The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-03-04

lnqulsition, Woulu DC uegraoing suu Oh
in any enlightened, impartial
community.
The counsel of the State, your own,
and your fellows, you will keep secret
unless called on in a Court OF Justice to
make disclosures. You will at once see
the propriety and Importance of this
course of conduct. By disclosing, or
making public to any extent, the pro-
gress, or result of your Investigations, the
guilty party might be enabled to avoid
the effect of your finding, by escaping, or
to counterfeit the force and effect of the
evidence offered against him, and thus
thwart the ends of justice. Other con-
siderations will suggest themselves to
you on this subject. We all known that
good men, who out of regard to the pub
lie welfare, will cheerfully testifyopenly
in a Court of Justice, often dislike and
neglect to make complaints in the first
instance in most criminal cases; and
unless ample protection is thrown around
such, the duty will too often devolve
upon the m~ercenary. malicious and I'M
reliable. Those who are instrumental
in bringing offenders to light necessarily
xpose themselves to the III aciH, and of.
ten, the uurelenting vengeance of those
who violate the criminal law. Aud who
are they that most generally violate the
criminal Law? Why most certainly the
abandoned, wicked, and lawless, whose
malice, hatred, and particular enmity, all
good and peaceable men dred and strive
to avoid. Whilst then the crimes of in
dividuals must be searched out and pros
ecuted, by the agency of their fellow
men, we should feel willing to afford
every safeguard known to the law
against all attacks of the guilty. The
secrecy then with which all your pro-
ceedings and Investigations are conduc'
ted, secuses the best, and most per-
feet protection that can be devised.
Again, gentlemen, you are required to
present no person through hatred, ma
lice or i'll aciH, nor to leave any person
unpresented through fear, favor or afec-
tion, or for any reward, or the hope
thereof. BY this you are sworn to OBJ.
serve the most vigorous and unbending
impartiality, and to possess and exer-
else that degree %ofhonesty and integrity,
which no consideration or i~nducement,
can shake or bride. You will strive
with an eye single to the public good,
to ascertain whether there has been a
violation of the criminal law, and if any
| appear to have violated it, no matter
then who, or what they are, high, or loro,
rich or poor, influential or humble, they
must be indicted without fear, favor or
affection. Mercy for the poor, however
laudable and p~raseworthy under othor
circumstances, must not influence you
when they are charged with crime. Sym
patty for the low and humble is COM
mendable and manly in the ordinary
walks of life, but should not influence,
and control your action and judgment.
And above all, gentlemen, divest your
selves of any, the shightes; feeling of ia
vor to the RICH or fear of the influential,
and let all your action and judgements
be fearless and impartial. You should
coolly, and dispassionately investigate,
sufficiently to satisfy and convince your
selves of the justice and correctness of
any charge made, and then act fearless
ly, and without regard to consequent
ces.
fmay be supposed that an Indictment
ought to be found. if by the evidence
guilt is rendered more probable than in
nocence, or if a strong and positive sus-
picion of guilt is raised in your minds by
the evidence, but this is not the true
rule. Of the credibility of witnesses.
and the weight of the evidence you are
the exclusive judges, but allow me to
say that it should be sufficiently strong
and convincing to induce ard justify
you petit jury in convictiug on the save
testimony, If the same stood uncomfortable
ted. You should be satisfied and CON-
vinced of the guilt of tho person accus.
ed. If, then, after a diligent and imp r
tial investigation of any case, you still
entertain reasonable and we'll founded
doubts as to the guilt of the person &C
you MAY decline to indict. But
you should remember that no determiu-
alton On your part, properly aud
to guard and protect lthe
of individuals by the strict and
rigid application of every we'll establish
ed principle of law, should induce you
to seek after or'to entertain frivolous,
i'll founded, orcaptious doubts. For a
due regard for the rights of individuals,
and the use of the most jealous precau-
lions to prevent the power and n%ecessi-
ty of punishment from being abused, do
conflict with your duty to the State
fully aud adequately to protect life and
property, and to administer the law 50
as to bring upon the guilty
and speedy punishment. For
those reaHyguihy there should be no es-
cape. Now, gentlemen, on your e~ficien-
M cbiaAu danends this desirable roarlk |