The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-01-04
Found Guilty Of the Murder
Of Capt. Nash.
The Prisoner Wept and Declared
His Innocence of the Crime.


Boston. Jan. 4-After q hours delib-
Grafton. the jury in the case Of Thomas
M. Bran, charged with the murder of
Captain Charles 1. Nash Of the barken-
tine Herbert Fuller. on the high seas.
July 13. 1896. came into court at $40 Sat-
urday afternoon and returned a verdict
Of guilty" as indicted.
AS soon as IL was announced to the
court that the jury had reached a deci-
sion, the prisoner was brought in and
the jury, headed by it's foreman, filed to
Its place. Bran eagerly scanned each
face as the men were seated, but IL he
learned his fate. he gave no sign.
The verdict was a completes surprise
to nearly everyone. Bran heard the
fatal words of the foreman with moth
ing more than slight blush, keeping
his stole attitude throughout the trying
ordeal. Four times the jury asked for
instructions from the court on knotty
questions.
When the Jury retired on Friday after
noon a test ballot was taken at once
1t stood 8 to for conviction. They
talked for three hours before 1t was
proposed to take c 'ecCnd ballot. This
ballot came nearest conviction of all
ballots taken until the last. The vote
stood IL to l for conviction. and it was
stated that the juro: v no stood out was
Charles w. Howes of Chatham, a sail
maker.
After the IL to 1 ballot the jury re-
turned to the discussion of the evidence.
The jurors who voted for acquittal
hung their hopes on the belief that 1t was
not possible for Charles Brown, the only
witness who gave direct evidence in the
case, to see into the cabin, as he said he
could.
At 6 o'clock Saturday morning bal
lot taken then resulted in a vote of 8 to
. for conviction. About breakfast time
q ballot showed that the Jury had fallen
back to 8 to 4 for conviction, and the
Jury stood in that attitude during the
day until noon. While the jurors waited
for dinner they took a ballot, and all
the votes were cast for conviction. They
reported at once to the officers that they
had agreed, and the Jury was called into
court and the verdict recorded before
they ate their dinner.
Upon returning to the jury room Juror
Warren N. Blake was informed Of the
lives in Woburn.
The case WAS one OF the most closely
fought Of any tried In this state since
the famous Parkman murder case in
1850, and even now the lawyers for the
convicted man have not given up the
tight for his life. None Of the exceptions
taken at the trial were vital points, for
the court In nearly every instance ruled
in favor Of the prisoner and gave his
counsel far more latitude than was al
lowed District Attorney Hoar.
The scene outside the courtroom when
the verdict was announced was sensa-
tional, as from the great crowd there
arose an almost gasp Of surprise. 1t
took only a few seconds for the news
to spread throughout the city, and al
most before Bran himself realized that
he stood in the shadow of the gallows,
the fact Of his guilt was on every tongue
AS soon as the jury had been polled
Lawyer Cotter Immediately moved for
a new trial, and as usual the court ap-
pointed a day when the argument on
both sides will be heard on the motion,
Jan. 8 being the day set
For some minutes after the announce
ment of the verdict Bran kept his nerve
but the strain was too much and he
gave way to tears for the first time
during the ordeal.
At the time he could say very little,
only to repeat over and over again,
IT am innocent, 1 am innocent, am not
guilty Of this.
II did not believe it possible that any
such thing could happen to me. could
not believe it, but / know I am inno-
cent"
Bran Is bearing up remarkably well,
and seems confident of securing q new
trial. He slept soundly Saturday night,
and yesterday morning arose and ate
the least trace of nervousness.
Harry T. Booth, one Of the jurymen
who convicted Bran, says:
1T am prepared, and 1 think can get
four others OF the Bran jury to do the
same, to make an affidavit that In agree
ing to the return Of verdict Of Guilty
against the prisoner, We voted against
eur convictions.
THAT Is to say, that while we may all
have believed that the mate was the
man who committed the crime, at the
same time we did not consider the evil
dence established that beyond all
doubt.
'The verdict was In reality the result
Of the belief Of the Jury that they were
permitted only two courses-to find the
prisoner Guilty or Not Guilty'-and
could not come into court finally without
having agreed.
Another and very potent factor in
bringing about the result was the
meaning given by the Jurors to Judge
Colts instructions as to how a minor
ity should be guided In endeavorfng
TO come to the views Of the majority.
The court was understood TO have
practically instructed the jury that the
minority must give In to the majority,
or In other words. that one or two men
in the minority must consent to hang
q man, because the majority considers
him to have been proven guilty"
WONDERFUL are the cures by
W Hoods Sarsaparilla, and yet they