American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-01-24

were eunanimOus-nine to three" i
| finding the prisoner not guilty.
| course the "unanimous" party had to re
tire again, aid; Of course, returned tn
same verdict, and the accused was dis
| charged. Being grateful for his escape
he promised, as he was leaving the couri
that it would be his last as well as hi
first offense, Oblivious to the fact that TIL
jury had decided he had done nothing IL
all. Physical arguments haze been nset
by majority when more legitimate one
failed. A juryman once asked Judg'
whether his differing in judgment from
his eleven brethren justified his being
knocked down With q chair In the cast
of another jury, one, at dispersal, wa
heard to say to another: "Only | threat
ened to kick him he'd never agreed Ii
America they would appear to il ave ;
gentler mode of securing unanimity
When Abraham Lincoln had to defend 8
fellow charged with stealing halfa-dozer
prime hogs, the case against his ellen
was SO clearly proved that he tols
him as much: Not at all discounted
the accused said: t'Never mind about
that; Just abuse the witnesses, and spread
yourself on general principles, and it will
he all right" Sure enough. it was 81
to IincOfn's establishment, the jury
brought in verdict of not guilty. Con
graduating his client on the result, nj
could not help saying the affair was past
his understanding The rogue's explana
ton set his wonder at rest. "WelI
squire,' said he, ''you see, every one OF
them ere fellows had Il piece of them
hogs" Indeed, according to the lates
advices from the States verdict cannot
be upset by reason of its being obtained
by bribery. In libel case tried in Lou
isiana, the losing counsel demanded q
new trial, offering to prove, by the evi
dence of the foreman of the jury, that one
ofthe jurors had received letter offering
bride; by the evidence of one of the
court officers that he had delivered such a
letter; and by other evidence, that one OF
the jurors had owned to accepting bride
and that the foreman had been in constant
communication with outside parties. The
application was dismissed, the judge
ruling: THAT no juror must disclose
what happened In the jury room; that
the confessing of a juror could not be
used to impeach his verdicts; and that
the person to whom the discriminating
note was addressed could not testify to re-
ceiving it," The verdict had been rem
dered and registered, and could not be
disturbed.
A counsel trying to make the best of a
bad case insisted that there was some evil
dence in favor of the view he wished the
jury to take. When he had done, Mr.
Justice Maule said to the jury: "The
learned counsel is perfectly right in his
law; there is some evidence upon that
point; but he's lawyer, and you're no
lawyers, and don't know what he means
by some 'evidence;' SO I'll tell you. Sup.
pose there was an action on bill of eX-
change, and six people swore they saw
the defendant accept it, and six Others
knew him intimately, and swOre to his
handwriting; and. suppose on the other
side, they called poor old man who had
been at school with the defendant forty
years before, and had not seen him since
and who said he rather thought the &C.
ceptance was not in his handwriting
why, there would be some evidence that
it was not-and that's what the learned
counsel means in this case" The apt il
Illustration was too much for the jurymen
they had seen their way clearly enough
before, but found it necessary to retire
and solve the judges abstruse con
undrum ere they could agree upon the
verdict. Another bothered jury, we sus
pect, was that American one which was
responsible for, 1--WE find the prisoners
not guilty, but believe they hooked the
pork :" verdict matched by Carlisle
",
guilty, but recommended him to mercy,
because it was really very hard to say
whether he had taken the watch or not.
An Irish Jury recommended man to
mercy on the grounds that he had no re-
collection of the transaction; but of all
odd names for lenity, commend us to that
of the Devonshire foreman, who, upon
being asked why a convicted person was
recommended to mercy, replied: BE
cause it is an aggravated case, my lord ~
We suppose that it was because it was an
aggravated case that Swiss jury found
eXtenuating circumstances in a couple OF
ruffians numbering poor shoemaker
who objected to their stealing the boots
off his feet. A Welsh jury were not con
tent with performing their own functions,
but usurped the judges prerogative
Having to decide as to the guilt or inno-
cence of "a man charged with uttering a
forged note, the sapicnt men of Cardigan
said: 1--WE find the prisoner guilty
of telling stories about the note, ana think
he ought TO pay back the money and
have three months for it." death by
small pox accelerated by neglect of vac
nation" was not bad for cOroner's jury
but much better was the rider to verdict
in case of accidental poisoning with
carbolic acid. "The jury is of opinion
that the public should be warned of the
dangerous nature of this diabolical acid. y
When the jury in a famous Irish muir
der case were locked up for the night, il
was discovered that there were thirteen OF
them, the odd man being sociable fel
low who had volunteered his assistance
Just to have the pleasure of dining with
the real jurymen. At another trial, just
as the case was drawing to its end, some
body called attention to the fact that one
of the jurors had vanished; he was found
sitting unconcernedly in the body of the
court, having walked out OF the jury-bOA
without any idea he was doing wrong
quite unaware of the responsibility attach
ed to the part for which he was cast
Chambers ,JOuTAal