Daily Republican., 1881-12-08
Tho N0tl J0ry.

outrageous and malicious attacks OF tn
bigoted and preudiced Democratic or
gans of this city, from the Gazette dovl
to Senator Bayard's kite tail, we woalt
not be considered as endorsing the yer
dict of that jury, but the jury should
not be Denounced for every thing thai
is vile, low and despicable for daring t'
disagree with the current of popular
opinion, and for having the mapliness
to stand up for what they conceived tc
be right, though they must have known
that they would be met with curses loud
and deep. The verdict might not have
been our verdict, but the gentlemen
who composed that jury have rights as
we'll as others, and they had right to
bring in just such verdict as they did,
and the fact that that jury was out
three days and nights before an agree
ment was reached, and that an agree
ment was reached at all, shows that it
was not the unprinciped, trucking, po-
litical jury for which it was denounced
by Democratic Bourbon daily and
another unprincipled sheet without
character.
As the jurors have been vilely and
shamefully attacked personally aad
collectively, lot US look at them for
moment from all unprejudiced stand
point. They are all well-known gentle
men, several of them leading and sue
cessful business men of the community
None of them are unknown and not
one of them without q character, far
above that of many of their leading de
famers. 1t was an intelligent jury, as
will be seen by running the eye over the
list Of names which comprise it, and
We are not going aside from the truth
when we fearlessly assert that taken on
the average it is far above the average
of juries in character and intelligence.
Let us take glance for a moment at
the composition of this jury so much
d, famed and see who compose it.
David l.. Choate, of Newark, is the
only juror that lives away from vii.
mington and the three Hundreds that
surround it. Mr.. Choate, the foreman
of the jury, is probably the least known
in Wilmington of all the jurors, but at
home he is amongst the leading citizens,
a business man, man of character
and intelligence, and what is more, if
he is not now q Democrat it has been
but short time since |e was one. His
name was put in the jury box by Levy
Court Commissioner William l.. Weir,
a stalwart Democrat, who must have
had a good opinion of Mr. Choate's
fitness for a juror or he would never
have put his name in the box.
William b. Adams is one Of the firm
of Adams & Brother. If Mr.. Adams
does not constitute tho class out of
which good j;.:sr;men are chosen then
indeed very high order of intelligence
and character is required Those who
know Mr.. Adams would have no hest
tation in depending upon the soundnesS
of his judgment, and would scout the
idea that he would lend himself to the
preparation Of any wrong upon the
public.
Nehemiah Davis, an intelligent old
stalwart farmer, Of New Castle Hun
dred, needs no defence. He is safe
mau all the time, abo-e the average in
telligence, and possessing a character
that shines in bold relief when sur
rounded by the smirched wrecks that
denounce him and accuse him Of dis
honcring the State of delaware and of
breaking down the protection afforded
by the State to helpless women.
William Murphy, George ID. Wat
son and Alfred I. Derrickson are all
leading, active, intelligent farmers Of
BraLdywine Hundred Possessing a
high grade of intelligence, characters
unchallenged and conscientious in the
highest degree, they would scorn to do
= mean act even under extraordinary
pressure. Three more intelligent young
farmers could not be found in Brandy
wine Hundred, and we might say ase
In any other Hundred.
Who does net know William p. Ban
croft, one of the great manufacturing
firm of Joseph Bancroft b Sons, on the
Brandywine, by reputation at least !?
Is Mr. Bancroft the kind Of man that
would wiifully dishonor his State and
subject helpless innocence to outrage?
Yet Mr.. Bancroft with his high charac-
ter, ,unimpeachsd integrity and supe ror
intelligence, is one of this detested Jury
that is to be forever branded with
shame and dishonor. We do not think
we would have agreed with Mr.. Ban
croft on that jury, but we might have
been as liable to commit error az Mr..
Bancroft, and he had a perfect right to
exercise his opinion as he thought was
right without being denounced az all
that was bad.
The remainder Of the j1ry, Matthew
Macklem, Peter Wood, John Nichols,
Samuel G. Logan and Charles II. How.
ard, are all we'll known and intelligent
gentlemen Of this city, about tho aver
age ofjurymen. If they or either of
them are the unprincipled men they are
charged with being, could they have
won over such men as Messrs. B Bancroft,
Choate, perrioksen, Murphy, Watson