New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-03-26
EMOTIONAL JURIES ABROAD.

EMOTIONAL JURIES ABROAD.
Some of our contemporaries are perhaps a
little too ready in claiming for the American
juryman a prominence of unreason among
the iurymen of the world. His claims are GER
tanly not to be despsed. Where lady is in
tho case, he is without a peer in thorough
going idi0cy. When the California Phryne
shook her blonde locks in his facet he took
prompt leave of his senses. When poor Miss
Harris shot Burroughs for not continuing a
Irritation which amused her more than it did
him. the jury was damp with his fearful
sympathy. And in general, whatever may
be his abstract sentiments OH the subject OF
murder, his heart always gets the better of
his head when woman is arraigned before
him. But il may be doubted whether in the
case of male maefactOrs the American jury
man would be entitled to the blue ribbon OF
faulty in a fair international competition.
The judicial records of every country in
Europe are full of cases where juries have
rushed blindly through law and evidence to
avoid taking the life of some miserable being
whose life would not seem to any one else
worth saving. The guiotine and the garrote
have about as bad luck as the gallOws i'll har-
yesting the crop which belongs to them
One or two recent French cases throw some
light upon this growing tendency OF jurles to
disregard their oaths rather than take blood
outlines upon their souls. 1t is several years
since that prepOsterous case where a well-to-
do farmer married in rapid succession three
young girls in his neighborhood for their little
dowries, and poisoned each of them TO make
a vacancy for her successor. BY strict atten-
ton TO this business he accumulated i'll n few
years some $4,000, but came to ruin at last by
unduy extending his operations In the case
of his last wife. who was an orphan, he
yielded to the temptation of numbering first
her uncle and brother, so that when
he had finished her he might inherit.
from her the combined property of
the family. This stroke of enterprise
gave rise to impertinent comment, and the
thrifty retail pOlygamst was tried, his crimes
clearly proved, and the jury found extenu-
ating circumstances. He was so fond of money
and matrimony that they held it n pity TO put
him to death for acts having their origin in
these powerful passions. But within a few
weeks there have been several murder trials
in France, which might easily have taken
place in America, the crimes being as cause
less and the verdicts as incomprehensible az
those to which we are accustomed. An old
man named Lefebyre, a farmer of HOup-
lin, married his niece, who was also
his housekeeper, 10 farmer named
Carpenter, and gave the young couple
his entire property, and his own labor
besides, on condition that they should furnish
him with board and lodging. This injudicious
generosity resulted in the way which has been
customary from the time of King Lear to the
present The nephew grew tired of the COM
pany of his benefactOr, and killed him with a
spade while they were at work together.
There was a great deal of public feeling about
it. but when the trial came Off the verdict
was imprisonment for life. Another case has
a still more familiar flavor as it recalls exactly
the recent tragedies in Maryland and in this
State. Octavie Parisot, young girl
of the Cote-d'0r, was walking to
yespers when she was joined by Etienne
Grassot youth of. IS, who, after
going with her some distance, was seen by
several witnesses, among whom was her own
mother to seize her in her arms. She strug-
eled to free herself from him, when he drew
a revolver and shot her through the head be-
fore the eyes of her distracted mother. As the
door child fell, he kneeled beside her and
fired three more shots from his revolver at her
head. lie then went away, threatening the by
ISLANDERS, who did not dare arrest him. He
WAS taken soon after, tried, the revolving
facts we have mentioned were clearly proved
and the jury found, by some process occult to
the common mind, extenuating circumstances
which saved him from the scaffold. The cause
of his fury was that 0ctayie had refused to
give him kiss, on the public street, on the
way to church.
1t is not probable that this was excuse
enough for such an atrociOus murder even
among the most sentimental of jurors. The
most dilgent reading of Dumas fills, of Fey
deau and Belot, would scarcely produce a
frame of conscience which would Justify the
adoption of such energetic measures by a
sighted lover. 1t is the unacknowledged re-
volt against the killing of murderers by society
which is thus making the verdicts of juries
in capital cases as ridiculous in other coun-
tries "a they are fast becoming in our
own Here. we have lately seen a jury recOil
ing from its own work after q year il past,
and the criminal only executed by the firmness
of the Governor and the better portion of the
press. In France, council of officers can
still shoot to death a wretched Communist on
the plain of Satory, whenever they choose.
But the whole power OF their excellent iu-