Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1892-08-02
AZ AslpIno MYsrEsY.



What tlss csE's.tiess y . rssit sary Wm
Bring Ferth-
Any man who should attempt 70
amusc his hearers nowadays ~ telling
= story Of jury who brought ii :
verdict Not guilty, but II he doee Il
again he will get the full penalty,
would be greeted with cries Of Chest
nut, chestnut" and would be assured
that thing was credited years ago to
the Tar west, was imm0rtalixed BY
Mark Twain in one Of his book, AID
that nobody believed that It ever did
happen anyway. Yet the newspapers
reported, and what the newspapers ny
must BE- true, that only = week ago :
jury at Newark, N. J, trying caSe at
quarter sessions, brought il 4 verdict
OF Not guilty, but we don't want him
to do il again. = and the verdict Was 10
cepted
In the court Of general sessions In
this city last month, Jury. after
spending an unusually long time in
considering their verdict cane into
court and the clerk asked:
Are you agreed upon your verd;ct1r
We have agreed, !" replied the I'M
telligent foreman.
What Is your verdict, Them aaid
| the clerk.
I'VE find, : said the foreman, saeely
and with deliberation, that we stand
seven for acquittal and Eve for convio-
ton
Then you have not agreed At eli, :
| said the clerk testify.
Il guess you have agreed to disa-
gree, said the judge. but you had bet
ter try it again"
A poor fellow who was on trial for
his life in the same court not long ago
got terrible shock BY the sudden
change from keeuly anxious hops
to glad certainty of release, and then
back again to black despair. In the
course Of one minute, brought about
by the precise and exact pomposity Of
the jury which was trying him. They
too had taken long time to consider
their verdict and the prisoner, des-
perate and hardened william, who had
a poor case and had looked for moth
ing but the worst, began to think that
they might, after all, disagree. The
anxiety apparent on his face told how
the suspense had racked him when he
again faced the jury as they filed into
court and took their seats.
In murder cases, as a rule. more for
mality is used than for ordinary
crimes, and SO the clerk said: Gen
tlemen Of the jury, do you find the
prisoner guilty Of murder in the first
degree, as charged in the Indictment"
| Now, the foreman was young
lawyer himself, and he felt that be
ought to show his legal and fine Judi
cial mind So he paused moment,
evidently repeating the question TO
himself, and finally said complacently,
mot guilty"
| There was stir Of surprise all over
the court, and the prisoner almost
tainted with JOY as he heard the words.
But the jurymen began to demonstrate
with their foremsn, and he conde-
scended to explain.
Il mean. Of course" he said, that
we find the prisoner not guilty Of muir
der in the first degree, as charged in
the indictment That was the question
asked me, But we do find him guilty
of murder in the second degree.
The prisoner burst into tears over
the disappointment, though he at one
time contemplated worse result with
stolidity, but the legal gentleman had
properly upheld the reputation Of his
profession forexactitude and verbosity.
The recognized locality at present
for story tellers to lay the scenes Of
jury dramas is in the new south,
where the 'tdarkies" furnish ample
material to draw from. In Florida q
jury in the Indian river country moi
) long ago found that 1.-THE diseased died
by the will Of God or some other dis.
ease unknown to this jury" Another
dusky panel, bound to show that they
were not going to shield one of their
own color, found negro prisoner
guilty, with considerable doubt as
) to whether he is the man."
A man had shot his neighbours hog
; and the owner had him prosecuted fol
malicious injury TO property anG
wanted him fined heavily, but the jury
found 1.-The defendant guilty in the
sum of 81. so in favor OF the hog"
; 1--WE find the man who stole the
; mule not guilty" is another verdict
vouched for on good authority, and 8
weary judge in despair over the tardi
: ness of his colored jurymen, who de
. light to spend hours and hours ''ar
! guefying" among themselves over the
,, most trifiing points and often ending
them by tossing a penny, is said t
have blurted out in his wrath: II
! you can't find verdict of your own
! take the one the last jury used.
Whether these clear instructions wert
followed explicitly or not, the record
do not show.-New York Tribune