Daily Republican., 1885-12-07
The Davis Jury.
HOW TBE DIsAGREEmE EMIT WAS
RECEIVED by THE PUBLIC
OPINIONS PASSED.
WHAT THE PEOPLE SAY.

When II became generally known on
Saturday afternoon that the jury In the
Davis case had disagreed, there was
considerable dissatisfaction and indig.
nation manifested, and many were out
spoken In their opinion that 1t was .
miscarriage Of justice. One gentleman
remarked that he had forever lost all
confidence in trials by jury, and said
that he thought q change should be
made, whereby the vote Of the maj ority
should constitute the verdict.
Another said, had that jury been
present at officer Peterson's house, as
was Immediately after the body was
carried In, and heard that bereaved and
stricken wife tell how she begged him
not to leave his supper to 60 out, and
how he answered that he only had one
more day to serve and he intended TO do
his duty, they would mot have been
nalf an hour ut arriving at verdict IN
accordance with the law, as explained
| by the Chief Justice, and the facts OK
stated by the witnesses for the State"
This gentleman then described the
scenes at the house that night, which
he said were 80 indelibly impressed
upon his mind that he would never
forget them. He was very much ex-
cited when he told how, when Mrs.
Peterson finally realized that her hus
bad was dead, she fell to the floor ai
though dead herself; and how the
daughter laid In spasms, and concluded
by saying that he wished every man
on that Jury had witnessed the scene. =.
Others said that unless something
was done TO stay crime In this city, AND
afford protection to life, the scenes thai
occurred In Cincinnati not long ago
would be rs-enacted here. Almost
levery one censured the five men on thu
Ijnry who caused the disagreement, and
many said that Davis should be tried
Iagain before another jury as soon al
possible. The suggestion made In one
Iof the papers that he should be allowed
to plead guilty 10 murder OF the secont
tdegree did not set nj TO meet with mucl
flavor, for, IA those who opposed 1t said
1t looks too much like trifiiing with tn
law and justice. The entire matte
was fully diso used on Saturday even
ing, and two persons would scarcel.
meet before one would ask the other
l"What do you think of the Davis
Ijury?"
There were however some who con
TENDED that verdidt of guilty of tn
second degree would have better ans
wered the ends of justice than that of th
lfirstdegree. They maintained that had th
!, ijury rendered q verdict of murder in th
tirst degree the sentence OF the Coui
! would never have been executed, aa In
tiuences would have been brought I
tbear on the Governor that would caus
him TO grant q reprieve, the same tht
has been done In other cases but Ii
was declared guilty Of the second d.
gree he would be certain to be shut u
| In Jail for at least number of years,
, mot for life.
1t is OF course impossible to say wha
action will be taken in tho matter; th
case may be called for trial again du
ing this term, or It may be carried ovs
until the next or the Attorney. Genera
instead Of taking the chances Of anothe
!, trial, may IL the prisoner wishes n
= SO consent to have plea Of second d.
gree entered, the penalty for which
[ for life. Ono thing
certain, nothing less than this will
D In any sense ssti,factory, and eve
!. that will not satisfy the many wi
maintain that II Davis Is not guilty
murder in the first degree, there nev
was, nor never will be, man gull
fit.