The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-07-16
NEW YORK.


New YORK, July 15.-These is an immense
concourse of people in and around the court
this morning awaitidg the appearance of the
jury in Stokes case The prisoner entered first
in charge of the sheriff and the jury came into
court soon after. Judge Ingraham asked the
jury if they had agreed upon verdict. The
foreman replied that they had not. The judge
then discharged the july and ordered that
Stokes be remanded to Jail without bail. The
jury stood for murder in the LIST degree and
for manslau ghter in the Sd degree.
The Frauds of the Brooklyn Water
d. Board. .-..
An examination from the official records
shows that the Brooklyn Water Board expend-
ed eight or nine millions of dollars during the
past three years, the most of which was under
circumstances justifying suspicious of fraud
A Big Business i'm Counterfeiting.
1t is stated that thirty of the best European
ing counterfeit plates of European bank notes.
Gratz Browns Condition.
Cratz Brown though out of dangeris not full
ly recovered. His wife will arrive iu day or
Another Murder by a Woman.
Mrs. Williams and her paramour, John
Owens, were arrested yesterday on the state
ment of the daughter of Mrs. Williams, who
charges that she conspired to murder the hus-
band of Mrs. Williams, whose body was found
May I'd in Newtown Creek. .
Debt and Taxes.
The Mayor sent in lis annual message to the
Common Council to-day. The city debt is
SLY ,000, 900. the taxes to be raised this year
are S3,047, 900, besides 100000 for streets.
.'f Schutzenfest.
A German Schutzcnfest of five days duration
commenced at Hoboken to-day. Delegates
from various parts of the country were pres
ent.
Press Comments ON the Stokes Case.
The press comments upon the results of the
Stokes case as follows: xxx.
The Express calls it a farce and contempt
for common sense. Hereafter, it says murder
is no crime but a little time a disagreement at
first and finally an acquittal. 90.
The Commercial blames the law which al
lows an intermediate verdict between murder
in the LIST degree and manslaughter in the Sd
degree,
The Post says: We are nearing, if we have
not already reached, that point where the TAX
ing of life is not to be considered murder, ex-
cept in the case of vulgar burglars who have
sacrificed life to reach their object.
The following particulars of the proceedings
Of the jury are given:
On Saturday evening when they retired to
deliberate, ballot was taken which resulted in
seven for murder in the LIST degree, three fol-
acquittal and two for mansaughter in the Sd
degree
The names of the seven for murder are Mey-
er HOwburger, Bennett Williams, Nehemiah
M. COrmick, Byron Stone, John f. Bond Pet.
er Hopkins and NJ. A Leffets. M +
The jurors for acquittal were Roderick Hagan
M. HI. Thompson and John Tucker and the
two for manslaughter in the Sd degree were
Theodore Flammer and Henry q. Whittle.
This state of affairs continued until the jury
came into court and got Col. Fisks clothes.
The clothes were all tried on one of the Jurors
and they arrived at the CONCLUSION that Fisk
had both arms in the military cape at the time
that Stokes fired, and consequently that the
theory of Fisk's drawing pistol was hum
bug. .-f r. a ...H
This influenced the three for acquittal to veel
round for manslaughter in the Sd degree The
medical testimony was thrown out altogether
all believing the wound mortal from the first
and the question of insanity was barely referred
to- There was a long discussion as to premed-
itation. All the jurors were of the opinion
that Stokes never went to the Grand Centrel
Hotel with the premeditated design of meeting
and killing Fisk.
The seven jurors who were for murder, be
lieve that when Stokes met Fisk, in moment
he forged in his mind the design of killing
Fisk, and that this second was sufficient time
for generalization The other five jurors stout
| ly maintained that Stokes pulled the pistol in
the heat Of passion, being stirred to frenzy by
the sight of Fisk and that his crime was only
manslaughter in the third degree.
The debate on this point became quite excit
ed and some harsh words were used on botl
sides. Time and again a poll was taken, all t,
no purpose. Firm to their opinions they all re
manned, and at last fell asleep, but woke up il
precisely the same state of mind. Finally the,
gave up the dispute seeing there was no hop'
of altering their opinions.
1t is the opinion of several jurors that if the,
were allowed to bring in verdict of murder il
the I'd degree, or manslaughcer in one of the
higher degrees, they would have arrived at at
verdict, but this was not allowed them, as the
Judge charged that they either find a verdict o
murder in the first degree, manslaughter in tn
third degree, or acquittal.
An application for bail will be made in few
days.
Eft Cetera.
An unusually severe rain storm passed owe
this city this afternoon accompanied by thun
der and lightning.
The Court of Impeachment will assemble al
Saratoga to try Judge Barnard.
The ship Agra of this Port rescued the crew
of the sinking ship Covinga of Glasgow, q II
NUMBER and landed them at ST. Helena.