The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-04-17
A Melancholy Judicial Farce,

A Melancholy judicial Farce.
A man named WILLIAMS was on We'd
nesday acquitted in Judge WooDs' alleged
court of the charge OF bribery. The evil
dence was such as to leave no possible
doubt of the mans guilt. He confessed
to the jury that he had paid man S15 for
voting for ''HARRIsON, MORTON and pro-
lection" There was practically no de-
Tense. The only plea made in his behalf
was the puerile and contemplate pre-
tense, insulting alike to common sense
and every moral instinct, that because
the man bribed had announced his inten-
ton of voting the republican ticket Che
had always voted the democratic ticket
theretofore) before WILLIAMS offered him
the SIS, and because the money was
paid to him after he had voted,
instead of before, WILLIAMS was therefore
not guilty of bribery. The republican
jury acquitted this self-confessed repub-
hcan rascal with but little delay, and the
republican judge, who, on former occa-
sions, has lectured juries from the bench
roundly and soundly, for similar per-
formances, had not a word OF rebuke
or reproof to offer The scandalous
verdict was accepted as a matter o.
course, and WILLIAMS, who had publicly
proclaimed himself a bribe-giver, walked
out OF court free man. 1t did not de-
velop where the fifteen dollars came from,
but it is not a violent presumption that it
was part of the money raised by RUSSELL
HARRISON at Chicago a few days before
election to be used in carrying Indiana"
The facts-and we have not knowingly
stated anything but the precise facts about
any of the proceedings in this court-are
that on this trial Dist. Atty. CHAMBERS
made what appeared on the surface to be
an earnest prosecution, and that Judge
WOoDs summed up fairly and in a manner
that really made it the plain duty of the
jury to convict. But, looking beneath the
surface, we find that Mr.. CHAMBERS had
taken no pains to inform himself as to the
personnel OF the jury, or, if he had, that
he had not availed himself of the informa-
ton thus obtained to promote the inter
ests Of the government. Preliminary TO
the tally-sheet trials the democratic attor-
made every effort. by letters, kilograms and
other means, TO learn who the Jurors
were; what were their political affiliations
what their personal records and their
standing in the communities where they
lived, and everything that could be ascer-
tanned about them. They used this infor-
nation 10 exclude from the panel every
L L L 4
OF bias in favor of the accused ana will
ing court-this same Judge WoODs-gave
them his potential cooperation in these
efforts. The difference between an honest
and dishonest prosecution of crime is
thus strikingly illustrated.
To crown the miserable travesty on
justice in this Williams case, the deputy
district attorney, COCHRAN, made haste to
defend the outrageous verdict to newspa-
perreporter upon the ground that theindict-
nent had charged that WILLIAMS had paid
certain persons money to vote a certain
ticket, while the proof was that this money
was not paid until after the election. eve
had some hopes OF a different verdict"
says this absurd person, with delicious
touch Of irony; "but there was probably
no other verdict possible than that given"
This caps the climax of brazen assurance
shown by the prosecuting officers in these
cases. OF course, if there had been the
slightest flaw in the indictment, Judge
WOODS would have quashed it. And the
claim that because money is paid
'tfIoater"-as it almost invariably is-after
voting instead of before voting, a man
should not be convicted on an indictment
for paving money for a vote, is refine
nnent of idiocy of which even young
CocKRAM was not deemed capable.
Wednesdays proceedings eliminated,
very fttingly, with the conviction,
after twenty minutes deliberation,
of young fellow named DoIAN
of Henry county, for voting twice
at the same election. There is no doubt
that DoLAN cast two votes on election day.
He comes of democratic stock, and calls
himself democrat. In the morning, be-
ing duly sober, clothed and in his right
mind" as it were, he voted the demo-
cratic ticket. Later in the day one of
DUDLEY's trusted men with the neces-
sary funds" got hold of him, loaded him
with bad whisky, gave him a fve-dollar
bill and took him to the polls, where he put
in ballot for BENJAMIN HARRISON. The
jury. as said, made short work OF DoLAS.