The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-01-28
EDUCATE OUR BOYS AND YOUNG
AS TO FRAUD AND PICKED
JURIRS.

| Correspondence of The Progressive Farmer.
Your remarks in the last issue of
THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER brings to
mind several facts-not iction-on
this important line.
Prior to the late war I never heard
of but one packed or fraudulent jury.
Doubtless there were many more, but
far from being as numerous as we are
now cursed with. In the seventies
there was a case tried only involving
money, in one of the courts of Cumber-
land county. I was not an eye. witness
in the case, but ane of our sensible and
good citizens was, and I was present
when he asked the defendant, after
trial was over, what he meant by let
ting such a jury try his case. The re
ply was: Il was out of town and did
not know that the case was to be tried.
My lawyer alone managed the 2ase."
"Well said the good citizen, IF 1
was to see the whole jury standing to
gether and a canno pointing, ready to
fire on them, 1 would not say 'shoo;'
they might all go, for I never saw such
a jury before"
AS I was acquainted with the negro
man, one of the jurors, and thinking
him an honest, we'll intended man, I
asked him how it was that he consented
to a verdict against the defendant. His
reply a
Tdidn't know who de PENDANT was
dey lawers dey talked about de fend-
ant an de plaintiff an had dem somjxed
up dat I didn't know which was de
PENDANT from de plaintiff"
This will show two facts, viz the
ignorance of the honest-hearted negro,
and the meanness of the highly edu-
Gated Christian white man who figured
in the case.
Democrats-I mean the bad men in
the party-do not want intelligent
and honest jurors, no more than they
want intelligent and honest poll hold
ers. They will a a political dogs
collar.
The defendant appealed to the Su
preme Court and the judgment was re
versed.
Some time between 1870 and 1875,
think, I was in the court house and had
pleasure of a conversation with young
lawyer, a man of fine educational ad,
~vantages, who I now think, as I did
then, possessed an honest heart. He
informed me of some things which he
had witnessed in the court house dur
ing the few years of his legal life. One
was in a capital case, when the prisoner
made a list of the names of men whom
he believed would go for his acquittal,
in the case. Said list was handed to
the sheriff. The first juror called was
the first name on the list. Another
case was one in which there we're some
the women was of easy going habits,
while the others were good and true
women who would tell the truth and
stick to it. The first-named received
Wv SHO AHANS VI OAO SSuLu OO00O NO0
the boss below the Judge-every atten
ton necessary to make her feel easy,
that she might with easy conscience
give in such evidence as the boss in
question wanted, while the good women
had no attention shown them whatever.
Up to this case I think our male vOt
ers were more honest and true to right
principles than now. Certainly it was
bad enough then; so if I am right in
my judgment, formed and expressed
above, they are worse now. Now let
us see: A few years since a man was
indicted for a disturbance he made IN
a church while services we're going on.
The facts were proven beyond cantre-
dictioD; he was acquitted. He was con
nected as I was informed, with the
liquor business. Immediately after his
trial a case was taken up in which a
man was indicted for disturbing the
peace of a baudy-house 4 hope our
young men may never try to find such