, 1875-07-17
The Trial hY jury.


The people are fast losing confidence IN the
trial by jury, and the Beecber case VIII NOT
serve to increase the popularity OF this . bull
wark of our liberties" During the recent
trial the counsel for the plaintiff WAS i'm
piled - make the serious Hiiega ION tha' at
tempts 70 approach the jurors by me o'hei
side bad become known to him snd MS rs
sociates, and II was promised That 'ne aS,e'
tion should b. made good after me terui''
had been reached. No P,rson ~ho kho"S
Mr. Beach viii suspect that THIS charge -
hazardous 10 his clients interests Win the
jury, WAS made without some supposed Ioun-
darion, and il would seem TO be only due 10
himself well us 10 the jury that he prom
ised inquiry into the facts should be had Il
failure 10 bring the subject before be Court
will leave the faint uuremovrd- Inc junior
counsel on both sides now evlnce dlSpesl-
,Iun t. throw out inSiuUztIuns against such
Of the lurymeu as dld not happ' 10 oe
friendly o their respective clients. MI, Nor
lis. spaa king in III. plaintiff interest, de
cIArrs we should h we had VeriIct, aud L
don't prett ud TO understand Why We did noJ
get II" We were informed three months
ago, says General Tracy, sp' aklng 1or ne
def,nc.. =. that the lawyers FOR the plAInuh
claim-d Al l.asi three Of the jurymen. They
must have had something 10 base Ihis ella IL
upon. l can only say that the
other side we're very quick to start the cry of
Sop thief charging that We had endrav-
: ,r4d to corrupt the jurors, when they had mot
/ the slightest evidence of any such attzInpT
/ having been made" Mr. Ready, on the
/ same side, ''cauuoJ account for the disagree
ment, declares that the evidence did not ad-
/ nit " of such d result. and says, - | cannot
/ understand what influence was brought 10
/ bear upon the testimony i Is Il mystery TO
me. Some Of the jurors do not help 20 dis
pel me idea ny icusy X Yyv-ex,slNS W, y0d'ces
in the jury box. For, man Carpenter says
" WAS II Br,ch,r MON from the start.
No.hiug in The evidence shook my opinion.
H,nc, l am B., cher man 10 ihe backbone. -
Another Of the juTy-Mr. MeMuru-says,
IL IN s'rOng believer in Mr. Brerher > m
noeeuce, and have frOm th, first, for | hInk
I the whole affair pu up job. 1t Is lmpos-
sib,e not uOt 10 interpret this language a. an
admission hat The minds OF rhe>e jurors were
made up before hey took the oath to well
| and trHly Try the case and true verdict rem
I der IN accordance with the evidence They
may not intend such an admission, but If not
( heir words are al least unfu r;uualely chosen.
/ Il j. not desirable that the jury syS,em
| should fall into contempt. Anything that
/ tends 10 impair the respect Of the people for
( the law and the administration Of the law Is
an evil Hence the inSInuatiOns of counsel
/ against the integrity Of he B-echer jury and
( the remarks of the supeT- -serviceable Beecher
/ juIymen are bolh TO be deplored. There Is
nothing IL the facts 70 cast the slightest I'm
( putatiUu IN the honesty OF the Jury. The
ballots stood sometimes seven fox Beecher and
five for TIl'un; sometime seven Tor Hilton
I 10 Ave for B. echer sometimes six against SIX;
sometimrs eight for the defendant and four
for the piaIatIif, and eventually nine 10 three.
This proves that the minds of many were
huctuutIng, and Is consistent with the great
diversity Of opinion uu'sldG. Indeed, Ii II
fair 10 conclude that on the broad question of
the guilt OF innocence of the d,ieudant the
twelve We're az nearly evenly divided as pos
slblr, ana that the eventual result Of nine o
three was attributable 10 "a desire to agree
and The natural disposi ION 10 give the accus-
cd parry the nefit Of h. doubt Sail it Is
none the les 10 TO regretted that the IudIs-
erect Z.al OF counsel and the unTefirCtIn.s
sympathy OF some OF the jurymen should
have made the result OF the revolving triaI a
means 0! bringing, fresh GiSry Jute and con-
I mp upon Ihe vr:dIc- OF the jary bOx gem
erAlly.-N l. Haad