New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-07-04

Signalling the Jury.

| LUG uFUPRtC oI june 80 three OayS pclo.t
| the result was finally announced. repub
| lished two accounts of strange practices OF
| the jury in the Tilton- Beecher case, which
| if nothing else, indicates a strange neel
gence on the part Of the officers in charge
In New Orleans reporters manage to make
very good guesses on the division of hun
jury, but they get the foundation for them
in a legitimate way. The first story is
from the New York Times:
Those who happened to be il
the corridor were astonished to see Messrs
Sherman, Murray and Bigelow, and
Lawyer AobOtt's clerk walk briskly to the
courtroom adjoining the one in which the
jury were, with two windows looking d.
rectly into the windows Of the latter room
at distance of about twenty feet An at
tempt to follow them showed that they had
secured the door behind them by placing o
chair under the knob. When point was
found from which a vi5w OF the IL
terror ct the room could he obtained. it
was seen that Messra. Shearman and
Bigelow and Mr.. Abbott's clerk were err
gagged in an animated debate in front of one
OF the windows mentioned, while Murray
was at the other conversing in a loud voice
with Christopher Filter and George Hull,
who were standing at the window opposite.
At this the reporters burst in the door and
entered the room, whence Messrs. Sheai-
man, Murray and the clerk instantly made
their exit. Mr.. B;gelow remained nearly
half an hour, the reporters watching him
closely, when he too took his leave In ap.
parent digust. IA soon as Mr.. Filter SAW
the reporters he closed up the blinds. 4
view OF the room. subsequently obtained
from house on Boerum place, showed that
the twelve were again il consultation.
And this is what the Herald gives:
A Herald reporter, having been informed
that mysterious signals were being given at
timee from the jury room to the crowd col
lected about the courtyard tencs ON Jora.
lemon street, between twelve and one
o'clock. went to the fence to watch develop.
ments. He had barely taken his place at
the fence and begun to fan himself vigor-
Ously, when large man, answering the de.
scription of Foreman Carpenter, and who
subsequently proved to be that gentleman,
appeared at the window and took seat.
Looking out across the lawn that divided
the courthouse from the position taken up
by the reporter, Mr.. Carpenter picked up a
fan and began to move it slowly.
The reporter suspected that Mr.. Carpen.
ter had taken the fan 70 make signals. He
therefore counted Carpenters movements,
and discovered that the juryman made nine
motions with. the fan toward his face aud
three backward or reverse movements. thus:
], |. l, ], l, |, I. !, IL, |, l. Total, Il.
'Can it be possible" thought the reporter.
''that am mistaken for friend signaling"
To test this he responded to Mr. Carpen.
ter's action with reverse process. thus:
l. J, II. l, l, |, l. /, |, l, I. Total, II.
The answer came back as before. and for
fifteen minutes the two fans gave and re.
piled. Satisfied, as nine times out
of ten the fan had indicated 's9-3," that
the reporter had been mistaken for a friend
by the juryman in the window, and that
he was trying to say that the jury stood
nine to three, the reporter determined to
fix the indemnity of the man in the window.
Leaving his position he crossed the |
lawn under the jury's window. close
by tho officer stationed there to pre-.
vent signalling, and tanning himself, |
looked up and fully recognized Mr.. |
Carpenter as the man in the window. This |
story, which is strictly true in every partic. |
ular, can be taken for what it is worth. 1t |
is very improbable that Mr.. Carpenter |
would accidentally make 9-3 with his fan |
nine times out Of ten. The moment the |
reporter passed under the window where |
Mr.. Carpenter could see that he was a
stranger that gentleman beat retreat.