The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-12-05
THE NEGRO IN LOUISIANA
On tiis Fury --t'oarry oat de Judgment
Filming Both PARTIES Divorces.
rPlaaremInes Cor New York SUM-

fPlaqucnlines Cor. New York SUM-
Negroes st rs jurors il all the courts OF
Louisiana, AMI here, of course, they are al
ways in the .nisj Gritty on tie Jury, some
times there b ing only one or two whites
am ne the twelve. j have never hearl any
complaint q their verlict4, AMI in cases
between the races 1 have never known
them Is show any Partially to their own
c5lor.
At cur last term Of court there were
tnirty-two conviction; out o. thirty-four
trials Il IS said that the darhies don't think
they ar5 earning their Jury fees unless they
bring ia a verdict 20" the state. At any
rate. t23 Il IRE. attorney told mo he pre-
fsrfse3 d l.e 20 iary in criminal case. H3
himself Is popular with all classes,
and tla following suggestive CONVEX
satiOn uccurrcI On the Junior plantation a
few DAYS ago the planter was asking ons
{ Of his haass what ho had done on the jury
last term. Ne: l greed z2ctly with Mr.
Jimmy Che district attorney. You know
he's tie states officer, AMI when lie done tell
me what IL Law is, l knows its 50. jess
/ goai by him..
Il Is refreshing in these times of acqUittal
on har-spIit.ing AMI technicaliJie5 t. get
holj Of iaries who are in for business. o.
course her8 as elsewhere. larceny is the
most common crime Of the negro; but as
saalE and battery, wounding, and even
murder are not uncommon. The sentences
naust Be ;ueted ont alike to both races else
l should have heard
Blacl, justices Of the peace sometimes give
queer dsci ions. Not long since, IN one of
the lower wards. Mr. Johns was suing Mr.
Bez1sr fyr the ownership Of an OK. Many
witnesses were caleb, and long arguments
pro ana con followed. Finally the justice
Il
Boz,ef, and dat de OK be sold to pay de
costs or court Constable, carry out de
/ judgments.
| Lie their white brethren, they hold that
one Of the first principles # justice is to
make suge O. TIE CO Is Of court.
+ :. til "a fayor5e proceeding with the dark
s ies to settl5 their pers 9nal or family quar-
+ rels before I justice Of the peace, ANA plant
/ III and defendant are invariably accompa-
/ MEL by % long string Of friends and wit
mes es. Fho julgs usually fines both par
/ ties, AMI Justly, Tor both are generally in
/ the wrong; bus what n9yer can understand
abous it is Why Dosh parties always return
| home satisfied. The fines are usually 81 tc
! SIS, apd howeysr scarce the cash may be,
/ tae amount is always forthcoming.
They rarely bring suits in the civil
/ courts except in the matter Of divorce.
/ Most Of taem formerly changed wive:
according to fancy but, as they have
! become. aiacatsl Up 70 the respect
ability o. the liceusa AMI the minister
many OF them now inl it necessary to look
! to tbs law for 'reiaase from the irksomenesi
! Of the marital tie. There is little village
/ Of alb lut forty families called Oakville Just
tgvoaty.d4s milo BaJow Ne2g Orleans. They
/ have . church there cnJ also a benevolent
association. tae mgrabers OF which, paying
+ p sc rs = Ilcnti e5.ch, are in ca,e of sick
! ness entitled 70 mo4-c2, at5endanca, and in
! case o, deatl 80 a free grave and funeral
I o. the cooperative principle, six Of the men
/ from this village went up TO q lawyer il
/ New Orleans a few months ago to mako ap
/ piicatioa for divorces, telling him, as they
wanted to obtain them cheaply, they had
clubbad together SO that LIE could get il
done in Z lump"