Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-11-10
ALEXANDRIA, GAZETE AND VIRGINIA ADVERIISENo TO- 1858
a Curious Trial.

A correspoudeut o: the Mobile Tribune
re,or,s some "aueer legal doings in Aaba.
ma " NJ the Circuit court for Wilcox county,
before Judge Nat. Cook. We take report
of the case of the State vs.. John kersey, for
Grand arceny-the act charged being the fc.
lonious taking OF hundred dollar bill OF
the Commercial Bank Of the State OF Alabama.
The case was ably argued 90 both sides.
Hi. Honor delivered his charge. NO excep-
lions oy defendants COUNSEL. The jury re-
tired short time, and returned with the fol-
loving verdict endorsed on the indictment, OF
which this is a literal copy-"We, the jury
fad the defendant guilty"
Gen. BAiDe. defendants counsel, made
haste to say, that as the jary had not fixed
any value upon the bill stolen, he should 10
sist that be was guilty Of petty larceny-
Whereupon there was some private chat be-
tween counsel on both sides, and then It was
announced TO the Court that both parties
had agreed it should be verdict Jd< petty lar
Ceny.
/. seems that the private understanding
between them was, that defendant snoulo
pay back TO IL. u Campbell his one hundred
dollars, with interest thereon. But camp
bell, the prosecutor, is at least one hundred
and fifty dollars clear money out OF pocket,
being Lees paid to the lawyers Tor prosecuting
the case. Tue Jury dispersed. Court sd-
journed for the day. After supper, bis Hon
OF was Induced to take his seat 10 the Court
House again. An effort was made to collect
ali the Jury. They succeeded 10 getting nnae
of the Jury back. General Biine, after lew
words u the Jury, asked them if any one OF
them objected TO his Honor imposing mere
" auminai fine and imprisonment against
the defendant kersey. Two or three Of them
replied that they did not The rest Of the
nine sat HlH,e--m mute dStOHtShmsnt Ills
uJror fined the defendant Sand imprisoned
linn one Aour IN tie county .jaW
Section 3, l73 OF the Code defines grand lar
! ceuy to be stealing personal property exceed
! inp the value Of twenty dollars aud Furnishes
the offender by Imprisonment 10 the Peniten-
tary not less than two nor more than i've
wears Section 3, Ia defines petty larceny,
! and Furnishes the convict by tne not ex-
ceedins one hundred dollars, and imprlson-
men, in the county jail not exceeding Six
months Section 3, rs reads thus: when.
ever the jury finds the defendant guilty OF
larceny, and the jury must ascertain the val
ne of each article stolen, and the Court must
render Judgment against the defendant for
the assessed value, unless such stolen proper
ty has been returned to the owner"
All the citizens of Camden who delight 10
seeing rogucs detected and punished, accord.
ing to the magnitude Of the crime, did hope
! that-since the fact was 50 plain to his Hon
or that the defendant was really guilty of
grand larceny, while he was to receive pun.
| lsh uent for less crime, petty larcepy-his
! Honor would go as far as the law would al
low IN Furnishing = criminal for that offence,
! to wit: tiae defendant one hundred dollars and
| imprison him for six months in the county
| ilil. But to the dismay and astorishmen, of
all, he was turned loose in our very midst.
The rogue who steals one hundred dollars
pays five dollars for the privilege Of stealing
another hundred. The honest man, who
proseeutes the rogue, pays one hundred and
fifty dollars for his privilege to do so, and
! learns lesson Uh ich teaches him hereafter
that if he should catch rogue stealing any
thing, be must "iie low, keep dark" aud say
nothing about it.