The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1897-05-26
NTH A LIFE At STAKE
c.osations of a Juryman In a
Murder Trial.
ryrrrEyCE OF THE LAWYERS.


weighing the Evidenoe-s0enes In the
jury Room
The trial of man charged with murder
:. oIwsys an interesting proceeding, pre-
ting as it does, its strange shifting of
!.I,otions from the pathetic to the humor-
S Wv from the commonplace to the dra-
s,o+ic Men and women crowd the theaters
80 no thrilled with an actors art in feigned
.s.++ors of life and death, but few compar-
a+7eIv have ever watched the course of a
ronrier trial, with its stage accessories, it's
nIots it's actors and it's dialogues, until
tbo mrtain falls, as the clerk, breaking in
On breathIess silence, begins to read,
I've the Jury, find the defendant And
q the last words are guilty in manner
and form as charged in the Indictment" a
tsbpau is limned of despair and grief.
And if the last words are not guilty.
GREAT and Overwhelming is the joy in the
faces of the accused and his people.
To a business man, sitting on jury for
4ba first time in his life, the trying of a
man charged with murder is a solemn ex-
nertence. His ignorance of judicial pro-
dict the necessity for rigid attention to
tbeeyidenCe as it is brought out, and a
hundred and one different matters make
il 70 him terrible problem to solve.
Juror in the case against Thomas J.
OMalley recently gave his experience to
the Chicago Chronicle. He said
Twas sorry in the first place that l had
been summoned. Business was needing
nv personal attention and it meant loss
tome if was taken on the jury. Yet, as
it was a duty of citizenship, there was
nothing to do but attend and answer the
questions touching my qualifications My
dealings with the law and with LAWYERS
have been next to nothing and it was all
new and strange to me.
The questions put to the jurors in the
examination concerning their availability
impressed me in one particular-they
showed that the lawyers on either side were
keen students of physiognomy and that
each attorney considered the selection of
the jury as the foundation of the trial. I
think perhaps the attorneys for the defense
were the most strenuous in exhausting ev-
cry possible query which might show
lurking prejudice against their clients
There was good deal of wrangling over
questions put by both sides, and in the ap-
peals to the Judge I was much impressed
by Judge Tuley. He was very cool, patient
and clear headed. He seemed to me, though
/ know nothing of the legal merits of his
rulings on disputed points, as an eminent
" fair man, anxious only to get at the
ruth Of the matter.
Before the testimony began, and even
before the first speeches were made, had
formulated my plan as to the evidence. 1t
was simply to take each man and each
woman as they came to the stand and
weigh their stories as l would in my bust
nesS-tbeir appearance, their manner, the
way their stories were supported by others,
and the Credibility of the story. Right
there was a difficulty. You know some
people are able to tell story that seems
plausible, and they can reel it off with an
appearance of perfect frankness, and at
mat it may be simply artistic lying. And
some people of nervous temperaments and
sensitive natures may stammer and hest
@'e and change color and get tangled up
ID their statements and yet be perfectly
truthful.
Now, there were all sorts of witnesses
IL tne case, and knowing this popularity
ABOUT truth and falsehoOd it kept me on
me alert trying to give credit where credit
was due. AS to the lawyers, another diff
y1I'y was presented to me in the person of
= nE Donahoe. DOnahoe is fighter, born
Isnter and twas so apparent in him that
! perceived it Immediately, and it began
~ arouse my own natural aggressiveness.
Gnu Jhen said to myself, 1T won't do to
,eel any combatiyeness toward Donahoe,
W. Chat might prejudice me against his
,'IenC' 1t was not that I blamed him for
GSng Watchtul and vigorous in his de-
HSo Vi the man he was defending, but it
way manner and tongs with him all the
time
Win Forrest my feelings were differ
o .i l said to myself: Now, here is
2I.IewG crAnAlnal lawyer. I've heard him.
"onoer II he has any scheme, tricks or
sui, n@' pllSeS TO spring on me- Forrest is a
SOU actor He knows how to look at
49, ho mas knowing smile, a wag of
inoua 'ie"u, an infection which may mean
o+bnr u"nSy, contempt, pleasure or any
good lawyer. " ''o' ANU JuUs0'
unon =" T'o nr S' thing which impressed itself
the w lnS %iler the trial fairly began was
her in which 'T ragged rag and incomplete man
by the st Stat" 'ng y, case had been prepared
where the J Ji,ba mere were many places
A were missing and the
r pe~14 fra ratified I'll 1t was evident from the
of 1re Ispu 10 me that there had been lack
reasoned il% ~ OF the entire case. Now,
cause Of W myself that either this was be-
to the offico lew on state attorney coming in
9 Sfn th confidence in the case on the mart
waa J,lo state or there was an inherent
vented o. IN IN The states case which pre-
it did ION rom doing anything more than
that tho at any rate, this feeling of mine
eyiden po state 5[ had gone to trial with its
out adoo III a confused condition and with