The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-05-12

La the New Orleans Case Fails to
Indict the Jurors.
A Full and Extended Report Sub.
mitted-The Bribery of Ju-
rOrs by the OMalley Gang
Denounced.

New Orleans, May 6.-The Gran d
Jury summoned to investigate the
deaths of the Italians in the Parish
prison at the hands of the populace
and the charges of bribery of mem.
bers of the Hennessy jury, completed
its lsbors yesterday afternoon at 4:3O
o'clock.
The report is addressed to the
Judge of the Criminal Court and is
quite voluminous. 1t reviews the
killing of Chief Hennessy, dwells on
the enormity of the crime and the
wide attention it attracted, and gives
a history of the trial step by step, and
dwells particularly ON the intention OF
the jury to the testimony of the wit.
nesses. 1t reiterates remarks made
by the jurors, one to the other, and
states that with strange unanimity
they dwelt upon what they knew by
reading and hearsay of certain Incl
dents Of the assassination previous to
the trial and made those the basis of
powerful persuasion for giving the
accused the benefit of the doubt and
conclude the deliberations in their
favor.
The report says further that the
grand jury did not hope to obtain
evidence of undue influence from the
members of the jury, yet from their
numerous statements much was OBJ
tanned having a direct connection
with the testimony elected during the
course of the inquiry. 1t was deter.
mined by the grand jury that Hen
messy jurors considered the case of
Polietz, Scafodi and Monesterio for
four hours, taking numerous ballots,
each of which resulted six for and
six against conviction. The report
says that the three accused named
above we're probably those selected by
the leaders of the conspiracy to exc
cute the murder of Hennessy. 1t
was quickly learned during the in-
vestigation that statesmen had been
approached when alone on the streets
at their homes and even in the court
house. The talsmen who rejected
the bribing were willing witnesses be-
fore the grand jury while there was
another class who had very poor
memories and denied all knowledge
of the vile work. A number of
witnesses most emphatically denied
having been approached, even after
telling it to their friends who had in
formed the grand jury.
The report further says that
the list of 500 talsnen in the
Hennessy case was in the
office of O'Malley & Adams, at II
o'clock on Sunday morning, Feb. %,
1891, though the trial Judge issued an
order Saturday evening that the list
was not to be made public or given to
counsel on either side until Monday
morning. O'Malley was put in pos
session of the list almost immediately
after the names were drawn, and be-
fore they reached the district attor-
ney's Office in due course. The list
was secured by one of the jury COM
missioners lately removed. 1t is
further shown that in the office of
this detective agency is kept a book
of names and addresses of jurymen.
Out Of 800 names drawn on the Feb
ruary panel, thirty-two were on the
list in OMalley's Office, and at the
latter, as the tailsmen were drawn,
many more names appeared that were
on that private list. The influence of
that detective agency was certainly
very great when thirty-two names
could be drawn on panel of 800
jurors from wheel containing 1000
names.
The report criticizes the deputy
sheriff, who attended the court, who
was unreliable and seriously impeded
the work of the authorities. Suspects
were informed when indictments were
found and Cooney and Mel Crystal were
arrested In O'Malley's ofite instead of
on the street as reported by the
deputy.
"Thomas G. Collins was employed"
says the report, Gin working up the
case of the bribery of jurors. He Sc
cured employment in the office of
O'Malley and his daily reports unfold