The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1884-05-15

Michael Riley, a Tramp, Convicted of Man
slaughter for Having Aided in Causing
the Death OF Chicago q Alton Brake
man, sentent ed TO Ten Years in the Peni-
| tentiary.
CHICAGO, I'LL, May Q.
Michael Riley, impleaded with Richard
Haley, charged with murder in having
caused the death of Zacharias Brown, a
brakeman on the Chicago & Alton Rail-
road, was tried yesterday before Judge
Williamson. The testimony was all In by
ten O'Clock, and the prisoner had testified
in his own behalf, denying that he had
thrown the missile which had caused
the poor brakeman's death. Mr.. A. S.
frnde, on behalf of the prosecution,
claimed daconviction for manslaughter, and
frankly stated that a conviction Of mur-
der under the evidence would be too Sc
we're. The defendant, Riley, threw the
stone which hit the deceased, Brown, ON
the head, and caused him TO fall from the
car TO the ground beneath, where he was
run over and killed. This act did not
have in 1t the element OF malice or dellb-
Grafton that stamps the murderer, but
was none the less the act Of a reckless,
abandoned wretch, whose punishment
should be Imprisonment in the peniten-
tiary for a good long term of years.
Mr.. Trude then reviewed the evidence
at length, and closed by say
Ing: "Acquit this man and you pro-
claim to the hundreds of railroad men
whose duties bring them in close contact
with the tramp and vagabond that the
law will not afford them protection; that
their lives are valueless in iury's esti-
nation. To the tramp you issue procla-
nation; go on; murder, rob, and rape,
for a Cook County jury sanctions yoHr
acts You cannot conceive with what
rapidity your verdict In case like this
travels. Every brakeman OF the 4, 800
which form an association in this city will
learn it in twelve hours after its fendi.
tion. Every tramp now waging warfare
against society will learn it in about the
same length of time, for there Is an odd
fellowship and community OF interest
among tramps. The moral effect Of a
verdict is indeed great, for good or evil.
The result of verdict which was an in
suit to the administration of criminal
justice can be seen by looking through
the flame and smoke of crime-stricken Gin
clnnati. Justice-insulting verdicts made
the temple OF justice SO obnoxious that
the people arose in their might aud burned
it to the ground"
Mr.. Longnecker made a strong argu-
ment in behalf OF his client, claiming
that there was but one witness who
swore that his client threw the stone
which caused the death of Brown, and
that this witness was an accomplice.
MIR. Anthony closed the case by read
ing the law 10 the jury and asking for a
conviction OF manslaughter, after which
the court read the Instructions to the
jury, who, after being out two
hours, rendered verdict OF guilty aud
fixed the term OF imprisonment at ten
years in the Penitentiary.
The vigor with which offenders who
commit these depredations on the Chi
cago 4 Alton Road are prosecuted will
induce the thief and tramp to avoid it.
Vlce-President Mcmillan is an unrelent-
ing prosecutor, and through his efforts
the Brighton rioters now wear convicts'
clothes in the brideweIl, where they are
working out long sentences, and the man
Riley VIII tramp no more f9Efea years 70
come a LEASH