The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1885-03-14
Oar jury sr.ten..
Assumption Pioneer.
NO. 3.

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Assumption Pioneer.
OF late years our experience in liti-
gated cases by juries, particularly in
those instances in which popular or
wealthy individuals are arraigned for
crime, has not proved satisfactory.
This system, which has been praised
so much in the past as the great shield
| for the protection Of the week against
the strong, seems to have lost its hold
ON public estimation, not from one or
two failures to do Justice, but from a
succession of failures la cases so plain
that there seemed no ground even for
a doubt as to the final verdict. II
these results were confined to our own
section we might suspect some local
cause not found elsewhere. Unfor-
tunately for the reputation Of this
time honored institution, the same
state of affairs is not limited to our
State or one locality, but prevails
throughout tho whole country. This
is the reason why lynch law, formerly
practiced only in newly settled coun-
tries, in which each community made
and executed its own edicts, is now
frequently brought into play to punish
crime in the most civilized communi-
ties. This is an outrageous state Of
things and can be rationally ascribed
to the men who are called on to serve
as jurors.
II is laid down as an axiom that
there Is no wrong for which cure
cannot be found and in this case one
should be found and legalizea BY our
lawmakers Man is weak and often
liable TO be influenced by selfish aud
unworthy means. Bribery and corrup-
ton are rife among several classes who
should hold themselves above bribery
but an English statesman, who had
made himself familiar with the weak
points of human nature by long prac-
tice, said that, according to his expert
ence, every man had his price and it
seems that man has undergone no
change for the better since his day.
With the increase of wealth and ad-
vance of civilization new crimes are
daily developed, and it looks now as if
an institution, so greatly honored by
our ancestors and which was looked
on in the days when personal rights
demanded protection from the hands
of the strong, should be cast aside as
no longer competent 10 secure the OBJ
jccts of its creation.
Two trials for murder which have
recently taken place in New Orleans,
are forceible illustrations Of the de-
moralization and corruption of that
class of citizens whom the defenders
of criminals select as jurors, the regu-
lar panel being exhausted. There
seems TO be no longer any protection
for life if the accused have money
to employ talented counsel
and enough to bribo jurors to bring
about mistrial. ..#
Not long since there was a failure
to convict a murderer in this parish on
account of race prejudices. This was
bad enough, but there was some ox-
,use for it on. tho part of those who
took such an active part in the de-
Tense. In the Sykes and Ford cases
in New Orleans there was no feeling I;
the result was matter of pure calcu-
ation founded on the amount of mon
~ to be disbursed.
All this argues unfavorably for the
morals of our people and the perma-
lency Of a free government. What has
aiken place in other localities where ju-
les have failed to perform their duty in
accordance with their solemn oaths,
will take place in our midst. The
masses of the people will not stand
'verything-there is limit to their
orbearance, and unless a remedy is
ound for existing evils, lynch law will
20 resorted to in order that fragrant
nfraclions of the laws Of the land may
,e punished,
We have no remedy to suggest
'ubIic opinion and legislative action
nay be able to arrest this growing
vii, and it is to be hoped that wo
'halI not be forced to find remedy
or the punishment of crime by ignor-
ng the courts created for this purpose.