The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1891-01-24
A COMPROMISE VERDICT.
The State Awarded Only Sixty Thousand
Dollars. No More of the Archer Bond
Cases for the Preseut.

n CcMIfOMLSE EhDECA'
The State Awarded Only Sixty Thousand
Dollars. No More of the Archer Bond
Cases for the Present.
The Jury in the suit of the state against
the first bond OF ex Treasurer Stevenson
Archer brought in a verdict of sou, 900
for the state at Towson on Friday OF last
week. The state asked verdict of Sl2l,
O20. OF, and the defense conceded the
liability of tho boudsmau for SAL ,VoO.
The verdict WAS intended as a comprom-
Use, but does not seem to satisfy any body,
unless it is the jury. Tue result is $751;
| 059 OF less til IN the states CLAIM ard
$40, 900 more TIL the confessed obliga-
tion of the sureties. 1t is practically
victory for the defense.
Attorney General Whyto at once filed
a motion for Lew trial, Oh the ground
that the verdict was rot i'll accordance
with the evidence; that 1t was against
the Instructions OF the court aud entirely
disproportiouate to the amount CLAIMED
| by the state the motion Tor new
trial may be argued at any time liked
by the court, or it eau, in its discretion,
set aside tho verdict without argument.
! If the motion should be granted, the
case cannot be tried again until the next
term of court, which begins III Nj irch.
| The weight of public sentiment seems to
be that the boudsmen Jared very well,
| but they express as much dissatisfaction
with the verdict as the state, and say
that any amount in excess OF the minl-
mum, $4l 900, would have been too
much. The ilry went out at l 40 o clock
| Thursday afternoon, few minutes alter
Attorney General Whyte concluded his
argument. They were ont all night,
and when court met Friday morning
were apparently as far from reaching an
! agreement rs ever. Everybody had
| about given up ali idea OF Il verdict, and
the bondsmen aud their counsel had all
| gone out of court.
At 11:50 O'Clock Judge Fowler, who
had retired TO his room, csme and Oh
dered counsel for the defense to be sent
for. They were soon III court, and at
90 the jury came i'll and their verdict
was taken Icy Mi. Bacon, the clerk Of
the court The result was reached very
suddenly, ouly q few moments before
| they came into court.
| EIGHT IN FAVOR OF THE FULL AMOUNT.
From the time they went out, eight of
them (Stephen Nanhlil, the foreman,
Joseph II. Smith, Oliver Cox, Thomas
Kelly, ST., Park Wilson, Peter G. Erd-
man, Christian Schulz and NJ ithiaS
Arnold) were in favor Of giving the State
the full amount claimed, less the SIT, 600
of Frederick City bonds, and 81 ,444.GG
interest, which would have been $lO2,-
5S4 Al. The other four (Reuben Ii.
Hausemap, Ezekiel Matthews, John I.
Brogan and Walter S. Harple) would not
gree to givo the state but S40, 900.
There was not much hope of q comprOu-
Use in that. The first proposition, TO
give the state its claim, minus the Ere
derrick City bonds, was made by the
foremen and was readily accepted by the
seven named. The jury remained for
long time under tae impression that
their verdict must be given i'll detail, but
Friday morniug the court told them
they could render a verdict for round
sum. Then Foreman Vauhill proposed a
compromise made up from the claims OF
the state AID the defense Of $50. 600. |
Still the four refused 10 recede from their
position. Then further concession to
SO, 600 was made without success, and
when finally ou9 of tie four o5stinates
said he would agree to $50, 600, that was
accepted by all the others.
The three remaining suits OF the state
against the bondsmen Of Stevenson
Archer have been continued uutil the
March term of the Baltimore County |
Circuit Court at Towson. The court has
fixed March 9 as the day when they will
be taken up, aud January 81 as the day
when argument will be heard on the
states motion for new trial in the suit
against the first bond. The March term
begins on the first Monday, second day,
ana, if the motion for a new trial should
be granted, that case will be the first on
the docket There are three other suits
one against the estate of Henry w.
Archer, who was on the first bond; one
against the second bond, aud one against
the third bond. These will probably
come up in their regular order at the
March term. The continuance of the
first of these was granted on Monday
at the request of the state, aud the con
tinuance Of the other two at the request
of the defense.