Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-05-06


! by presenting the following special repor-
| al i 81 O'Clock this afternoon:
GRAND JURY ROOM May ., l>y'
! To thu Hon. =. Z. Mari. Judge OF Jn- CRIMINAL
/ District Court Of the Parish a. Orleans. So
! non y.
| When this grand Jury entered upon
! its term OF service there was pCuu.u-,
; IN section &, this tribunal the trial OF hIAc
men. indicted for participation in the aSsaSsi-
: nation OF the late superintendent OF police,
/ ID. {. HenucSSN, on the night nf OJtobrt
/ II. 1880. The cuOrmitr Of that crime. cNr-
! Cutcd a thc Midnight hour, created unusual
| interest throughout the whole country.
! while in our own city vitality concerned ~
+ the administration OF Justice a. depiy at-
( fccting her social, political and material
welfare. The sentiment Of the popu.aDr
| had crystalized into concrete form OF cN-
! preston that justice should be rendered
! through She recognized channels of Crimi-
| nal jurisprudence: that the guilty perpc-
| traitors, whoever they We're, should be trieu
| by an impartial jury Of American citizens
| and meet with righteous conviction.
| one fact stood ont i'll awful prominence
! above and beyond dispute or question by any
| mai. the fact that u crime OF unparalleled
atroci.y had been committed. evidenced 10y
| tive terrible death-dca!iug weapons, NUN
| erouS slugS and bullets fired on their 1rr;iud
| of human destruction and found IN the
! fences and houses at the scene, besides
| those that struck down the solitary man
/ who would not have been marked - Vic
| tim had he not filled the responsible position
| OF chief officer Of IT." law
IT Is NOT To BE WONDERED
| that attention should be directed 10 the
trial during the many days of its progress.
| in the selection Of jurors, evidence OF vii
| nesSes, argument Of counsel, charge of
| Judge, and finally concentrated ON twelve
| men, who. by virtue Of their solemn oatn,
! sat IN awful Judgment on their fellow men.
| The verdict Is now OF official record.
| bearing date of March Is, 1891. We cannot
| be mistaken in the assertion that The
| verdict was startlingly amazing. y bitter
| disappointment, shUClin" to public opinion,
| provoking repeated accusations that some
| of the Jury had been unflthtul 10 tucit
! high office. We feel thar We do not tran
| SCcud the limits of Our duty rs Il grand IN
! quest TO refer to the strong presentation Of
| the case as made by the state through III
| counsel associated in prosecution. clear.
| continuous, complete. convincing Indirect
| testimony ami material circumstances. it
| appeared more than sufficient 10 convince
| most unwilling listeners with It's truth and
| convey 4 full measure Of its power 10 those
| who Venturcd u doubt.
As the trial neared Its termination It
| was not possible for any observer 70 fail TO
| realize that comment was made on every
! side touching the action Of members of the
! jury When the case was submitted
| charges ana speculation aboundcd, coupled
| with the well-knoWn connection of certain
| parties OF uncnVidble nOtoricty. Is shown
| by their presence during the day in the
courtroom and building. arOuSlnC the SUS-
! picion that the most ruthless. dangerous
and powerful influences known to practice
of criminal law We're being exercised il be-
half of the defence.
These considerations have led us to luvGS-
| tigate the subject. EN- Dracin% all its attend
ant conditions and incidents.
TIE INQUIRY
has been conducted with the utmost dill
gence. devoid OF fear of partiality, with
the single purposes 81 fastening guilt on
the proper persons ana presenting them UNI
der iud ictment to the tribunal
Each one Of the twelve jurors Of the trial
was summoned and asked TO make Il state
ment.
None objected, but all rather welcomed
the opportunity II was Il notable feature
of the sworn statements that they primarily
sought TO justify their verdict by attacking
tie line of evidence presented by the state
and attaching much weight to the ar"U-
mcnt Of the defence. 1t WAS freely admitted
by the jurors that remarks mad been made
in the iuiy room Is early as the first day
when the testimony WIS offered. ami re
peated number of times afterwards, that
the state Wa, making poor case, and was
positively repeated NJ the close Of the states
evidence.
ONE QUARREL
al least was reported, arising from an az
cusatiou by one Juror tn another with the
expression: You talk Ike YOU were fixed
before YOU came here " They formed no
conception Of the tension to which the pub
lie mind was strung. though impressed
with tine deep interest as shown each day nv
crowds of spectators III courtroom.
Careful observers testify with special
reference 10 the marked inattcutiOn of the
ifr1.,r nc b. WI
denCe. conduct most UnbecOming AMI
fraugit with the gravast consequences
when the mOmcntOus import Of the issue
is considered We are led to conclude that
the jury undertook 10
TRY THE CASE
when it was submitted by their own
estimate of the value Of statements made
bV the parties not called as Witnesses
With strange unanimity they dwell upon
what they knew BY leading and hearsay Of
certain incidents of the assassination prior
10 the trial and made those the basis Of
powerful persuasion for giving the aC-
cused the benefit of doubt and concluding
deliberations in their favor.
1t is clearly brought out by the evidence
of the jurors that affecting three of the
accused. Politz. Scaffedi and Monasterio, the
Jury engaged in their case some four or hve
hours. attended with intense excitement
On all reported ballots the jury vote stood
SIX GUILTY. SIX NOT GUILTY.
This is clearly defined indication OF
the convictions of the Jury as 10 three of
the accused. 1t imprcSseS us deeply, as
il must everyone 10 whom the fact is
conveyed and forces the conclusion that
the evidence was sufficient TO Justify six
Jurors who stood reSOlute and determined
of verdict of guilty, making IL well nigh
impossible 10 reach any other conclusion
than a mistrial. These three accused be-
fore named, were probably unwilling ac-
tors. designated by leaders of d conspiracy.
10 execute the villianous part in which they
had neither personal motive or interest.
Following this investigation it was
quickly learned from various sources that
talesmen had been approached. were Wis
tied at their homes, interrupted while on
their way to the courthouse, stopped in the
corridors of the courthouse, and that work
was deliberately carried forward in the
courtroom during the trial One favorite
expression was that big money might be
made By going on the jury and doing
right
There is 10 possible doubt that
SUCH ATTEMPTS
were made by various parties in the service
of the defense entertained by some OF the
talesmen and scornfully rejected by others
These are facts given on evidence OF tales
men, who, quickly discerning the true
meaning of the men who addressed them,
and Indignantly repeiled any attempt to