The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-05-17
sENsEBLE ANp To TRE poLNr.

SENSIBLE AND TO THE POINT
The Chattanooga Democrat Of recent
date. in speaking of the jury impRneled
in the case of Andy Taylor, with Whose
recent arrest in this state our readers arr
familiar, says:
Our idiotic regulations for selecting
jurors in criminal cases are apparently
about to be ''vindicsted" in the acquit
tai of the brutal murderer Andy Taylor
by twelve fools. The intellectual quail
ficatIon and equipment of juror in 1
| sensational, horrible and universally
known murder. like this case, is that hi
shall be q lumpish dolt or a natura
idiot. We doubt If there is q man in
the entire judicial circuit where Cate
and Conway were murdered fit to judge
| of any matter, legal or other. who has
not formed aud expressed an opinion o
the guilt OF the bloody brute now OF
trial at Loudon. Isn't it high time ju
ries be abolished or their composition
be based on rules In accord with gooC
sense and the enlightened sense of man
kindg
We do not make judges incompetent
to try murderers, OF whose guilt or in
nocence they have well establish eC
whose intelligence fits them especial J
TO weigh evidence and determine the
law and facts of case, be discarded
and men put in the box whose sole rec
ommendation is inabe1ty to read and
understand the current history OF theil
vicinity?
sOur criminal Jurisprudence is, as q
whole, a good deal of a farce, and not
the least farcical item in IL is the rules
governing the choice Of jurors for the
trial of felons.
The Times, also published at Chatta-
nooga endorses the position of the Dem
ocrat in the following sensible language
Certainly there should be msteria
modification OF the law If we are to sc
cure intelligent jurors, especially in ex
citing cases like the one under discus
sion 1t is an absurd presumption of the
law that an intelligent man having form
ed an opinion cannot change that opin.
ion when facts and arguments arc pre-
sented TO his understanding. The only
class who have not the ability to change
their opinions are the very ones likely
TO be chosen under the operations oil
| this law men who are either so igno
rant or stupid as to be-unable to form aI
opinion, or men who have formed az
opinion, but through anxiety to serve a.
juror are willing to falsiiy their con.
science and blacken their soul.
Does any one believe that there is al
| intelligent man in Loudon county who
has not formed an opinion as to the gull
or innocence of Andy Taylor? Com
mon decency forbids our saying that the
twelve men composing the Jury, now
| trying Andy Taylor, peTjured themselves
while being drawn.
To what conclusion, then, does com
mon decency drive US? Why, to- the
conclusion that these men are so lgnor.
ant or stupid that they cannot properly
try this wretched man, and that they ar,
no more likely to do him Justice thar
they are to predict which side Tipped
| up penny would turn upward. Is thii
trial, then, before such q jury, muOl
better than a melancholy farce?
the prisoner is convicted i
will be by accident, ant
if he is acquitted it will be by blum
der. We do not propose to try the case
or to convict the wretch in public esti
nation any more than he now stands
convicted. We simply desire to be un
derstood as solemnly and earnestly pro
testing against those regulations of Law
which have excluded from this jury
twelve honest, intelligent, upright men
and which. have placed in their steaC
twelve stupid and ignorant ones, witt
could form no opinion on so awful
crime; or twelve men who have fore
| sworn themselves. OF course we hav
no personal knowledge o: any man oil
this jury, and our opinion is made u
on the general principles involved.