The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-03-07
CORBETT is NOT GUILTY
IN THE EYES OF THE SIX JURYMEN
OF JACKSONVILLE.
But sixteen Minutes DeIibcration by
the Judges of the Law and the Evil
dcnce-Thc Proceedings More of n
Farce Than Anything Else.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. March AT
3:51 this afternoon the jury in the case
against James J. Corbett charged with
violating the laws of Florida 10y engag-
ing in prize fight. retired 10 make
verdict At 4:07, or sixteen minutes later,
the jury returned. and the foreman
handed the verdict to the states attor-
ney. who read:
we. the jury. find the defendant not
guilty"
\ broad smile spread over Corbett's
face as he heard these reassurng words,
and the sports who crowded the court
room would have cheered had they not
been informed by Judge Phillips when
the jury came in that he would send any
person to Jail for contempt who dared
express audible approval or disapproval
Of the verdict.
Charlie Mitchell was present when the
verdict was announced. and he leaned
over and grasped Corbett's hand and
whispered congratulations. Mitchell, of
course, considered the verdict in the
light Of practical acquittal for himself,
as a case against him Of a similar
ture is pending. There We're four women
in the court room at the time. two Of
them members Of the After Dark COM
pany, and they braved the wrath of
Judge Phillips to the extent of airily
waving their hands TO Corbett
The proceedings leading up 10 the YER
dict were very tame Court convened
at $3.50 a. m. and the state resumed the
examination of it's witnesses The at
/ torneys for the prosecution tried to elicit
testimony to show that the fight was
brutal. and to make the witnesses admit
that from the very brutality of the con-
test COrbett and Mitchell must have
harbOred malice against one another.
The state, however. did not make much
Roadway on this line, and then it at
tempted 10 bring in the check for $4,000.
which COrbett received in public after
the fight. All the witnesses had seen a
piece OF paper handed COrbett. but all
were innocent Of any knowledge of its
character. Jack Keefe, who was chief
OF police when the fight occurred and SUI
perVised IT, was astOnished about the
check. He was at the theater when ii
was presented. When asked if the pa
per was not a check he said he did not
know. Upon being pressed further in
regard 10 its being a check he said that
he did not know, but thought it might
be property" check, such as is used
on the stage, just the same as proper
ty vegetables, which the thea triCal peo-
pie make believe to eat. This answer
caused considerable merriment. The
state closed here. and the defense an
nOunced that it would produce no wit
=
attorneys were brief and when they con-
Guided Judge Phillips charged the jury
as follows:
1T is immaterial whether ii was a
glove contest or a sparring match or
boxing match, If il constitutes and
amounts to a fight as already defined,
II is a violation of the law of Florida
against fighting by previous appointment
as the court has already read. In con-
sidering the guilt or innocence Of the de
h. - 10,
information, Chat is To say. the count
charging assault and battery, If il APP
pears from the evidence that the blows
We're given as a result of compact which
the parties naturally agreed upon and
entered into and consented to. the court
instTucts you that if such blows were
given i'm contest. which. in the usual
course Of things and being carried on
in such a manner as would not inflict
or cause bodily harm or injury to the
person. to the consent Of the person re-
ceiVing the blows, excuses assault and
battery and the defendant, under such
circumstances, cannot be found guilty Of
assault and battery. But If the confess
in which the parties were enga ged was
Of such nature and being carried on in
such way as in the usual course of
things would cause bodily harm or in
jury. and the blows We're given with the
intention TO cause bodily harm. or APP
preciable bodily pain, the consent of the
party receiving the DlOWS Is no uelenSe
to the charge of assault and battery, and
the party can be convicted of assault and
battery under such circumstances"
With this charge the jury retired and
soon reached a verdict of mot guilty,
as noted above.
The impression here is that the whole
thing has been a farce. The witnesses
for the state, TO use a sporting phrase
fell down and the defense had the
easiest sort of a walk-over. When At
| torney- General Lamar was asked for
an opinion on the result Of the case, he
said:
1T would not be good faith for me
to criticse the verdict"
''Will you push the other cases now p"
Il cannot say yet" replied the attor-
ney general. Il have wired the gov
ernor for instructions and the states
course in regard to the other cases de-
ponds on the governors advice"
Corbett left for New Orleans tonight
with the After Dark" company
Mitchell is stin here and will remain
until the case against him is either tried
or not proved. The sports feel jubilant
over the outcome and members of the
Duval club say they propose to pull off
the Corbett-Jackson mill here. They say
that the courts and people are with them
and that they can have a priZe-fight
every morning before breakfast and
another one TO give them an appetite
8 49,