Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1865-12-08
Che geafprd gnqnirer
Pa, FRIDAY DEC. $, 1895.
Reminiseenees ID court MeeI..


ers rejoice when its worry and vexation are
cser. The last, though one of less than usll-
al labor on the part Of the members Of the
bar, presented many features Of more than
ordinary interest The most striking were
those brought ont by the Reed trial. The re-
markable psychological phepomena devel
oped in the panelling Of a jury, are probably
upequailed in the history Of criminal iuris-
prudence, and present an interesting field for
the investigation of the student of mental
philosophy. That men should have formed
and frequently expressed opinions as tothe
guilt or innocence Of the prisoner and yet
when called as jurors have no opinions at all,
msy seem strange to many, but Il must be
true, for they testified to the facts. That
others who had formed and expressed opin-
ions, yet felt perfectly confident of their abil-
ity to try the prisoner impartially, certainly
speaks highly for the mental ability Of the
Democratic jurors Of Bedford county, as in
telhgent men everywhere are aware Of the
great difficulty Of laying aside one Is prejudices
and judging impartially a case in which those
prejudiees are involved. Jurors in our Goun-
ty seem, as testified to BY themselves, to be
entirely free from these frailties 50 common
to humanity. Still more remarkable, if pos
sible, is the case where jurors have also been
summoned as witnesses and have lived in the
immediate vicinity of the fatal occurrence or
been personal enemies Of one Of the parties,
aud though utterly oblivious of being sum
moned as witnesses, as well as the counsel
who had them summoned yet whose memo
ries were retentive enough to recollect that
they had never even formed, much less ex-
pressed an opinion on the case, and who felt
themselves not only capable, but so eminent
ly fit to try the case as to make persistent eff
forts to get themselves placed upon the jury.
The phenomenon, in the case Of the keen
sighted witness, of one faculty or sense ae-
quiring an extraordinary development at the
exposure of some other, is one of more com
mon occurrence. The fact that the District
Attorney, who never but once before had ad
dressed jury, should have felt it to be his
duty to make the closing speech, especially
when, as he acknowled, his feelings and
prejudices were in favoroft the prisoner, and he
had assistant counsel abundantly able to take
care of the interests of the Commonwealth,
is a remarkable case of conscience and eyinees
an extraordinary, though not altogether un-
accountable tenderness. Altogether, Jurors,
witnesses, &c. have proved themselves very
apt students, under the Gazette instructions
Z
those, who did not heed the admoniton, had no
scruples about laying aside former opinions,
when their work required it.
SNAKES IN CoUNonl A LECTURE.
The remnant Of the Copperhead host
fearing failure on the head of the news
from New Jersey, thought to avoid tho lg-
nominy, by calling meeting of the Key
stone Club for court week, instead of the
usual mass meeting. They also took care
to inform their people that a certain indi-
vidual by the name of Skunk from York,
Pa. would deliver lecture The design
was to entice enough people, from both par
ties, there, under the delusive title of a Lee
ture' to save them from the morticatian of
failure. After repeated ringings of the
Court House bell, we, with few friends,
led by our curiosity to see the snakes wrig-
gle, wended our way to the Court House.
The house was cold, the meeting unorgan-
lied, and scarcely enough copperheads there
to fill the bar. After considerable parleying,
the meeting was called to order and Mr.
Skunk made his appearance and informed
the audience that he proposed to lecture on
Abohttol Yankee Literature. We were
at once struck with the apparent yerdancy
of the individual The lecture fully con-
frmed our first impression, His statement,
that the events of the last four years had SC
busted the minds of the party aud its lead
ers, with the heavy literature of draft mott
ces that they had no time to spare for tht
higher walks of literature, was fully verified
by the style of his so,called lecture TIL,
intimation that ten days was short notice
on which to prepare for glory, death, O
there the speaker seemed to hesitate as t.
the propriety of adding, or Canada, but il
considerationfort the returned leaRderers pres
ent forbore) fell with chilling effect on the
members of the club The pith of the TRADE
for appearance sake dubbed lecture, wa
the abuse attempted to be heaped upon tina
New England literature, for want of which
and the intelligence accompanying it, th,
lecturer related with mournful emphasis
how his ignorant progenitors, were muletet
by sharpers. The would-be-lecturer him
self forgot for the time. that the little Eng
lish he managed to get into ineligible shape
had been taught him, in all probability, by
yankee school teacher, from Cobb's, Emer
sons or some other yankee spelling book 0
a later date. that when he used word ht
did not know the meaning Of, and he did i
often, it was all for want of reference to al
unabridged Yankee, Webster or Worces
ter's Dictionary. To give an idea of the
very ethereal character Of his remarks, VI
give, verbatim, his statement of the efec
upon his mental constitution caused by tn,
sight Of a wood-cut of old John Brown, hi
said 9 I said nothing, Jut I gare utteraltc
to maild aspiration What that aspira
ton, uttered in moment of speeches. sur
prise, was, he did not inform his audience
After general acknowledgment that Nel
Englanders wrote more, thought more, pub
hshed more books than all the country be
side. were first to see where an adyantap