Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-01-28

IlcdI Ilc S1lCLG ulIIlOTIO over
looked, now attracted attention. He was a
bald-headed person of uncertain age, button
ed up tight in long frOck-coat, and wearing
his gloves all through the proceedings. When
the chorus of five cheered he smiled mysteri-
ously. Everybody wondered what that smile
meant. The silent jlIryman kept his opinion
to himself. From that moment he began to
exercise a furtiye influence over the Jury.
Even the foreman looked at him on resuming
the narrative.
after a certain term of service, gentle
men, during which we learn nothing to his
disadvantage, the prisoners merits appear
to have received their reward. He was pre-
sented with a share in the ship which he
commanded, in addition to his regular salary
as master. With these improved prospects
he sailed from Liverpool on his last voyage
to Brazil; and no one, his wife included, had
the faintest suspicion that he left England
under circumstances Of serious pecuniarv
embarrassment The testimony Of his cred
itors, and of other persons with whom he as
ISOLATED, distinctly proves that his leisure
hours on shore had been employed in card
playing and in betting on horse races. After
an unusually long run Of luck, his good fort
une seems TO have deserted him. He suffer-
ed considerable losses, and was at last driven
to borrowing at high rate Of interest with
out any reasonable prospect of being able to
repay the money-lenders into whose hands
he had fallen. When he left Rio on the
hOmeWard voyage there is no sort of doubt
that he was returning to England to face
creditors whom he was unable to pay There,
gentlemen, is a noticeable side to his charac-
ter which we may call the gambling side, and
which, as [ think, was too lenientIY viewed
by the Judge"
He evidently intended to add a word or
two more. But the disagTeeabIe invalid in
sisted on being heard.
Sin plain English" he said, ''you are find
ing the prisoner guilty"
in plain English the foreman rejOined,
81 refuse to answer that question"
"Why?"
Because it is no part of my duty to az
tempt to influence the verdict"
You have been trying to influence the
verdict, sir, ever since you entered this room.
appeal to all the gentlemen present"
The patience of the lOng-sutfering foreman
failed him at last mot another word shall
pass my lips" he said ''until you find the
prisoner guilty or not guilty, among your
selves-and then I'll tell you if I agree to
your verdict"
He folded his arms and looked like the
image of man who intended to keep his
word.
The hungry juryman laid himself back in
his chair and groaned. The amateur artist,
who had thus far found fund of amuse-
ment in his blotting-paper, yawned discon-
tentedly, and dropped his pen. The ceurte-
Gus gentleman, who suffered from fdgets,
requested leave to walk up and down the
room; and at the first turn he took woke the
drOWSy little man and maddened the irritable
invalid by the creaking of his boots. The
chorus OF five, farther than ever from arriV-
ing at an opinion Of their own, looked at the
silent juryman. Once more he smiled myS-
teriOuSly; and once more he offered no ex-
PLANTATION Of what was passing in his mind
except that he turned his bald head slowly
in the direction of the foreman. Was he in
sympathy with man who had promised to
be as silent as himself?
In the meantime nothing was said or done.
Helpless silence prevailed in every part of
the room.
'Why the devil doesn't somebody begin?'
cried the invalid "Have you all forgotten
the evidence?''
This startling question reused the jury to
to themselves. Some of them recolIected
the evidence in one way, and some of them
recollected it in another, and each man in
sisted on doing justice to his own excellent
memory, and on stating his own unanswer-
able view of the case.
The first man who spoke began at the mid
die of the story told by the witnesses in court.
Il am for acQuitting the captain, gentlemen;
hp bn md +I,o
of the creW."-"And am for finding him
guilty, because the ship struck on a rock in
broad daylight and in moderate weather.
Il agree with you, sir. The evidence shows
that the vessel was Steered dangerously near
to the land by direction of the captain, who
gave the course. "-'COme, come, gentlemen!
let us do the captain justice. The defense
declares that he gave the customary course,
and that it was not followed when he left
the deck. AS for his leaving the ship in
moderate weather, the evidence proves that
he believed he saw signs Of storm brew
mg."-''Yes, yes, all very we'll; but what
were the facts! When the loss Of the ship
was reported the Brazilian authorities sent
men to the wreck, on the chance of saving
the cargo; and, days afterward, there the
ship was found, just as the captain and the
crew had left her"-"DOn't forget, sir. that
the diamonds were missing when the saIvors
examined the wreck. "-''All right. but that's
no proof that the captain stole the diamonds;
and, before they had saved half the cargo a
storm did come on and break the vessel up,
SO the poor man was only wrong in the mat
ter of time after all."-'AIlOw me to remind
you, gentlemen, that the prisoner was deeply
in debt, and therefore had an interest in
stealing the diamonds. '-''Wait a little, sir.
Fair plays jewel. Who was in charge Of
the deck when the ship struck? The second
mate. And what did the second mate do,
when he heard that his owners had decided
to prosecute? He committed suicideI Is
there no proof of guilt in that act2"-''You
are going little too fast sir. The cOroner's
jury declared that the second mate killed
himself in state of temporary insanity
Gently gently! we have nothing to do with
what the coroner's jury said. What did the
Judge say when he summed up?'-'Bother
the Judge! He said what they all say: Find
the prisoner guilty if you think he did it, and
find him not guilty if you think he didn't And
then he went away to his comfortable cup of
tea in his private room. And here are we,
perishing of hunger and our families dining
without us."-"Speak for yourself, sir; I
hayn't got q y"-'COnSider Yourself