Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-12-23
Misfeltaneous.
Remarkable Trial in Summit
County. ,t-

County. .af-4
The Perjury case of Robert w. Jones,
just tried in the Summit County Court OF
Common Pleas, occupying eight days Of
the term, and keeping in attendance for no
small portion of that time, nearly two hun
dred witnesses, is very extraordinary one.
and the testimony developed some curious
facts. The Beacon says:
In the first place, land irrespective OF
the technical guilt of Jones, il was made
apparent that a considerable number OF
persons were privy to the arson of Deeem-
ter 20, 1856, either before q Immediately
after its perp tration. Two women living
in Akron-if their testimony is to be be-
lieved-heard the scheme talked over, the
price named, the whole matter discussed as
one of ordinary ent;-heard the fel-
low Matney narrate how, when, and for
how much the deed was to be done. These
were by no means all. The conspiracy to
burn, involved, We might say, score OF
accessories,-accessories by privity and
confederacy, if not by advice and aid. In
almost any community, the disclosure Of
such widespread completely, III such a
crime, would excite much more attention
than is commonly given to the criminal
cases pending in Court. 1t was not strange
that IN this. case the Court room was
lhronged throughout.
But there was another remarkable fea-
ture of the trial. 1t was prosecution for
PERJURY. Avoiding again any opinion
upon the technical guilt of Jones,-that he
committed wilful, deliberate, and corrupt
perjury, nobody doubts, whether within the
terms of the Indictment found, or not
there was vast deal of false swearing up
on this trial perjury inevitably certain,
ON the part of few witnesses.
The Beacon, states that the startling
fact is indisputable, that there exits in Sum
nit county criminal league, united for
the purposes of crime and protection, en-
bracing no Inconsiderable number of indi-
viduals, who cooperate with, and by all
possible means shield each other OF the
closing scenes in toe trial of Jones, one of
the leaguge, the Beacon says:
The jury retired at evening on Friday,
and on Saturday morning returned with
the verdict, Gritty apon the first assign
naent of perjury IN the indictment, not
guilty upon the second assignment.
On Saturday afternoon, Robert w.
Jones was brought into Coart in custody
of the Sheriff to receive sentence. Through
out the trial his bearing had been resolute,
hopefal lone would say in Vie case of an
innocent man, courageous and manly. At
fected of course he was, but bis emotions
were subdued to the control of resolute
spirit, and his manner was remarkably
calm and self-reliant. The testimony of
the witnesses for the prosecution he lis
tened to intently, but neither his eye quail
ed nor his cheek blanched at their most
eliminating statements. An occasional
bleeding at the nose, caused probably by
excitement of mind, was the only visible
indication of the struggle within.
On Saturday, he came into Court and
took his seat with the same air of calm
ness and fortitude. When called to stand
up, and asked, after the recital by the
Court of his Indictment, the trial and the
verdict, whether he had anything to say
why the sentence of the law should not be
pronounced on him." Joseph Adams, Esq,
his leading counsel, made most pathetic
appeal in his behalf, for clemency in the
sentence. =.. ..a ri -r.....
He admitted that the finding of the jury
was correct, but sought to extenuate the
offence as being committed under extraor-
dinary circumstances, and as being intrin-
sically upon collateral and immaterial;-
that Jones was called directly from the
prisoners box, (where all his feelings and
the powers of his mind had been energeti-
cally reused to protect himself from con-
viction for arson to the witness stand, to
testify on behalf of the State against those
who a moment before had bean so co de-
PENDANTS that i'll these circumstances,
his averments upon such questions as those
propounded, did not evince that kind of
corrupt and wilful false swearing which
constituted the crime of perjury in all its
turpitude. r,......,
He set forth the condition of the Defen-
dant and his immediate family,-of his IA
ther, an old and estimable citizen of the
county, bowed down with grief at the ter
rible calamity ,and he appealed most strong
ly to the Court to pronounce merciful
sentence, tempering justice with clemeuey.
The prisoner, during these remarks, was
taken with bleeding at the. nose, and sat
down, and gradually bowed his head be-
tween his knees, sobbing and convulsed.-
Very deep and painful emotion was evi-
dent throughout the audience-bar, spec
tators, and Court.
The Court then proceeded to pronounce
sentence. Judge Carpenter spoke in apt
and feeling terms, of the offender; said
however deep might be his sympathy, he
might not permit himself to be governed
by that, but solely by considerations of
the righlful administration Of justice.
He complimented highly the zeal and
efficiency Of the counsel for the defence,
who had brought 10 the case, and to the
examination of the evidence and the law,
the highest professional skill and most in
defatigable exertion. They had done all
which could have been done in his behalf.
He spoke Of the crime of perjury; of its
direct tendency to establish falsehood and
injustice in place of law and right, and to
subvert the very organization Of civil socie-
ty. He had had, as others had in the pro-
gress of his trial, painful evidence that it
was crime but too common m Courts OF
Justice. This conviction would at least
serve to inculcate the lesson in the commu-
nifty, that perjury could be reached and
punished, however high or respectable