The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-24
4 scREvEN COUNTY JURY.
one That Has n Remarkable All
Night History.

one That Has IA Remarkable All
Night History.
sylvania. Ca. Nov. 2S.-Not many years
aco-whether it be one or ten makes no
difference now-this county furnished to
the history of Jurisprudence one
OF the most unique juries, per
haps, that ever sat in a court
house. II was in the county court
ana the case was that OF a well known
negro boy for stealing. Nearly al the
members Of the jury knew the colored
youth and knew him to be an expert in
the art Of taking unlawfuly what be-
longed to others, and so, of course, from
the start, the doubt was agin him. Ten
of the jurors We're young men, and these
wanted 10 convict him at once; but there
We're a couple. of older citizens among
their number who thought the case was
not clearly made out, and they emphati-
cally refused to agree TO the verdict. And
thus they became hOpelesslE hung.
IL was late in the afternoon when they
went up 10 their room, ana as that was
the last case on the docket, the court
finding that there was no likelihood OF a
verdict being reached very soon, adjourned
until the next morning, and left the jury
in charge Of the bailiff. The majority Of
The jurors were citizens Of the town, and
were of decidedly mtsehievOus turn OF
mind So when the shades of eve began
10 gather, and they found that they We're
pect of a sleepless night before them.
they began TO prepare TO make things
That they succeeded the two older mem,
bers of the jury and the citizens of the
town Will bear abundant testimony. II
was night that will long be remembered
by the inhabitants of the court house
square-a night of fright, VermilliOn hues
and filed with music.
The first. thing they did was to over
power the bailiff. That officer was sitting
unsuspecungly in the hall just outside
the room, with the door unlocked. They
quietly took possession of him, robbed him
of the key, and told him he could lay
down on the floor and 80 to sleep if he
felt like 1t. His protests We're vain, and
when he threatened them, they took him
up and bumped him against the stair
post a few times, and that settled him for
the night. As Bret Harte said Of Abner
Dean of Angels, "The subsequent pro-
ceedings interested him no more"
The two older and obstinate jurymen
were deacons in the church. and would not
enter into the merriment; but taking
down on a bench in the jury room and
attempted to get some sleep. When they
did, a delegation filed down stairs into
the court house yard and gathering up
half dozen pieces of stout plank, came
hack ana commenced beating a merry
tune on the side of the wall in the jury
room, right next to where their two
brethren were lying. 1t made a most
unearthly racket and every citizen in
the town simultaneously jumped out of
the world was coming to an end. This
was kept up at regular intervals, and It
Is needless to say the two elder jurors
got no rest that night
After beating several lively airs on
the wall, they next went down into the
park just back of the court house, where
there were number Of comfortable seats,
and here they sang songs for an hour or
more for the delectation of the citizens
John Browns Body and other familiar
volume.
In those days what was known as rics
beer was sold in the town, and as singing
Lad made them thirsty, they routed uD
one of the merchants and made him set
out beer for the crowd, and also carried
off enough to provide refreshments for
the balance of the night. This, of course,
put them in a good humor, and they de-
cided to serenade the county Judge. They
searched around until they procured
big bass drum and several horns belong
ing to the brass band, and with these they
marched down to the residence of his
honor None of them knew how to play
on the instruments, and when they opened
up 1t sounded like pandemonium broke
loose in Georgia.
The judges family were terribly fright
that it was his jury, and so the inmates
We're treasured. There were loud calls
Tor his honor, and as the music still con-
tinued, and the jury would not leave,
he at last went out on the piazza in his
robe de mutt to try and get them away.
rahs, intermingled with the melody of the
horns, and they insisted on the judges
making them political speech. Moth
ing, else, he saw, would satisfy them, and
50 ne began. Every sentence that he ut
tered, however, was applauded so rap
turously by the bass drum and horns
that nobody ever knew what he said
As the judge concluded his oration the
boys We're so delighted that with one
accord they made for him and lifted him,
attired as he was, to their shoulders and
carried him all over town while they
sang, Hail to the Chief" 1t was a balmy,
moonlight night, and the citizens of the
town, as they peered forth from the win
dows of their homes, thought they had
never before seen such a strange look
ing procession.
After the, judge was delivered safely
back into the bosom of his family, they
then visited the domicile of the county
solicitor Here they played and sang un-
III ne was compelled to ask them in and
cut two fine wateTmelons that a client
had brought him that afternoon. They
We're IN a good humor with the solicitor
ana LEFT him with three rousing cheers,
and drum.
The lawyer who had defended the negro
however did not fare so well. They We're
IN a Kind of bad humor with him on ac-
count Of the two obstinate jurors. So. slip
ping off quietly around his house, they all
az gwen signal, uttered such an unearth-
~ yen that the colonel sprang to the door
with a shot gun in his hand word or
Two relieved his fears, but they would not
let him go back to bed. They got him out
indian style, they played and sang for him
Tor an hour or two. After which they all
got into an argument with him about the
case and made him deliver his speech over
again. But the second hearing of it did
not prove any more convincing than the
first and at the end they compromised the
matter with him by his carrying them
into his orchard. from whence they de-
parted with all the peaches their pockets
would hold.
A number of other citizens were seren-
aded several of whom asked the bows in
and set out liquid refreshments-and to-
wards morning they returned to their
room and sang and played for their two re-
fractory brethren until broad day.
1t was sleepy, heavy looking set that
marched down into the court room the
next morning and took their places in the
jury. box. When the judge turned round
IN his chair and asked them If they had
agreed on 81 verdict, he could not, for the
life of him, repress the smile that came TO
his lips. Every fellow ON the jury answer
Cd no with smirk, and a general liter ran
through the court room.
When the mistrial was declared the
Judge in dismissing them rendered them
the thanks of the court and said he re-
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