The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-01-17
THE JURY.Room CONSPIRACY.

THE JURY.ROOM CONSPIRACY.
j. Gideon Long, One of the Jurors in the
Marion Cases, Relates what Happened in
the Jury.Room.
G. G. Turner, of Spartanburg, one Of
the perured United States jurors who
agreed with others to convict the defend
ants in the election trials at Columbia
last month before hearing the evidence,
and, after being sworn as juror to find
verdict upon the evidence alone, has
published statement in the Carolina
Spartan which is as vllanous in language
as it is absolutely false in fact. The
statements made by the News and Courier,
alleging that caucuses had been held by
the Green5ack and Radical jurors and an
agreement entered into by them TO con.
vict the defendants, with or without evil
dence, for political purposes, were based
upon affidavits made by certain jurors
who were present at the caucuses, but
who could not consent 10 enter into the
damnable conspiracy. These affidavits
were held by the counsel for the defence,
and would have been submitted to the
Court if Judge Bond had not wisely de.
termined to put an end to the shameful
prosecutions.
If the statements made by the CORES
pondent of the Ne,cs and Courier needed
any corroboration MIR. Long very EN-.
phatically and satisfactorily nails Tur.
ner's lies, and shows furthermore that
the Government prosecuting officers were
in league with Turner and his miserable
allies to secure convictions at any cost.
Mr.. Longs statement is as follows:
To the Editor Of the Carolina Spartan:
Sir-The letter which you published from
Claude G. Turner, of the 3lst Of Decem.
Der, 1883, in which he uses my name,
and denies certain charges against him
and others, published in the News and
Courier of the 18th of December last,
calls for short notice from me. l will
try and give you some plain, simple facts
in reference 10 the matter.
Mr. Turner, on Saturday evening, after
the jurors had been empanelled to try
the Marion cases, and were locked ur' in
the Court House, proposed that ne should
organize a debating club, (which We Gid,
and elected juryman Julius Littlejoan,
(colored, as chairman. Turner also re-
duced the subject to writing, which was
as follows: whether or not there was
juror on the panel with the intention Of
defeating the Government in conrictiDg
the defendants? And if 80, what would
be the result, as there were the eyes OF
fifty millions of people watching and
waiting the verdict of this jury? Turner
led of in the debate, and made long
speech, in which he stated that in order
to establish precedent we must neces-
sarily find verdict of guilty.
It was the intention of the Govern
ment officials to secure such a verdict as
we all know. The other eight, whose
names I will give you, all expressed the
same opinion. They are as follows:
Middleton Ray, of Spartanburg; Fuller
Pricket, of Orsngeburg; J. n. johnson,
of Clarendon D. G. Wolf, of Lancas.
ter; E. L. Arthur, of Orangebulg
Julius Littlejohn, colored, of GreenvilIe;
Joseph Bush, colored, of Georgetown -
Childs, colored, of Edgefeld. stated,
as iuryman, that intended to give the
defendants fair and impartial trial, and
that if it was the intention of the Govern
ment to pack the jury and convict inrlo.
cent men I was the wrong man so also
did Mr.. Grant of Chesterfield, and July
Emley, colored, of Oraugeburg. So the
case went on until Wednesday evening
when it was handed to the jury. Turner,
the spokesman for his friend, Ray,
foreman began to get shy of the three,
and proposed to the jurors, before any
one expressed an opinion as to the de.
| PENDANTS guilt Or innocence, that we
would take two.thirds vote, and let
the verdict be whatever they said, and
eleven voted in favor of Turner's motion.
To this, of course, objected, which re-
suited in q mistrial. Turner stated to
me in the jury-room that they would re-
lease nine of the defendants if l would
find verdict of guilty against Bethea
and Moody, as they seemed to be leading
Democrats of Marion County, and he
wanted to punish them whether they
were guilty or not, to establish prece-
dent in the Eastern portion of the State,
as it would help them during the cam.
paign Of 1884.
Now in reference to the Horsey case
that Turner was on. About two minutes
before the district attorney requested the
|jury to fud verdict of mot guilty." he,
Turner, whispered back to Ellis and my.
self that we would be obliged to find a
verdict of guilty. Write to Hezekiah
Ellis, of Kershaw, and he will recollect
| it.
| Now, Mr.. Editor, few words in refer.
ence to Turner's comment as to the
Marion defendants guilt, in which he
says the evidence was as clear as the
MONDAY sun. He reminds me Of the
cowardly dog who has sneaked in BY
night and stolen the carcass and swal-
lowed it whole-crept out in tie sunshine
and puked it up for the whole world to
see.
| 1 only wish that was fluent with the
pen. l would give you the details of the
Court.
Respectfully yours,
J. GIDEON LONG.
Jonesville, S. c., January 8, 1884.
1t is useless to add one word to what
Mr.. Long has lid. Turner stands con.
yicted not only of perjury as juror, but
of being the leader, the chosen instru.
ment Of the Government to drag down
with him to his own depth Of infamy the
more ignorant men who acted with him
in his nefarious plot. Speaking of Tur.
ner's card the Orangeburg Times anil
Democrat says:
c. G. Turner of Spartanburg, S. c.,
one of the United States Greenback
iurymen who voted first, last and all the
time in the recent trials at Columbia to
| aa.u;nk ;nnnnant Damn 10 ont in q