Milford chronicle., 1885-01-16

asking us to give a verdict for the plain
tiff: the next, how to give verdict for
the defendant, and finally, in his own
words, it came to this. say in his own
words. These are mine.
''Now, gentlemen of the jury, you
have heard all the evidence, the speeches
of the counsel for plaintiff and de-
fendant, and, lastly, you have heard my
very long drawn out, wordy, wind-baggY
address to you; and now what you've
got to do is this If you think the
plaintiff is in the right, you will give Linn
lie verdict, and If you think defendant
Is il, IN tfs9 tji9 Tieht. you will give him the
verdict. You viii nv NV retire. ~ :,
All of which we knew perfectly We'll
before, and therefore did not want telling.
So we retired, and as soon as we were
shut up in our room, we had our say To-
gether--the Foreman we had chosen
taking the lead.
''Well, gentlemen" he says, ST dent
think as jurymen, this wants much con-
sideration. If one brother can't write
letter of advice to another brother, and
say some one else is a blackguard, we've
come to a pretty pass, and the sooner
John Bull puts up the shutters ana
gives up business the better. What do
you say ?"
"say?" 1 says: ''Verdict for the de-
fendant."
''Hear, hear, hear p says every man
present, for we must have been about
the most unanimous jury that ever met
in box.
"Well, we won't hurry back" says
our foreman. "It looks too business
like and prompt. They like everything
in a Law Court spun ont as slow and
deliberate as can be. Lets have quiet
chat for an hour. My word, I wish
they'd let us have pipes"
So we did have a quiet chat for about
an hour, but it was all about the case.
and the more we talked, let the law be
what it would, with all its precedents
and cases, the more satisfied we fei. that
we were in the right. fiiigHWas fig was a pri-
yate comm1pica = and no matter how
it might have affected the other party,
it was no libel. All he could do was to
make John Does sons brother apollo
gize.
"Well, gentlemen" says our foreman:
''I think we've pretty well thrashed it
out What do you say to going back in
to court, and settling it ?"
"I'm ready" says; and the message
was sent, while went on to say, ''Ah,
it's a proud position, that of a British
juryman. Seems to me that he stands
higher than the judge"
eyes" says the foreman, cit is a high
position, and hope, gentlemen, we are
doing justice in this case"
Then we were marehed'in again, shut
up in our box, and the man in the wig
asked us if we had duly agreed upon our
verdict, and we said we had. Then he
asked us if we found for the plaintiff, or
for the defendant, and we said we found
for the defendant, and there was quite
cheer in court, whereupOn we looked
round at each other and felt that we had
done the right thing.
My word, sir, we felt as if we were
sitting higher than the Judge, and col
Ored up with satisfac on.
Then we came do q flop, as if we had
been knocked off ,ur perches by the
Judge.
In our cool, matter-of-fact conceit, or
belief, or whatever you like to call it, we
had given in our verdict as good men and
true-as so many British jurymen, and
we were taught the next moment that a
juryman after all was only a name
mere show i'll q court and about as much
good as Cog or Magog in the city, for
the Judge took up his pen, turned over
his notes, and gave his head shake, and
then said that he did not see any reason
why such verdict should be returned.
'Verdict for plaintiff" ne said, with
COSTS"
We turned round and looked at each
other, and then at the people in the
court, who were making quite a buzz.
Then we spoke to each other again.
81 never heard of such thing" says
the foreman.
"Where are we p says I, and feeling
very red and indignant.
"Look here, my lord" I says.
Just then some one laughed and
found that the Judge had left the bench.
"Well," I said, eff this is a trial by
l did not finish-the foreman did that,
with his face looking lobster-like incolor
and prominence of eye.
''Sir," he said to me, "to give you my
opinion of this interference on the part
Of the Judge with the liberty of the sub
iect and the ancient rights Of man in
trial by jury, I think that"
Well, [ will not tell you what he
thought; it was little too strong.
But will tell you this-I think just
the same.