The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-01-15
Brown Goes to the Roads for
Twelve Months.
AND is ALSO FINED $3.50
Satterheld to Pay $3.50 Fine
and the Cost.
APPEAL TAKEN IN BOTH CASES
Judge McIver Refuses to Set Aside the
Verdct---Why Not Prosecute the
Committee That Certified
to the Bill?

TO the Bill?
S. p. Satterfeld, $3.50 fine and costs.
]. w. Brown, $3.50 fine and costs and
twelve months at hard labor on the
public roads of Wake County.
These are the sentences pronounced
upon the men who have beeen declared
guilty of permitting and procuring the
enrolment of the tabled Assignment
| Act.
At the July term of Wake County
Superior Court the jury returned a
| true bill against S. p. Satterfield, prin-
| cipal clerk of the House of Representa-
| tives, and J. W. Brown, enrolling clerk
of the General Assembly. The bill was
| in several counts, the two main counts
being, /. That they wilfully, negli-
| gently and unlawfully permitted the
enrolment of the tabled bill;2. That
they wilfully, corruptly and unlawful
ly procured the enrolment of the bill.
After hearing all the evidence, the
| arguments of the counsel, and after
being cautioned by the Judge not to
find the prisoner guilty if they had
| any reasonable doubt, the jury in the
Satterfield case returned verdict of
guilty" as to the first count They
were unanimous from the first regard
ing the first count, but remained out
for several hours debating the second
count.
In the Brown trial, the jury took the
case at $50 o'clock, and rendered its
verdict at 1912 o'clock yesterday
morning. 1t is understood that on the
first ballot the jury was unanimous on
hn Fret hn
they stood II to 1. After debating
the second count for several hours,
one of the jurors voted against declar-
ing him guilty on the first count. But
at ten o'clock yesterday morning the
jury was unanimous on both counts.
They decided that Enrolling Clerk
Brown was not only guilty of wilfully,
negligently and unlawfully permitting
the enrolment of the bill, but was also
guilty of criminally and fraudulently
procuring its enrolment.
THE VERDICT ANNOUNCED.
few minutes after the court open
ed, the jury came in and took their
places in the box. Brown and his at
torneys were all there.
The jury stood up.
Gentlemen, have you agreed upon
form.
eve have" said the foreman.
us the defendant at the bar guilty,
or not guilty?"
Guilty"
Judge McIver: On which count?"
Foreman Utley: "On both counts"
Brown was visibly affected
The verdict seemed to be "a surprise
to the defendant and his attorneys.
Some of his friends had said the
night before that the hung jury meant
q mlstrial.
But there was the verdict.
SATTERFIELD SENTENCED.
When Court reassembled after the
recess for dinner, Principal clerk Sta
terfeld was called to the bar to receive
his sentence.
The counsel for the defence moved
that the verdict be set aside and new
trial granted The motion was denied.
They then moved for an arrest of
judgment. This motion was denied.
Judge McIver then sentenced S. T.
Satterfield to pay fine of $3.50 and the
cost of the action.
From this judgment, and from the
rulings on the motion, the defendant
appealed.
TIE SENTENCE OF BROWN.
j. WBrown was called o'the bar to
receive his sentence.
Major Is4Nchelor moved that the
verdict be set aside, and made quite
an argument in support of the motion,
going over the testimony on which
Brown was convicted, and speaking of
the various arguments that had been
brought to bear on the jury, he said:
when jury convicts man without
sufficient tes timony, they commit
worse crime than did the man who
sneaked this bill through the Legisla-
ture. They poison the foundation of
justice in the temple of law" lie said
if the bin had done SO great harm, the
Governor could have called the Legis-
lature together to repeal it.
Solicitor Pou said all these argu-
ments had been used before the jury,
and he thought the testimony was a
sufficient basis for verdict of guilty"
on both counts. If they believed Miss
Branson's testimony, they must believe
him corruptly guilty. There was di-
rect evidence of an absolute lInowl-
edge of the act of enrolling the bill,
and if he did il knowingly he did it
corruptly.
ut is in the province of the jury TO
decide upon the sufticiency of the evil
dence," said Judge McIver. "The YER
diet of juries is generally correct.
shall have to deny your motion, Broth
er Bachelor"
Mr.. Royster then moved for an arrest
Of judgment