The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1880-09-10

the Hopkinsville Ner Era and tn
Bowling Green Intelligencer urging
change in the law which allows a ma
charged with a felony, twenty per
emptory challenges Of jurors il
making up panel. Eighteen month
ago, when the Holmes jury let him Of
with two years in the Penitentiar,
tor numbering the Sheriff of this coun
ty, we advocated such a change, be
lieving that in those challenges coulC
be found the reason that so many
worthless, INSCRIPTIONS juries wer,
obtained. The jury commissioners in
selecting men for such work usually
pick those Of known good standing and
social worth, but il is ten to one if any
Of them are Permitted TO sit in a
case which from its very nature de-
mands good jury. The regular ju-
rors are ordered to stand aside. one by
one, till the last is reached, and
then the order is given for the Sheriff
to summons another lot from the by.
ISLANDERS. BY previous arrangement,
the counsel for the defense has num-
Der Of "fxed" men among those
by ISLANDERS, and the Common
wealth having exhausted its FIVE chal-
lenges, is unable to prevent those
men from taking their seats as jurors,
unless some specific charge can be
proven against them, and thus sjury
Of bribed aud perjured men is easily
obtained. With the benefit Of every
doubt and the burden Of proof on The
Commonwealth, prisoner, who has
broken its laws, should he satisfied
at least. with being placed on an equal
footing with the Commonwealth, and we
do hope that our next aw-makers will
have sufficient sense of justice to make
the challenging honors even. Then
the nature of the questions asked and
the answers required 10 nearly every
case excludes the intelligent and hon
est man from juries. In this day Of
newspapers, he must indeed lie an
ignoramus who does not hear of every
murder and other crime committed;
but, the fact that he has heard of such
crimes, or even formed an opinion
about them, should not prevent fair
minded man, who can weigh evidence,
from serving as . juror; but il does,
and it is just tor this reason that so
many ignorant and designing juries
are toisted on the country. Another
invention to save criminals is the law
allowing change of venue, when
witness can be found--and it matters
not what manner Of man that witness
is-to swear that in his opinion the
person on trial could not get justice in
the county in which the crime was
committed. II is easy enough and
much less expensive to send to
county half hundred miles away for a
jury, il an unprejudiced one can not be
found neaer, and a jury thus obtain
ed would have no way, after being J
Of knowing the feelings of [.
the community against the accused. I
The better class of people in this State, .
and they largely predominant, are not {
10 blame for the failure Of juries to a
punish crime; the faux lies in the B
aw, and radical change should be '
demanded. Kentucky has been cursed n
Ong enough by UNPUBLISHED crime, 4
md unless halt, and very short 0
me, is called, murderers win get
'older, the assassin will grow more r.
efant, and, instead of taking her high !,
lace in the progress of the States that 8
allure intended for her, she will lapse II
ack into barbarous condition. Such =.
erdicts, as that found in Jessamine, !.
hereby cool and deliberate murder !,
: was allowed to go Scot tree, with =,
Ie sanction of the State ON his heart
IS deed, will bring US TO that condi- -,
on. The good people, though, thank 70
cd, have been aroused all over the n,
late by the wanton disregard Of the
e facts by that jury, and are ex-
essing their condemnation of il in gu
measured terms; and it is earnestly ~
ped that they will demand such ny
change in our criminal laws as will 'e'
event such legal farces in the fu. ."
re. ""'
I r Low
OWING to a failure of the crops, by po
ason Of drouths and other causes, a 49,,
nine almost prevails IN Northern Il
ansas, and the negroes who exodus.
q there, for political purposes, are
shing to the Lord that they had WI
yed in their own sunny South. ny
the harvest is abundant oP'
I the labOrers are few 10 the South, 'ns
a a great demand is made for labor.
the Republicans are really the al '''
ghty friends TO the negroes that
" profess to be, they will take them the
* TO a country more congenial TO she
'ir natures and more suited 10 their a
inner Of living. gaii
ANOTHER proOfof Hancock's great. !
ii Webster's New Unabridged con- hay
rs a notes Of him and SAYS not q pee