The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1866-06-02
THE
STORY OF A STRANGE JURY,

WHEN the criminal, Pierre Granger,
escorted by four gendarmes, was placed
in the dock of the Court of Assize,
there was general stir among the crowd
which had assembled from every quar-
ter to be present at his trial.
Pierre Granger was not an ordinary
culprit-not one of those poor wretches
whom the court, as matter of form,
furnishes with an advocate, judges in
the presence of needless auditory, and
sends to oblivion in the convict prisons
of the State. He had figured at Augtil
In the columns of the newspapers; and
while M. Lepervier had undertaken his
defence, NJ. Louraugain, the Attorney
General, was to conduct the prosecution.
Now, at the time of which write, these
two men stood at the head of their pro-
fessiOn. Whenever it was known they
were to be pitted against each other, in
any cause, crowds Immediately flocked
to enjoy their eloquent sentences, sono-
rous periods, and phrases as round and
as polished as so many billiard balls.
1t was perfect riot of tropes and fig
ures, delicious confusion of periphrases
and metaphors. All the figures of rhet-
oric defiled before the charmed auditory,
and sported, jested, and struggled with
each other, like Virgil's playful shep-
herds. There was luxury of epithets,
passing even that of the Able Delille.
Every individual substantive was as
regularly followed by its attendant ad-
jectiveas hegreat lady ofthe last century
was followed by her train-bearing page.
mortal, a horse courser; the moon
was styled pale Dian. My father and
my mother were never called so, but in
variably the "authors of my being;"
dream was vision, a glass crystal
vase, knife a sword, a car chariot,
and a breeze became whirlwind; all
of which, no doubt, tended to produce
style of exceeding sublimity and beauty.
Pierre Granger was clumsily-built
fellow, five feet ten in height, thirty
eight years old, with foxy hair, high
color, and small, cunning gray eyes. He
was accused of having strangled his
wife, cut up the body into pieces, and
then, in order to conceal his crime, set
fire to the house, wherein his three chill.
dren perished. Such an accumulation
of horrors had shed quite a romantic
halo round their perpetrator. Ladies
of rank and fashion tlocked to the Jail to
look at him and his autograph sin
wonderful request as soon as it became
known that Madame Cesarine Langelot,
the lioness of the district, possessed some
words of his writing in her album,
placed between ballad by professor
of rhetoric and problem by the engi-
Observation-Disclosures department-neither
gentleman, to say the truth, being much
tlattered by such close juXtaposition
with the interesting pet prisoner. When
Pierre Granger, with his lowering brow
and air of stolid cunning, was placed in
the dock, the names of the twelve jurors
were drawn by lot, and the president
demanded of the council on either side
whether they wished to exercise their
right of challenge. Both declined offer
ing any objection to twelve such honor
able names; but the Acknowledgement
added that he would require the adding
of supplementary juror. 1t was done,
and on the paper appeared the name of
Major Vernon. At the sound a slight
murmur was heard among the specta-
tors, while NM. Louraugain and Leper-
vier exchanged rapid glance which
seemed tosay: "Will not you challenge
him." But neither of them did so an
officer conducted Major Vernon into his
appointed place, and amid profound si-
lence the indictment was read. Major
Vernon had lived in the town during
the last twoy years. Every one gave him
the military title, yet none could tell
when, or where, or whom he had serv.
ed. He seemed to have neither family
nor friends; and when any of his ac-
quaintances ventured to sound him ON
the subject, he always answered in