The herald., 1897-12-07
Open Charges Being Made
in Compton's Case
c. |. MINTYRE-AND OTHERS
WATER COMPANY APPLIES FOR
A WRIT OF MANDATE
The Davis Forgery Case Carried Over
Until Today-A Chivalrous
~Bum"-A Judges Wrath

Something is going to drop at the
court house, and drop very hard.
1t has been a matter Of common belief
that the Hanging of the Compton jury
was the direct result of corrupt means,
and, If matters develop as anticipated,
what has been a matter of belief will to-
day become common knowledge.
c. 1. Mcintyre was the juror response
hle for the hung" jury. for he held out
for acouittal from first to last. 1t is just
possible that he acted from conscien-
tious motives, but if so then never did
circumstances so arrange themselves
as to fasten guilt upon an innocent per-
son. And if he did not succumb to the
soft Establishments held out to him IN
the shape of golden twenties, it certainly
was not because bribes were not offered
to his fellows on the jury panel.
The whole affair is involved in an at
mosphere of suspicion and corruption.
It is claimed, and is said to be suscepti-
BILE of proof, if the assertion is chal-
lenged, that on the evening of the first
day of his trial Compton was permitted
by the deputy sheriff having him in
charge to enter the saloon in the Rog-
ers block on New High street before be-
ing returned to Jail. While there Comp
ton discussed the trial and offered to bet
to l that the jury would hang.
Compton is neither a prophet nor the
son of prophet, and why he should offer
long odds on such a proposition is for
him only to say, and for the sovereign
people to find out--if they can.
n,, Ia CT George "A. Long
fellow, Juror, residing at Whittier was
approached with an offer of 500 TO
chang" the jury. Two other jurors were
offered smaller amounts for similar
service. In each of these cases it was
an emissary of Compton who made the
offer, which was Indignantly spurned.
Then, too, it is claimed that a we'll
known citizen saw Mcintyre, after ad-
journment of court, go into the law Of
fees of Attorney Shinn. counsel for
Compton. And this on more than one
occasion. Mcintyre lives on the East
Side and has served on many term
juries, and in 1891 was deputy sheriff.
He it was who deposited $l00 in the bank
as bribe for the position of high school
janitor, but as he himself stated, some
one else went him one better and got
the job
AS a matter of fact, Mcintyre did not
belong to the venire of department one.
but belonged to that of department
three In November he secured his own
transfer, and, as extra jurors were
needed in department one, Judge Smith
agreed to it.
cap" Chase, the attorney whose spe-
cialty as fraudulent pension agent got
him into trouble, significantly stated in
the sheriff's office Saturday night that
he knew the jury would hang" but that
it would cost $1,000 to make him tell what
he knew.
All this and much more was laid be-
fore Judge Smith yesterday At any
moment certain persons are liable to be
placed under arrest.
The special section of the penal code
under which a juror accepting bribe
can be reached reads as follows:
Every judicial officer, juror, referee,
arbitrator or umpire, and every person
by law to hear or determine
any question or controversy, who asks.
receives or agrees to receive any bribe,
upon any agreement or understanding
that his vote, opinion or decision upon
any matter or question which is or may
be brought before him for decision,
shall be influenced thereby, is punish
able by Imprisonment in the state pris-
on for not less than one nor more than
ten years"
The following section refers to those
persons offering bribe, the maximum
punishment being five years in the pen
ltentiary.
Altogether the Compton case promises
to stimulate inquiry into the modes
adopted by certain attorneys in the
conduct of cases in which they are con-
cerned, and also the way in which jures
are drawn. Compton's boast, as re-
ported by Ware on the witness stand, |
that "he could hang any jury the county
could produce" appears not to have
been an idle one. AS the trial that re-
suited so unfortunately cost the county
about $1,000 it is but right the county
should have little fun for the money. !
and that is likely to come.
A CHIVALROUS BUM"