The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-02-17
TE.c S,se Beaver Case.

mCnitv. and demands from -. un;ic.
= circumstances. an explanation &C The
: s't:on We occupy in relation to .ha
latter
Although we have 10 o.icial notice of
tho fact. It is WI known hat ,he Grand
jury now In session he-e have returned
into Court indictments against 4. /.
Wheeler. j. j. Yinall and Hannah
Hopkins fer murder in the first degree
Tor causing the death OF Susan Pca.
ser parties pessonai;lr hostile to the
vsntlemen above named have taken un-
usual measures TO manufacture pubic
opinion concerning the case, ana iae
friends Of the accused parties have ben
anx;ous,v awaiting the decision Of che
grand Jury, Looping that they would
firmly face the tide o. prejudice that
was running 50 strongly against the ao-
cused. and refuse to bring in BIZ
against them. unless the evidence pro-
duced before them should be sufficient
to convict, if no evidence disproving /;
it could be found. The result is keen
disappointment to their friends.
We are not an apoloeist Of crime, nor
90 re believe IN screening offenders
against the penal code Of ourstate from
the infict:on Of just and lawful punish
mcnt. but there Is vast difference be-
tween justice and revenge, and certain
" the whole course cf the prosecution
has, TO the candid n.ind, the appearance
ofbeing actuated by the latter much
more than the former. We say. With
out fear Of successful contradiction. IL
deed, without fear Of any contradiction
whatever, that never before, since the
organization Of the county. was an in
die;ment procured against any person.
By such vilfully corrupt and naaiiciouS
practices, such false rcryer>ions Of the
law, and On such fimsy and unreliable
evidence. We find ne fault whatever
with tic individual members of the
grand jury. They are human beings,
subject TO the heres, fears, prcjudieeS
and passions Of men. and their being
sworn and charged as grand Jurors does
not direst them Of their human charac-
ter;ztics. They are nearly al farmers,
unlearned in the law. and in the al
-uies which should govern the introauc-
tion and weight oftestimony. if they
had been shiewd Or suspicious n.cn the
conduct Of the special prosecuting ttor-
ncy would have put them on heir guard
and his personal motives would have
been taken into consideration. but they
were not suspicious, and we're therefore
liable TO imposition. In the very nature
Of things they were compelled to aocep-
the statements e Carpenter, tire Prose
eutor, as TO what was law ard whit waF
evidence; and the result shows that they
were most basely iiEpcaed upon by
somebody To the credit cf our Plym-
outh law -rs, be It said. that the movers
and chief wirepuiiers of this prosecution
could not end an attorney among them
mean enough to do the dirty work they
knew would have to Be done to bring
about an Indictment in this case, and
they had to import a foreign lawyer to
do it for them. The evidence on which
this indictment was found IS IS well
known to the public as to the members
Of the jury. Il WIS I'll published at
length, together With the malicious CON-
ments Of the prosecuting attorneys
(Which passed for editorials IN the Ia
o7''oni'an, Of " arsa~. and the Republican,
Of this place. These papers we're dis
tributed about the grand jury room.
thrust under the very noses Of the Jury,
and what effect these publications had
on the minds Of the jury, they them
selves can hardly tell This new and
unscrupulous method Of getting a man
ufactured public opinion before the ju- |
~. and compelling them 10 accept i. as
evidence, was q part of the rasoally |
programme devised to get the indict-
ments through. as the prosecution well |
knew they had not a particle Of legal
euidence to offer in the case, and with
out such a pressure or something TO |
look ike evidence, no indictments could |
or would be found
1t May be that our rel1tionsaipto one |
of the accused parties; and cur sincere !
friendship for Dr. Vinal!, may have |
warped our judgment, and rendered Us |
unfit to judge Of the true weight of the
testimony as recapitulated in these two
newspapers, but we know that some dav |
a. L. Wheeler and DIR John J Vinall |
will have full and fair trial before a
jury of their own citizens, and when
that day does come, if any faith can be
put in human testimony, if any reli-
ance can be had On the sworn statement |
of the best and purest citizens Of the
town, they will go forth from the court
room free men, triumphantly acquitted