The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-09-24
Circuit Court,

10 rob the Safe OF DamDerger q OU.s On
the day that Lent's Circus was in town,
had his trial on Wednesday and was pro
nounced mot guilty. OBrien d Har-
man, of Peoria, were his attorneys, and
Judging from the testimony, they succeed
ed in clearing scoundrel who richly de-
served a term in the penitentiary. Arnold
claimed that he and another man went in
to Albrecht's saloon to get drink; then
they went out to private house in the |
rear then the other fellow threw Arnold's |
hat into the rear end of Bamberger' store; |
then he went in to get his hat and was i'm !
mediately pursued by MIR. Bamberger and
one of his clerks until he was caught by
Capt. McKown in the express office,
MIR. Bamberger and one of his clerks
swore to seeing him enter the rear door Of
the store with his hat on swore to seeing
him open the outside door of the safe and
attempt the inside door swore to his run
ming when they approached swore to find
ing some false keys which the prisoner
threw away in his flight, and yet the jury
pronounced him mot guilty,
Such findings tend to demoralize the
whole jury system and make men feel that
! their only chance for justice is TO mete it
out themselves. Rock Island Union, Sept.
| l4h.
The club scene in the drama of Ola
monds, which lately occupied the stage at
McNicker's Theater, presents one of the
neatest bits of satire on the old jury system
which has met our observation in many a
day Judge Cardoza, whom our readers
are not entirely unacquainted with, drops
into the club TO enjoy his post-prandial
brandy and water, and some young men
conceive the idea of mock trial, the
Judge to preside. An attempt is made to
impannel a jury, but every one called is
Questioned and found TO be too well in
formed, and finally, the gentlemen of the
jury are represented by chairs, which are
deemed sufficiently wooden to answer the
purpose admirably. Judging from the re-
A suit of recent trial in Rock Island, the
wooden headed juror has made his appear
ance in Illinois. Frank Arnold, one of the
thieves who had been following Leuts Cir
Gus all summer, was seen to enter dry
goods store and open the door of the safe,
= on the day the circus exhibited in Rock
n Island He was pursued, captured, and
n lodged in Jail His trial took place last
$ week, and his attorneys claimed that he
" had been in saloon adjoining the dry
n goods store, and had left it by the back
= door; that a friend with him had playtully
thrown his hat into the store, and that hi
had merely entered to recover it. The
witness for the prosecution swOre To seeing
r Arnold enter with his hat on to his open
ing the outer door of the safe, and 10 hi
- dropping some false keys and running
le away when he saw that he was observed
n And these enlightened jurymen aceepte,
4 the ridiculous theory of the defense, ant
:. rendered IA verdict of not guilty, thereby
releasing upon the community a dangerou
I'd criminal The people feel that poetic jus
tice will only be melted out when Arnol,
% robs the houses of the intelligent twelve
No Then they will act as iurymen, and say
49, Well done. -Chicago Inter Ocean, Sept
IS 23d.
The Jury in the above case were as fol
at lows:
e. John Arnold, Canoe Greek
ed David Ziegler, Port Bprun
W Peter Cewe Hampton
II Geo Crawford
y. Il. Ziegler, Moline
lis L. c. Brewer,
nd W. II. Moody,
-, Jacob Riley, Rock Island
John W. Ball, Milan.
ng Thomas Ransom, Coal Valley
tie John South,
of T. O'Brien, Rural.
OF course the Inter- Oreaa got its intol
nation from the JHioH Whether tn
editor of the Uajon heard the testimony {
III not we do not know-prohably he did no
rs If the verdict was so entirely contrary
nt. the evidence aud there was no possib
). doubt from the evidence, of the guilt
H. prisoner, is not the Union article also 81
p we're censure of Judge Peasants for n,
os- setting aside the verdict, Us contrary
is the evidence? We do not feel competel
+. to assume the role of censor of jurymC
= who are sworn to render the verdict in a
L cordance with the law and the evidence
Several of the jurymen called on Us
the 18TH and declared that the article
the Union was a partial, one-sided stat
W. ment, and did not fairly represent the ey
iSN dence on both sides-which they as swo
use jurymen were bound to fairly and inpa
}, g TALLY consider. They say that there "
INT no evidence whatever to show thar Il
'e" young man had committed any Grimm
"i' act, and that the evidence thar he inten
ecu ed to do so was not clear and positi
~. enough, in their judgment to warrant sen
'oN ing him to the penitentiary and that,
a'' there was reasonable doubt on the subje,
the young man was certainly entitled to t
l. benefit of the doubt The fellow III
i,S have been thief-most people think
'''' was-but jurymen cannot convict peol
~ without evidence, and they say there W
''i' not sufficient evidence to warrant conv
ton. The jurymen feel that they acted C,
scientiously, and are entirely satisfied W
RIM their action, based upon the the state
wa facts as in evidence before them
gar
nm The Union has been bold enough. a
.r more than once, to remind Changers