The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1885-11-28
A SLIGHT DlFFERENOE.

diet OF Grant parish jury, acquitting
Henderson REID, colored, Of the charge
of burglary, in which case both the
law and the evidence were plainly
against the accused. The Democrat
says this case cheats Rapides." Come.
neighbor, don't be too fast. This me-
gro was an ignorant, poverty stricken
wretch, without money or friends. and
his very poverty and forlorL condition
seems to have weighed with the jury.
This is the only hypothesis upon which
we can account for tie jury acquitting
II man who was clearly guilty as
charged. The jury were all honorable
men, but appear to have been befud
died by the argument of NJ. F. Machen,
Esq, who was assigned to defend the
prisoner by the court, and who, by the
way, has stuck feather in his cap by
his success in getting his impecunio US
client out Of such close place. 1t
our Alexandria friends imagine Grant
parish to be a clover field for criminals,
let them send us one of their mOneyed
pets on change of venue. We ven
ture to say they have not faith enough
to run another risk of that kind in
Grant, no matter how much they gaff
us over this single isolated case Of
Reds. Such an occurrence is regard
ed AS nothing unusual in Rapides.
while in Grant it excites universal
comment, as witness the Democrats
remarks and the two subjoined com.
munlcations
Editor Colfar Chronicle:
The Louisiana Democrat says it has
a good joke on you at last, in the jury
last week turning loose Henderson
Reid, charged with burglary. We
confess that the verdict of that jury
astonislled all who heard the case tried.
But still greater surprise happened
during the week, when the same Hen
derson Reid was tried for larceny.
The jury gave verdict of acqnittal.
Judge Blackman discharged the pris-
oDer and then said:
| "GeRttemen.of the JMry-The accused,
it seems, bears Il shield against all
prosecutions. This is the third otfense
that he has been tried for at this term
of the court, aud been acquitted, that,
too, when the evidence, to my mind,
was plain and sufficient for his cOpvic-
ton beyond any shadow Of doubt.
l believe you to be honest in your ver-
dict, but with such verdicts the crime
of larceny and other crimes will go
UNPUBLISHED i'll your parish, greatly to
the injury of society, its peace and
good order"
| We can not account for this leniency
in Graut, except on the hypothesis that
the decentralization existing in Rapides
parish, in jury trials, has passed be-
You'd its boundaries and infected the
air of its neighbors. This, however,
is not matter for Jest, as the recent
complaints all over the State indicate
that there is lamentable failure in
our jury system that needs urgent aud
immediate attention. Some system
mast be adopted that will foace the
most intelligent and discreet citizens
to perform jury duty. The law, AS it
now stands, compells jurors to serve
once only in two years. aud for one
week at II time. Is this right Ought
not the most intelligent citizens he
compelled to do jury duty at any time
they are called ON In this way only
can we expect the law to be rigidly,
impartially and fearlessly enforced.
We do not intend any reflection on
the jurors who tried Henderson Reid,
for the best aud most honest men may
make mistakes. aud in this the opinion
generally is that the jury was mistaken.
One thing, however, friend Democrat,
that the citizens of both parishes agree
on, is that We have a capable, fearless
and impartial Judge, and faithful
district attorney aud it needs only to
get good jurors, and then we will make
the law terror to all evil dOers.
Il. E. JUsT.
Editor Colfar Chronicle:
We notice, AS another in stance Of the
uncertainty of verdicts, or the willy
ways of we facinating lawyer, that,
during the session Uf our district court
now sitting, a negro boy, well known
to many of US, was arraiyned for lar
ceny 1.-TWO charges) and to the aston
ishment of nearly all of our citizens,
the court aud Squire Grow, the jury
returned verdict of not guilty on
both indictments, and the prisoner left
the court room joyous in his nnexpect-
ell deliverance, and figuratively illu-
minated BY the broad smile Of Attorney
MacIien, his assigned lawyer.