Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-01-18
A Scene in Court.

The scene in court when the jury re-
turned verdict of guilty in the Stokes
case is thus described:
Presently Stokes came into the court
room. He was accompanied by his
brother, sister, and the wife and daugh-
tiers of Mr.. Townsend
As yet the jury did not appear, and
as the Judge and counsel took their
seats there was sigh of relief among
some of the spectators, who considered
that the verdict of the jury would not
be given at that time and that the Judge
was about to dismiss the Court. But
new the jury came filing in and took
their places; and the philosophical be-
gan to philosophize upon the decay of
Spartan and Roman justice that was to
be exhibited in the mild verdict about
to be given by those twelve mild-look-
ing men, arrayed in the peaceful garb
of American citizens.
The jury answered to their names,
and still the proceedings seemed very
dull and commonplace. A well-known
editor sat beside Judge Boardman, as it
were, in the capacity of confidential adj
wiser, and the Judge edged over on his
platform towards his friend, and took
serious counsel with him.
The prisoner is told to stand up.
Now the Judge asks the foreman of
the jury, "Have you decided upon a
verdict ?"
"We have"
"What is it ?"
90 Murder in tbe first daorree
A shudder in every human frame in
Court, as if the wing of Azrael touched
each person; q stifed cry from Stokes's
sister-not the wild, swift-passing cry
of the savage, but the faint outcome of
the "groanings that cannot be uttered, "
from a nature that, except under the
dire stress of such an awful annunci-
alton, would "die and give no sound"
in public places expressive of the spirits
wounds. Something rises visiblyin the
throat of the prisoner. He has not ex-
pected this, nor has any one outside of
the jury; but he does not for moment
stagger.
There are some few of his. old mo-
tons. But there is nothing extraordi-
nary in his appearance except it is q
deepening of his dark eyes. The Judge
looks startled, but his friend is equal to
the occasion. Mr.. Beach and Mr.. Ire
main are deeply affected with opposite
emotions.
Stokes turns sharply upon Mr. Beach,
and exclaims through his set teeth,
Mr.. Beach, you have done your work
pretty well; 1 hope you have been well
paid for it.
This brought up Mr.. Fellows, Acting
District-Attorney, who seemed once in
his life disconnected and sorry that he
had ever adopted the legal profession.
He made long personal, ill-timed
speech, which seemed the merest mock
cry at this crisis of one of the most ex-
traordinary trials of history. He said
that he had positively refused to go on
with the case unless Mr. Beach and Mr..
Fullerton were associated with him, and
that they had unwillingly consented to
Try the case with him at the request of
District-Attorney Garvin, and without
any fee from any member Of Fisk's fam
lily.
At this point wrath overcame the pris-
oner, and raising himself half from his
seat and swinging his right arm wildly,
he shouted, "Nor from Jay GouldT'
There was silence in Court for the
space of minute, while at that mid
night hour the wild, fierce, ironical, de-
spairing words of the prisoner went out
through the open doors, and echoing
and re-echoing through the half-lit
corridors The reverberating walls
caught up the cry, "Jay Gould! Jay
Gould!'' and up among the bare recess
es and mazes of brown beams and raft
ers of the roof mocking COLLINS seemed
to take up the refrain, which was still
clay Gould! Jay Gould"