Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1874-02-26
WOODSTOCK, w. THURSDAY, FEB 26, 1874.

enough W preVehC 'hel' loleliia' ah-
nouncing, as the foreman of Lime
rick jury, did that they were "unani-
ous-nine to three" in finding the
prisoner not guilty. OF course the
''unanimous" party had to retire again,
and, of course, returned the same ver-
dict, and the accused was discharged.
Being grateful for his escape, he pro-
missed, as he was leaving the court,
that it would be his last as we'll as his
first offense, oblivious to the fact that
the Jury had decided he had done
nothing at all. Physical arguments
have been used by majority when
more legitimate ones failed. A jury
man once asked a judge whether his
differing in judgment from his eleven
brethren justified his being knocked
down with chair. In the case of
another jury, one, at dispersal, was
heard to say to another: "Only l
threatened to kick him he'd never
agreed" In America they would ap-
pear to have a gentler mode of secur-
ing unapimity. When Abraham
Lincoln had to defend fellow charg,
ed with stealing half-a- dozen prime
hogs, the case against his client was
so clearly proved that he told bin as
much. Not at all discounted, the
accused said "Neyer mind about
that just abuse the witnesses, and
spread yourself on general principles,
and it will be all right" Sure enough,
it was so; to Lincoln's astonishment,
the jury brought in verdict Of not
guilty. Congratulating his client on
the result, he could not help saying
the affair was past his understanding
The rogue's explanation set his wond-
er at rest. "Well, squire" said he,
"you see, every one Of them ere fel-
lows had piece of them hogs" In
deed, according to the latest advices
from the States a verdict cannot be
upset by reason of its being obtained
by bribery. Ina libel case tried in
Louisiana, the losing council demand
ed a new trial, Offering to prove, by
the evidence of the foreman of the
jury, that ono of the jurors had rcceiv-
ed a letter Offering bribe; by the
evidence of one of the court officers
that he had delivered such Il letter;
and by other evidence, that one of the
Jurors had owned to accepting a bribe,
and that the foreman had been in con-
slant communication with outside
parties. The application was dismiss
ed, the judge ruling; "That no juror
must disclose what happened in the
jury room that the contessing of a
juror could not be used to impeach his
verdicts; and that the person to
whom the incriminating note was ad-
dressed could not testify to receiving
it." The verdict had been rendered
and registered, and could not be dis,
turbed.
A council trying to make the best
of a bad case insist that there was
some evidence 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 per-
tectlv right in his law; there is some
evidence upon that point; but he's a
lawyer, and you're no lawyers, and
don't know what he means by some
evidence so I'll tell you. Suppose
there was an action on a 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 acceptance was not
in his handwriting; why, there
, would be some evidence that it was
, not-and that's what the learned coun-
sci means in this case" The apt it,
, lustration was too much for the jury
men; they had seen their way clearly
enough before, but found it necessary
to retire and solve the judges abstruse
conundrum ere they could agree upon
; the verdict. Another bothered jury,
we suspect, 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 jury, when they
found watch-stealer guilty, but re-
commended him to mercy, because it
was really very hard to say whether
he had taken the watch or not. An
Triob ;rr,, rocomroopdod n MON +o