STILL my lord, we
cannot erase from our minds the records of
school books. BY them we were taught that kings
land Judges are but fallible morlas and that the
seat of Justice has been polluted by Tressilian,
Scroggs, and Jefreys." The Judge frowned at
these words but the intrepid juror thus proceeded:
IS My lord, am but poor man ; yet am free
born subject, and member of the constitution
nay, am now higher, for ann one OF its represent
tatives: | therefore claim, for myself and fellow
Jurors, liberty of speech"
The Judge here resumed his complacency. and
The orator continued his address. :" We have
thing to do my lord, with your private character
in this place il is yelled by your official one:
know you here only in that of Judge; and, as such,
we would respect you: you know nothing OF us,
but aa jury and in thai situation, look to you
Tor reciprocal respect; because We know oil 10 man,
however high his titles or his rank, in whom the
law OF the constitution would warrant an unprovok-
ed insult towards that tribunal in which they have
vested the dearest and most valuable privileges they
possess We sit here, my lord, sworn to give
verdict according to our consciences, and the best
of our judgments, on the evidence before us. We
have in our minds, discharged our duty as honest
men. 1t we have erred, we are accountable, moi to
your lordshp nor TO the king who appointed you
but to higher power, the King of kings"
The bench was dumb, the bar silent; astonish-
ment and applause muImured through the crowd
and the poor man discharged.
Who makes too much or loo ltlls Of himself has