Madison times., 1885-03-07
THE MURPHY CASE.

J. Ford, VIM. 7. Caulfield and
VIM. H. Buckley, guilty of man.
slaughter; Pat Ford and John
Murphy, guilty.
l.. A. STEIN, Foreman.
1t took the jury just half an hour
to agree upon this astounding ver-
dict, as they retired at 11:25 and
returned at 11:55. The verdict is
astounding, because the theory OF
the prosecution, was, that Judge
Ford, planned out the whole mat
ter, and the others were merely
instruments, used to execute the
plan. If the State made out their
case, then Judge Ford was the
most guilty man of the accused,
and the verdict of manslaughter,
as applied to him, is ridiculous
and outrageous. But did the State
make out their case? If nothing
but the evidence adduced on the
trials, was considered, if the in
flamatory editorials and comments
of the city press were not obtruded
into the case, and the howl raised
that public opinion required and
demanded the punishment of these
men, then, in such case, the i'm
partial observer is forced to the
conclusion, that the State failed to
make good their theory.
Take only the evidence, nothing
more, nothing less, and it shows
conclusively, that Judge Ford was
not at the killing. That he was
not there, was so evident, that in
the first trial, it was stated by one
of the counsel for the state, that he
did not believe that he was present
at the killing. This admission was
not made in the last trial, however.
Only one witness swore that Judge
Ford was there. Andy Fleming
testified that Judge Ford was there,
and his testimony was shown to be
false in this, as in other particulars.
His evidence was so untrustworthy,
that it was not used in their argu-
ments by the State counsel. 1t was
not considered at all. There was
a great parade made of the arrest OF
several of the witnesses for the de-
fense, for perjury, but Fleming, who
was shown to have perjured him.
self, was not molested.
All the evidence went to show
that two men only shot at Murphy,
Pat Ford and John Murphy, no
others were satisfactorily shown to
have fired at Cap Murphy; and the
attempt by the state to prove a con-
spiracy, was a lamentable and con-
spicuous failure. Even the much
talked of signal of Judge Ford was
shown by the defence, and by good
witnesses too, to be mere salution
to little child, who waved it's
hand to Judge Ford. Aside from
the testimony of Fleming, which
is no testimony at all, only
one other witnesses testified to the
participation of Caulfeld and Buck
, ley. This witness is Early, who
swore that he saw them on st
Phillip street with pistols in theil
hands, but did not swear that they
used the pistols.
: Only one one witness besides
) Fleming, who is not to be believed
saw the beginning of the difficulty
4 this is Early again, who testified
: that Pat Ford fired first, Slessen
{. ger swore that Cap Murphy opened
D the fight. In the language of Judg'
e Braughn, it is "witness agains
witness. The much talked of "wh,
didn't you give it to him, ".of Judg
Fords, and on which the Who'll
:, fabric of conspiracy was erected
was not shown to have had refer
4 ence to Murphy. tits merely sup
position and theory, that it referre,
to Murphy, but men should not b
e convicted on theory. 1t was
d poorly made out case, and was no
= convincing to an impartial mind.
l. The verdict is concession t
q public clamor, to the demands fo
o blood, made by the city press, to
A wild and unreasoning cry for ver
l. geance. All of the jury must hav
a read the papers during the frs
4. trial, and they must have inferre
from them, that it would not b
IL safe to bring ina verdict of anythin