Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1895-12-20

TIE other day the Bismarck Tribune
took the Record to task because this
paper said that mo man ought to have
his head pulled of like chickens be-
cause couple Of juries composed Of
chuckle headed idiots, deprived by the
eloquence of an expert prosecutor of the
glimmeripg of sense previously pos.
sessed,@ see at to believe the second rig
marole of self-confessed, ed.hande ed
assassin. instead Of his first yarn"
Then, iu another place in the Tribune,
portion of the following from the Fargo
Forum is printed
HOPE FOR KENT.
Juror Newman dissatisfied with the YER
dict in the Kent case Will appeal to
the Governor.
Prof. A. C. Newman, who was one of
the twelve men that convicted Myron B.
Kent of murder, at the second trial, is
H. the city to-day. .and, in conversation
with Forum Representative, made the
| rather remarkable statement that he was
not satisfied with the verdict in the case,
and would appeal tO Governor Allin for
clemency rather than permit the hanging
Of Kent. #
Mr.. Newman said there were number
| of features about the case that were not
isfactory to him, and that he was
sorry that he had not held out, after the
case was given the jury, for life impris.
Onment.
'Iu my estimation" said Mr.. New
| man. there was no motive for the crime
proven, and If I had it to do over again
ahould act difFarenflv
"You know there were something like
200 veniremen examined before q jury
| was secured. and 20 many had formed
An opinion that Kent was guilty of the
conspiracy to murder his wife that it was
impossible for map--lookipg at it from
| my standpoint-tO-lm lmpartially consider
the merits of the case have had con.
siderable time to deliberate over the
matters presented at the trial, and feel
that l am acting frankly In stating that
should regret very much seeing the SEN
| tence of death executed"
Now, it appears to the writer that the
statement of Prof. Newman is verifica-
ton of the sentence in the Record which
the Tribune criticises. Here is one juror
who admits that in his Judgment there
was no motive that he was swayed by
outside influences, and that when he was
on the jury at Fargo lit was impossible
for man to impartlally consider the
merits of the case.'
And yet. under such conditions, q
human being is to have his life taken
| Monstrous
First, Kent was tried IN Morton county,
where his admitted crook edness had
made the people his enemies. where the
matter of the murder had been discussed
for months, and where every intelligent
newspaper-readiug man had undoubtedly
heard enough of the case to disquallfy
him for jury duty. With the popular
feeling against him, without funds and
almost without friends. he was brought
up for trial. The money of the Lairds
hired Minneapolis detectives to worry
him, and the greatest criminal lawyer in
the Northwest - barring Irwin - was
brought on to prosecute. The trial was
public. The Pioneer gave as lengthy re-
port of the trial as was ever given of q
murder trial by paper published in a
town the size of Mandan. 1t was claimed
to be full and impartial report. If so,
the evidence was not alone with the jury
Every man of average intelligence who
read the report was qualified to form an
opinion. And the editor of the Record
formed his OPINION entirely from the
Mandan Pioneers report. e.
The fact is that. under the present
system of selecting jurors in murder
cases, premium Is put upon ignoran ce.
Almost the first question asked is, "Have
you read anything about this case2" And
the idea seems TO be that the one most
suitable for jury duty is the one who
reads the newspapers least.
Again, at the trial in Fargo. the editor
of the Record read every word of the
testimony published in the papers of the
Gateway City. There, again, was man
ifested the browbeating, bulldozing tac-
tics of the prosecution, coupled with the
finished acting and the burning eloquence
of the man from Minneapolis, Nye. who
is professional prosecutor, and to
whom a conviction Is simply another
laurel in his wreath Of professional fame.
A verdict OF guilty was found. And
now ones the men who found it says he
didn't know what he was doing, and
that he 10 sorry that be voted for death
sentence
Nthe Mandan Pioneer and the Fargo
pap ers' published truthful and full ac-
counts Of the trials, as their editors
cl1imsd they did. then the editor of the
Record orany other man who read those
reports Knows as much about the guilt
or Innocence of Kent as the jurymen,
with the advantage IN favor of the
! readers that they were not present to be