The daily gazette., 1881-12-08
THURSDAY. DECEnsEs 8. 1854.
TIE NEAL VERDICT is generally

everywhere. People who
have usually taken no interest in our
criminal court proceedings, and ap-
parently not cared which way verdicts
have been found, In this case are heard
to denounce the acquittal Of Neal as
q stigma upon jury trials and calcu-
lated to destroy the faith Of men in
the sacred value Of an oath eLd its
power to bind jurymen to overlook
their own selfish sympathy and politi-
cal bias to do justice and "true YER
dict give according to the evidence
This il an actual misfortune. 1t is
calculated to make the people regret |
that the Courts had been removed to
this city and fear that q system of |
'jury fixing" had been commenced
here such as has been complained of
in Philadelphia. There IL little re-
lance to be placed upon q jury from
which every man is excluded whose
mind 10 not subject TO the same politi-
cal fanaticism which controls the feed
attorney in the case. This Neal ver-
dict in brief is running politics ''in, the
grou,d." Ifit is necessary 10 pander
to the negro population to get their
votes, the Republican leaders should
adopt some other way. They should
not attempt to pollute the temple OF
justice ; nor invite the lustful negro
to destroy the purity of our wives and
daughters to accomplish such a party
purpose, by acquisting such negroes
rs Neal for the crime Of rape upon a
poor white woman of Delaware in
her own house in the country, while
her husband was absent at his work.
The facts presented In the evidence
on the first trial of the case were suf-
ficient to cause jury selected in part
by the prisoners counsel, composed of
twelve good and substantial men of
various politics, 10 render verdict of
"guilty," and the Court TO pronounce
sentence of death upon the guilty
wretch. In the second trial just con-,
cluded the evidence adducsd seems to
have convinced all who heard it of the
mans guilt, yet the jury chosen from
about the court room after the regu-
lar panel had been exhausted reH
dered verdict OF "not guilty !" and
Neal is sent forth as an evidence of the
weakness and inadsquacy of Delaware
justice for one of tho most odious
crimes that stains the criminal cal.
endar. 1t ID curious to observe in
this case the course of the Republican
party newspapers. AS specimen Of
their efforts 20 defend the jury for the
violation of their sworn duty, we copy
the following extract from an editoria
in the Republican, Of yesterday.
says:
There is no doubt of the fact tina
the public mind is averse to the yer
dict, the evidence against Neal bein,
of the most posit,ue character and un
eontradieted BY the defense. The onl
doubt in the case was in regard to tn
resistance, whether it was sufficient
or what might be expected in cas-
of that kind. Coupled with that wa
the fact that for many years past onl
negroes had been executed for crimi
nal offences while white persons equa
ly guilty invariably were cleared.
This of course should not infiuenc
q jury, but it can easily be seen that
reaction had to set in some time, an
it looks as if it had done SO in tn
Neal case. The Jury no doubt had i
their minds the execution of th
negroes Collins and Chambers, VIII
now loom up before the public as spe,
trail ghosts Of a judicial murder
They may also have borne in mind til
miserable, judicial farce that cleare
number of Eastern Shore blu
bloods three years ago for numbering
so far as they were concerned, q CO
Ored man named Jones, in the Blacl
bird forests"
Here is an inferential charge mad
by way of excuse for the Jury, thu
they found verdict of mot guilty.
the case of Neal because other juro
several years ago had found verdic
of guilty against negroes in 9th
cases. Collins and Chambers We
hanged after a fair and exhausti
trial for rape upon poor WONT
whom they had induced to enter
cornfield by telling her she could
to farm house and find employ mel
Great efforts were made to secure tn,
pardon, but Governor Cochran, up
whose land the offense was commitGs
could not be induced to yield TO
elicitations. 1t is barely possil
that the ghosts of these men m
have been seen by the editor of I
Republican; but 80 far no one else b
said they have appeared to them.
the negro Jones was net murdered
all, but appeared in Court to test
against the Maryland women and m
who whipped him, it ia little less th
Islander In the Republican to ma
such charges against the courts
Delaware merely 10 excuse the IA
and unnatural verdict by which N