The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1885-11-19
THE JURY.

AS striking examples of the amount of in
telligence necessary to qualify a citizen as a
stern minister of justice and arbiter of fate in
the great metropolis, some of the jurors
chosen on the Ward case would prove inter-
esting. Moses Huntoon, the first Juror chosen,
was taken because he "Hadn't read much of
She case" hadn't read anything that would
give him an opinion, did not know an, thing
about the relations between Gen. Grant and
Ward, and didn't have any idea of the con-
nection between the Marine Bank and the firm
of Grant & Ward, and consequently could
give an unbiased opinion, and was promptly
chosen. Chas. P. Sawyer, another Juror, had
heard and read of the case, but had no i'm
preston about ii, which qualified him at once
IS a fitting representative of justice. The prn-
cipal reason for accepting another seemed to
be because he had read several papers, and
had not succeeded in getting any ideas from
them whatever regarding Ward or ANYTHING
connected with him. This of course was all
that was required to fit Thin for the Jury box.
Sill another was accepted because he didn't
GnhU an,56dy c0nnectcd with the case, hadn't
any definite knowledge about the matter at
issue, and only read one paper, and read that
because it hadn't very much in 1t. How are
those for specimens of that decisive intelli-
gence and good judgment supposed to guar
antee a man ga fair trial by a jury of his
peers2" And these were selected out of over
seven hundred men of Gotham brought face to
face with the question, ''are they competent to
serve ON a jury?" And these were not by any
means the most unfortunate specimens devel-
oped by the search. So it seems after all the
newspaper articles written against. Ward, and
about the whole matter for over a year past,
there still remain citizens of New York who
know very little about it, and that too, in spite
of the fact that 1t created one of the greatest
e~xcitements known in the history of the
city, and that Wall street was black with a
rush of excited citizens such as had not been
seen since memorable Black Friday. Such a
state of affairs is a sad commentary on the
average intelligence of the ordinary jury, and
IS not calculated to inspire confident belief
shat the ignorance Of the dark ages j. rapidly
dissolving under the enlightened educational
system of the 10Th century. In fact it would
look very mnch as if some of the hard work
and enlightened ideas which are being so faith
fully distributed by willing disciples over the
Deserts of Africa and the jungles of India,
could be diverted with good effect toward the
unenlightened nearer home, who wear more
clothing externally, but appear to carry no
more ideas internally, than the Hotentots or
the followers Of Cetewayo.
However, Ward and his lawyers on one SIDE
ard the prosecution on tie other, determined
to make the best of tie material at hand, and
turn the hose of %eloquence uponthem nhopes
that it would drench them with jud cial ideas,
if not brains, and we present below the prin-
eipal law, ers for the state, District Attorney
Mar inc in the center, Mr.. Nicoll to the right,
and Col. Fellows 10 the left, endeavor ng to
link The chain of evidence az inst the little
pale faced fnancier, now of the Tombs, late
of Wall street.
Ward has grown thin and pale under the
strain of the past few WEEKS, and anyone
looking at him, and notirg The lines that gath
er on his sallow, peaked face, and the express
sion of anxiety that plays almost constantly
over his features, and looks out OF his bag
gard eyes as he occasionally gazes at the faces
of those around, instinctively feels that this
man fully realizes that he is fighting Tor his
liberty, and with all the desperation OF one