The Portland daily press., 1897-01-06
The Verdict on Bran,

To the Editor of the Boston Transo ript:
l wish IA a member Of the bar and rs
citizen interested in the orderly adj
ministration of justice to protest against
the loose talk in the newspapers and
among private perso1s which has attend
ed the recent trial of Bran and has fol-
lowed the verdict. Three most atrociou
murders on board the Herbert Fuller
startled the community last summer, and
it became the duty of the Circuit Court
in Boston to ascertain who committed
these murders and to punish the guilty
man upon conviction. The safety OF che
community, the safety of mariners es-
pecially, largely depends upon the proper
discharge of the duty. Two able judges
and twelve impartial men have devoted
their time to ii and nothing else for the
last three weeks. They have seen every
witness, have heard every particle OF tes-
timony, have weighed them all carefully
and have done this under the gravest
responsibility that can rest upon men.
Neither judges nor jurors sought the
work 1t was most unpleasant uty
he could. They have done 1t like men,
and they are entitled to the support of
the community which they have served.
Now, what have we ssen3 Every day
the newspapers have furnished more or
less imperfect statements of the evidence
preceded by the ill-oonsidered remarks
of reporters, which, lin the judgment of
impartial man, who have attended the
trial, and even of parties deeply interest
cd, have given wholly erroneous impress
sions about the occurrences, generally to
the prejudice of the government. Fri
vata citizens on their way to business in
the morning. or in their comfortable easy
chairs after dinner have read the news
parer accounts carelessly and without
any sense of responsibility and have
compared notes Of their impressions at
lunch or in the train. These men, some
tiIues in conversation and sometimes in
such editorials as appeared in several
newspapers yesterday and this morning,
are now criticising the verdict. They
undertake tn say that it was net justified
by the evidence, though they have never
seen a witness nor READ the whole testi-
mony. and do not know what the evil
dence wss. In short, for q trial by sworn
and carefully selected Juryinsn after full
hearing and argument, the community
seems inclined to institute a trial by
new spaper without either.
There is not Gnly the immediate GAN
ger that this loose gossip may create Il
wholly unwarranted sympathy for the de-
PENDANT, but the process of the law 10 dis
credited. If there has been any misoar
riage CT justice the two judges, who
heard the case, can be trusted to set it
right, but the self-constituted Judges and
iurymen, now SO abundant, are not con-
tent with them.
They would set fres man found gull
ty of most atrocious crime on impulse
and sentiment.
81 wish the community to remem her
that such methods as these and such ir-
responsible talk in newspapers and clu BIS
shakes public confidence in the courts,
and makes it vastly more difficult to
convict any future murderer. 1t is hard
enough to make men take the RESPONSE
bility of convicting fellow-msn. 1t
will be practically impossible, il jury
men find that the public is mole disposed
| ignorantly to condemn them, than to
condemn the men whom thay have in
diligently and properly convicted.
MOORFEELD STOREY.
Poaton ,Tanuary