Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1874-05-28

AN OBSTINATE JURoR.-Alternate ri6i-
cule and obloquy have long been the uncom-
Portable portion of that one juryman Of the
else unanimous twelve who inexorably re-
fuses to agree with his exasperated associ.
ates on o verdict; but there have been cases
IN which his seeming perversity has proved
ultimately to be the salvation Of Justice, and
venerable English Judge, recently deceas.
ed, was wont to cite one instance in his err
iler judicial experience when such perversity
led to an astounding discovery of mistaken
truth.
A man was tried before this Judge in the
Court Of Common Pleas for the murder of q
neighboring. landlord, with whom he was
known to have been on bitter unfriendly
terms, protested actually with prayers and
tears that he was wholly innocent of the
dreadful ernie, though acknowledging his
enmity to the dead man on account of some
disputed boundary between their properties,
and that the clothing he wore and afterward
concealed on the day of the tragedy, was
stained with human blood. As he earnestly
told and reiterated his story-he was taking
Q morning walk, as customary, across the
fields Of certain farm, when he stumbled
upon the body Of man, who was lying dead
amongst some corn, with two deep wounds
in his breast, apparently made with pitch
FORK near at hand. Raising the PROSTATE fig
uIe 10 ascertain if life yet remained, he was
stained by the blood, and discovered that
the victim was his own quarrelsome neigh
Dor. Humanity ut first impelled him to give
an alarm but in another moment the
thought OF his well known differences with
the slain man filled him with cowardly fear
OF being connected with the murder. The
idea SO increased in its terror that he turned
clothing, and hid it in the barn, where the
police afterwards found it, J
But this story did not appear reasonable
to the court: and despite the prisoners pas
sionate persistency in it, and despairing
cry that God and his conscience knew hun |
to be wholly innocent" the case went to the |
jury with apparently absolute certainty of |
instantaneous conviction.
Such, indeed, must have been the result
but for the dissent of one juror, and he the
foreman. This person, man Of education,
high social and moral estimation and large
property, begged the judge to permit the
Jury to retire for consultation, and then so
reasoned, pleaded, and actually prayed with
his associates against their unanimous udg-
ment as to fairly weary them finally into
Joining him in verdict Of acquittal But
the astonished Chief Justice Indignantly re-
|
back again and again to their room, until at
last he was obliged to accept it. The unhap-
by men, cursing their foreman, were dis
charged in disgrace with the blood of an I'M
avenged murder left at their door, though
he prisoner, at his unexpected and seeming
y miraculous release, fell upon his knees in
,ourt with the cry: You see, my lord, that j
jod and clear conscience can save the lost
When the judge subsequently heard by what
means 80 strange verdict had been etfec.
ed, and that the man responsible for it was ,
10Th intelligent and OF high character, he OBJ
aimed conference with the obstinate Juror, l
md adjured him to explain his incompre- S
lenslbe conduct in the matter The late
brennan exacted a pledge Of secrecy to last
turing his own lifetime. and then calmly
old why he had labored so infexibly for the
ccused mans life. Un the morning Of the
murder OF the man doomed to be killed, was
he tithing man Of the parish called early to
object tithes on the speaker s corn, and was
rbitrary and violent in his manner as to {
'rovoke indignant circumstances. Becom-
ng enraged the 1.-THE gatherer assaulted the t
ther with pitchfork which he was carry
ng, and which belonged to neghbor, and
defense oil his life the assailed man wres-
ed the weapon away, aud in SO doing nflic- |
ed wounds Of which the aggressor fell dead
n his way home
SO the actual slayer was the coming fore
1an OF the jury-a position he secured for t
lmself at great pains and expense, that he t
night save an innocent man from dreadful J
for crime which he m~self I
ommitted in self -defense.
w {
HAVING 1T OUT.~-A gentleman who was !,
nee riding through the country, approached a
,ucecorner, when his ears were greeted by ey- '
Iainalions OF anger, accompanied by vigorous 1
iwacks OH some object tina, judging from the t
ust arising from the locality, was anything but e
atient under tine iuillcliou. Approaching The q
DOT, he beheld ow-beadad urcGn OF twelve =
lnmels belaborlng with all The strength he was a
iaster of, what seemed to be \ most stubborn
)ecmen OF the genus mule I lie operation .
Id not appear 10 discommode the beast, further r
IAN TO arouse its "mulishness," and to which S
gave vent by series of kicks that would do t
onor 10 Costellos circus ring.
AT this juncture the gentleman ,entuted 10
'monstraie, when the following explanation a
as vouchsafsd
"Dad whips man (whack- kick) man whips
(whack-kick), and SIS, (graluitous kcks0 |
am her, beats me; an I'm goiny to take il :
a. fU.-1,a