The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-17
The Jury in the Eennessy Case.


There is no doubt that the people Of New
iAns who were killed by citizens at the par
ish prison in that city on Saturday were
concerned either as principals or accessories
in the murder of Chief Of Police Hennessy,
and also that all of them were members Of
the Malta, the Sicilian assassination society.
And they are pretty well satisfied that some
Of the jurors who tried nine OF the Italians,
and who, on Friday, returned a verdict Of
mot guilty" as TO six. and "mistrial" as to
three, were brlbed. If they had not been
satisfied beyond all doubt on these points the
tragedy would not have been enacted. The
day after the Hennessy case was given TO
the jury and before a verdict had besn
reached a leading newspaper Of New
Orleans said: IF conviction cannot be
secured as a result of the clear and ire
fragable evidence rendered by the witnesses
for the prosecution it is idle ever to expect
a verdict in this city from any evidence.
Save when a murderer or murderers are
taken red handed in the act, it would be i'm
possible, we think, to get more straightfor-
ward, more cogent and more conclusive
testimony as to the perpetrators Of a crime
than that which the state succeeded in
eliciting from its witnesses. And in not
single salient feature was the defense sue
cessful in breaking down that testimony"
And yet the jury IA. led to find a single
one of the accused guilty. They disagreed
as to three and acquitted six. 1t is not to
be wondered at that there is a pretty gen.
eral belief that the jury were bribed, and
this belief is strengthened by the statement
of some of the jurors that three of the
jurors were regarded with suspicion by tie
other nine, because the three Insisted from
the time the jury were locked up until
verdict was reached that all the accused
should be acquitted.
But there are certain things which are ir-
reconcilabls with the belief that three of
the jurors were bribed. If only three were
bribed and nine thought the evidence suf>
ficient to justify conviction, how was it
that there was a verdict of acquittal as to
six of the accused and a mistrial as to three?
Aud it is further stated that the jury stood
six to six as to the three. Either all the ju-
rors must have been bribed or else the evil
dence was not sufficient to remove the doubt
Of the innocence of the accused from the
minds of those who were not bribed, assum-
ing that some were not bribed.
Mr.. Parkerson, who was the leader in
Saturdays tragedy, is reported to have
said that the belief was that some, not all,
of the jurors were bribed, and it is doubt
full if anybody in New Orleans believes that
all were bribed, because from their names
Nd oil Nka
pear to be men of good character and good
standing.
Their verdict may be explained on two
grounds. One is that they were afraid to
find a verdict Of guilty They were terror
lied by the Malta. The other is that there
was doubt in their minds of the guilt OF
the accused. They say in their statements
that in their opinion the state did not make
out a clear case against the accused-did not
identify them beyond all doubt as the MUIR
derers. And another thing which con-
fused them and made them hesitate
was the failure Of the state to call as a wit
ness Capt Conner, who was the last man to
leave Hennessy on the night that Hennessy
was assassinated and the first to reach him
| after he was shot; and also TO put on the
witness stand Officer Roe, who stood guard
at Hennessy's house.
The charge of bribery will be thoroughly
Investigated, and, if proved, the guilty
jurors will be severely punished. The peo-
pie Of New Orleans place the blame for
Saturdays tragedy on the jury, and they
will not be satisfied with any halfway in
vestigation of that charge. They feel that
their justification depends to some extent
upon that charge being proved.