The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1899-06-14

-'4l .. 1LiLSOSld b)luult, bOal ttt
evening, February 25ih.
At - o'clock yesterday the jur,
announced that it had arrived at ,
verdict. Judge Buchanan was not il
the court house at tho time, but was
summoned Immediately.
In order to prevent any demonstra
tion in the court room, he ordered
the sheriff and his deputies to take
stations in different parts Of the hall
, and to preserve order.
Mr.. T.. L Block, foreman, arose
! and announced that the verdict Of
jury was mot guilty"
Thoro was no show Of excitement
Thcre was no change On tho express,
sionless face Of ". r. Crawford.
The crowd in the court house was
dissolved in few moments. Craw,
ford and his friends hurried to the
telegraph office where they wired to
friends in every country that the
trial had ended and the accused cx-
constable had not been convicted.
The jury was out fifteen hours. At
first, so it is reported, and generally
accepted in C,mdcp, there were nine
for accquittal and three for couvic-
tiun. It is stated that, when the
jurors went to sleep at midnight, two
Of those for conviction had given in.
This morning at 0 o'clock there was
q large crowd gathered around the
door of the court house awaiting the
arrival of the judge.
Crawford was sitting on the stone
curbing Of the iron fence around the
court house yard. He was smoking
a cigar and there was the same
placid expression on his face which
there had been all through the trial.
He said that be had slept hetter
the night before than for some time
previous.
The opinion Of every one present
was that when the Judge arrived the
jury would announce that it had
been unable to agree, and "mistrial'
would be orded. Judge Buchar an
arrived at 10 o'clock. The doors Of
the court house were thrown open.
When the jury had been pol!ed.
Foreman Block said they wanted fur
ther Information in regard to celtain
points in the judges charge. He
asked the judge to explain the rights
of an officer in enforcing the execu
ton of warrant where he is opposed
by violence. The jury did not IN.
derstand tie charge Of the court on
this point. Eve wish to find out if
Mr.. Crawford had the right to search
the house with violent force" he said.
Solicitor Thurmond rose to object,
but was overruled by the judge, who
then addressed the jary:
"That involves a mixed question Of
law and fact. The court instructed
you that an officer could use force in
reasonable circumstances, to meet
force with force; but unless fo:ce
were necessary he should not exer-
else any force at all Wherever the
law gives o man a process ard tells
him to search house, it gives him
everything necessary to accomplish
that purpose, and if he meets with
force, being authorized by law, being
a law officer, he may overcome that
force using so much force as is neces
sary to do that.
His first duty is to use gentle
means if gentle means will avail, and
when gentle means will avail, he can
not use violent means.
after be uses gentle means, il
that does not suffice to overcome the
resistance, he may use such force as
is necessary even TO the extreme ot
taking life, because he comes clothed
| with the warrant CT the law, anc
/ every citizen mus. yield to TIE !a".
"WLen . man obstructs an officer
the cG:ccl's duty is to pat his Aan1
gently on him, push him cat cf th'
way, unless he s=cs by the use c
gentle means he will be taken ct
disadvantage, CT his life be put il
jeop,rdy, then he may resort to Larsl
means at once. II he must resort It
such means, then violence IS llstiti
able. When a man is authorized b,
law to do thing, he has light t
do all things necessary to acconp!'sI
that Object, ard if person obstruct
BIN be becomes a wrong deer and