The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1893-08-18

Tom Highfleld Acquitted.

Tom Highfield Acquitted.
The case Of the State W. Thomas
High6eld for riotous conspiracy was
given TO the jury 10 Dubois Circuit
Court on Friday morning, Judge Dun.
can finishing his charge about II O'Clock,
" hen the jury retired to their room and
brought in verdict Of acQuittsl Satur.
day Afternoon about 3 o'clock.
There was positive Identification Of
lIighfield % one of the white caps by
both Coffee aud wife, aud they were
In many details by other
witnesses, but there were . number OF
" illnesses on both sides who testified
for and against the reputation Of Coffee
and wife for truth, aud 1t seems some OF
tho jury who were probably 10 symps-
thy with white cap proccedings-if, in.
deed, not members Of the oath bound
gang of cowsrdly scoundrels-were in.
fuenced thus to discredit the evidence
|of Coffee aud wife. TO the people gen.
|erslly who were unpreju6iced, II sp.
peared there was no chance for acQuit.
tal-but Il 10 said even omniscicnce can
not tell what . jury will do. II the vic.
tins Of such . cowardly outrage against
humanity, civilization aud law, are not
Ito be credited, when members Of the
gang. who are bound together by osths
aud mutual interest, to perjure them
selves, If necessary. to protect . fellow.
member from punishment for the crime
OF conspiracy, testify to the bad charsc.
ter for truth Of the ones who we're whip.
ped, and jury believes the gang,-tbc
only remedy for lsw-abiding citizens IL
10 follow the noble example Of the Con-
their asssilants with hospitable hands
to bloody graves" and every man must
be prepared with weapons to defend
himself and his household against night
raiders. There should be no more pun.
Iishments for carrying concesled wesp.
ons, and using them too, on proper oc.
casions, II white capism is to 90 unpun.
ished.
The entirc list Of crimes does not con-
tain one OF more despicsble character
or one more demanding, iu the interest
Of good morals, . severe punishment
than the one described 90 riot0us con.
spiracy. Murders aud horse steslings
are honorable beside II, 40 they At least
require some courage on the part o
their pcrpetrat. re-. But the conspira'
tors who combine in numbers 10 take 81
Iunsrmed man or Q defenceless, veal
woman, from bed at night and tortur'
them only display . fiendishness, with
|out any courage, aud such characters arl
|only fit for bell, and should be con
|fined where they csn do no injury q
soon % possible. They display thei
Lac ID hs,e ha b.
Idisguises they attempt, the subterfuge
snd excuses they invent TO induce th'
|gang 10 whip some one, whose propert,
they probably want to obtain at re
duced price, through creating fear, o
upon whom they want to wreak com
Ipetty vengeance. and are afraid 10 try :
lin daylight, single-hsndcd. Some Q
them may be influenced b. . desire I
control other peoples actions, aud max
them conform to rules they woul
lmake, thus totally subverting the law
and liberty guaranteed TO free Ameri
can citizens and creating . distrust q
oil law, aud tendency t0wsrds anarch
which lessons the value Of all proper I
in county where such deeds 60 %
punished.
IL The COURIER believes the law shoul
!lrequire every juryman, when about I
sit aud examine On alleged crime. TO tel
!. ltify whether he has any sympathy Wit
J 1.-THE crime or criminals alleged. II th
course was admissible verdicts woul
: be more readily arrived At, and justi,
moro generally administcred, and me
law less frequent because less demsn'
ed by the cause Of justice, aud cour
. would be held Ia q eater respect. It
certainly . travesty upon justice whe
lpartners IN an alleged crime, or symp
ihixers with tho modes Of organization
: which uuquestionsbly perpetrats Il
lcrimes, are permitted to cit % jurors, {
weaken the testimony by discrsditil
the character Of prosecuting witness
who are disintercstcd.
The COURIER disclsims any intim
q lion that Hightield was guilty, ss Il
ljury, after 20 hours deliberation, said
d. was n, I, aud Of course their verdict en-
Q, that charge. At the same time Il regrt
Or that bis innocence rests largely upon
evidence Of impeachment given by sor
q parties who seemed 10 be unusually
lterested, and knew moro OF the crit
lr than they could be got to tell on the v
ness stand.
The jury, the COURIER Is informs
took eleven ballots before arriving o
verdict, the fret ballot being . for CO
ic viction to 4 for acquittal, and vsryi
'. from that ill the 10th ballot, which v
p. eleven for scquittal TO one for COW
3, tion, aud, the jury sll being tired,
q. Ansl ballot resulted 10 scquittal.
he Try and think when and where .
b. how you became possessed OF the Id
he that money hss or should have On
lie ltrinsic value, Then stop and think OF