The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-02-26
THE PALMER CASE.

The DEMOCRAT was among the first to give
voice to the popular demand that stern and
impartial Justice should he melted out L,
those officials of banking institutions. aud
especially Of savings institutions. who had
been derelict In their duties or criminal In
their actions We believed then az we he.
leva now. that all those officials who had he
trayed the sacred trusts reposel In them and
had 'pisapproprtated the funds entrusted tn
their keeping should be held ~ rigid &C.
countahility. The many Instances Of nfimi-
nal Encouragement Of savings banks
throughout the country and the great suffer
Ing and hardship caused thereby 10 thou
sands of poor people, whose savings were
ruthlesaly and without warning swept away
very naturally raised storm Of popular
Indignation, and many Of the cnl-
pable officials have met with sudden
and, IL most instances. we believe
deserved punishment. There ia however
some danger, III times like these, when great
and manifest wrongs have created q popular
c'amor and prejudice against a certain class,
that injuatce u sometimes done the accused.
and II IA against th'H possibility that II be
hoovea Az just and right thinking men to
guard with especial and jealous care. It ls
better for society at large that even a crlml-
nal should escape than that he should be
Illegally and wrongfully punished, Even IT
man be guilty Of one crime he cannot
legally he found guilty and punished for II.
on the mere superstition. " upon the absolute
certainty, that he has committed some other
crime. The evidence " guilt as to the special
and particular crime charged should he 40
conclusive as to leave no shadow Of doubt on
the minde of the jury, Was there such
against u. q. Palmer. late president
of the Louisiana Savings Bank. on
the charge of embez5lement and In
which the, jury found a verdict of gullty7
We find II to he the almost unanimous npiu-
Ion Of the bar that the verdict In that caae was
not Sustained by the facts elected on the trial
and whatever may he the popular bias against
MIR. Palmer, however much public opinion
may run against his conduct In the manage
been pronounced In It's expressions In that
we are OF the opinion that, In view of
all the circumstances " the caae and Of the
we'll settled conviction In the minds Of many
VI the hest and purest members of our bar,
that the ends OF justice would be beat cub
served by granting the accused a new trial.
We trust that Judge Whitaker. In tho exer-
cise Of that severe impartality which haa
ever characterized hla course as magistrate
and upon close examination Of the testino-
ny adduced at the trial, will see his way clear
10 granting the plea of the defendants coun-
gel for new trial. FOR II would be most I'M
fortunate II, with several indictments az ainst
The accused. he should be enabled to claim
and possibly. subsequently. 70 establish that
Ne had been wrongiully convicted Of crime
II the commission Of which he was innocent.
#. ~ the contrary, he he guilty. that fact
nuat The more fully appear upon the second
rial, and the anhs If iuatice be attained to
he satisfaction III the com annuity.