, 1891-06-27

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The ideal iuryman from the standpoint
OF a lawyer in a murder trial would be a
very peculiar animal If his brain pan en-
closed a ball of putty or at least some
thing as incapable OF retaining an i'm
preston as a piece of dry sponge he
would probably be 10 every way s~atisfac-
tory. The desire seems to be to avoid Sc
curing an intelligent and honorable man
In the eyes of these lawyers positive ig-
norance alone seems to be the only pass
port to their good graces.
In no other way can the c~ateohising Of
these lawyers be explained. One eff their
horrors seem to be the newspapers. es.
p~ecially such as may have contained an
account OF the tragedy which is at the
moment undergoing judicial investiGa-
ton. If a man read a newspaper at any
time or under any circumstances the TACT
Of itself is construed into a suspicion Of
his integrity when undergoing an cxami-
nation as a prospective juror. II he has
read the newspaper accounts OF the trag-
wv NAN0 EtNW ~ NbualANi hAAh buAAg VI
something very little short of high treds On
and be is hurried out of the witness box
as though he were afflicted with some
dreadful contagious disease and was mo-
mentarily in danger Of exposing the lives
Of every person present in the court room.
But a feature OF these examinations
which every decent newspaper must re-
sent is the reiterated insinuations that
everything published in regard to the
tragedy must be colored or biased or even
glAringly untruthful. This course has SO
far marked the conduct Of the Fillebrown
case aud has been characteristics Of the
prosecuting attorney equally with the at
torney Tor the defense. II is high time
that both Of these esteemed gentlemen
were called down. We venture the asser-
ton right now, and the trial itself will
Justify 1t, that both Of these gentlemen
will magnify or belittle the testimony.
place it IN stronger colors or not as it NAV
suit their purposes, make more insinua'
tons, draw more forced and false cOnclu-
sions before this trial terminates than
have already been done in the combined
publications which have been made 10 all
the newspapers that have mentioned the
matter since the murder was committed
These perpetual insinuations aud phar-
asaical s%neernRs arc unworthy OF reput-
able lawyers aud are wholly uniusuied by
the publications IN this case. 1t Is, there
fore, high time that this legal ~tomfoolery
should stop. The newspapers are con
cerned only in seeing equal and exact
Justice done. The lawyers are paid to
make out a case for or against. In this
matter the newspapers have their honor
to maintain. On the score of vcraclty
they will perhaps hold their own with the
lawyers. We have never heard of any
special dispensation in the matter of the
truth-telling in connection with the legal
fraternity. We have heard quite the con
trary. In any event the lawyers in the
Fllebrown case have persisted without
rhyme or reason in dragging IN the news
papers and casting aspersions unwarranted
by the facts and unjustified by anything
closely or remotely affecting the case. 1t
should be stopped. If the gentlemen
concerned think otherwise. well and good.
Il will then be the duty of The LEADER
and every o,ho- equitable ".-sraro-
to defend itself with all the yigor 1t
can command. The LEADER intends to
do so in this respect from this time forth.