Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1884-05-09
III JURY FARCE.
Is there No Help for Us I'm the
Courthouse?


Some time recently-everybody remem-
bers when-a batch Of disreputable fellows
were arrested for entering the powder
magazine OF Remington, johnson d Co.,
and taking therefrom a lot Of giant powder
caps, and selling the stolen goods about
town. Three OF the men, OF whose guilt
there Is no reasonable" common ssnse)
doubt in the minds Of this community,
we're indicted by the Grand Jury. One Of
these three fellows, F%lorentina Ruellas, has
been acquitted. The second OF the trio,
Dan Ware. was tried Wednesday. The
jury, in his case. were put all night, AND
yesterday afternoon were discharged, as
they could not agree on 9 verdict, two
jurors holding ont stubbornly for ac-
q~uittal. There remains bat one to be
tried, "0ld Antoine" and he will be con-
victed, il necessary, for he told the whole
story OF the theft, not saving himself In
any respect. II any one OF them has any
claim to immunity, it is 'Old Antoine"
although we have no disposition to apollo
gize for him or any other burglar or re-
ceiver Of stolen goods. That the
three were guilty as charged is the
universal opinion in this com
munity. There is not g particle OF
job, and that they did it knowing just
what they were about. Ruellas pleaded
the baby act--that he did the stealing, but
that he didn't do il with the intent Of
theft, or some other such ~poppy-cock.
nan VavA anna IL. nm antnathfnn nj tina
same story. He did receive and sell the
caps, he says, but he didn't know they
were stolen. The truth is he did know
they were stolen; for in trying to dispose
81 them he told three different stories to
as many purchasers in regard TO where he
got the goods. Why, pretty soon we will
get a jury to tell us that Remington. john
son Il Co.'s magazine was not robbed at
ALL Do petty juries in this county, or
those on such juries as bslk justice, real
ize what their duty is to the public as
jurors2 Do they imagine that the people
will always patiently endure being trifed
with? The Cincinnati riot answers this
question. 1t was under the impulse of
this uprising OF an outraged community
against Jurors, that Mast pictured IL men
in q jury box as jackasses and geese. Prob
ably he never executed a more telling and
popular sketch in the whole course OF his
graphic work as q delineator OF men n
events. And we believe that no commu-
nifty in the United States enjoyed
Nast's caricature more for its ludicrous
yet terrible suggestions, than this COM
munity right here in Eureka. OF course,
Mast did not get his idea Of "12 men just
and fair" from this camp. His New York
models are bad enough But there Is no
help from our petty juries. The men most
needed on them are those who read the
papers and know what is going on. The
accepted Juror with an occasional credita-
bic exception) is the man who either knows
nothing about the case or swears that he
does. We are not in favor Of pledging
representatives OF the people, but We be-
lieve Ii would be a most excellent plan to
pledge the men whom we sen to the next
Legislature TO do their utmost to enact q
Jury law that is based on human
sense-a law that does not discrim-
mate against those who read and are
informed in current events. But to get
back to the burglars, for they are more
readily reached than those who are always
disposed, for what reason, whether proper
or Improper, makes no difference, to white
wash them and turn them loose. II Ware,
Ruellas and Martinez did not steal and
sell Remington. johnson & Co.'s giant
powder caps, then who did2 Nobody.
Not even a Eureka petty jury would say
that anybody else could be charged with
the crime. The idea with the petty jury
seems to be this: Eyes, they did; but we
don't believe they are guilty" Now then,
what is the use of the paraphernalia OF q
Courthouse9 OF what good are police and
detective officers? Has the Grand Jury,
composed Of II substantial business men,
no sense? If all these things are super
fuous. we had better dispense with them,
and the sooner we do it and save the ex-
pense the better. =,
As to the culprits who escape. we will
say upon what we know Of the sentiment
in Eureka at present, that they may find
some other place to practice their knavery
in where II will be more comfortable for