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

anything happens to him, he will bo
the author of his own wrong
After celebrating this point, he
said: The officer must 60 forward,
using gentle means if gentle will dc,
but if gentlo means won't do, it
must be done anyhow. He can
overcome force with force, no matter
what the result
lie continued that an officer is not
responsible for The result if he is
prudent and acts with ordinary firm
ness. He has the right to be there
and 60 forward, but he must not do
! 80 ruthlessly, and with due care.
| He concluded by saying that the
violence must be commensurate with
the resistance. Gentle means must
first be used, but not when useless,
fer the law does not require man to
do vain thing.
The jury retired. 1t is reported
that prior to that time but one man
had held out for conviction. He
submitted to the construction OF the
law by Judge Buchanan, and in half
an hour the jury had agreed.
A combination of circumstances en-.
tered into the acquittal Of Crawford.
The first axiom of trial for capital
punishment is that the burden OF
proof must be against the prisoner
at tho bar. While the State intro
duced strong evidence, tho defense
had greater number of witnesses.
Attorneys from another State who
happened into the court room while
the arguments were in progress, de-
clared afterwards that they did not
know Of case on record where the
fatal bullet was not in evidence.
The bullet was extracted by DR..
L B. Owens and put in the keeping
Of Chief Of Police Daily. The at
torneys for the prosecution claim
that Chief Daily neglected to take it
to Camden, and that the attorneys
did not attach much importance to
it.
The defense did not prove that
the fatal bullet was fred by Stuart,
but by ingenius argument showed, by
it's absence, that there was reason
able doubt; that Crawford fred it.
The benefit of any doubt is the right
of the prisoner.
Another circumstance which prof..
ably Influenced the jury was the fact
that the defense laid considerable
stress on the lapse of time between
the slapping of Stuart's face and the
firing of the first shot. In legal par
lance this is known as "cooling time
time for the passions to subside,
for The mind deranged with anger to
return to it's normal state. In reply
the State endeavored to prove that
the interval was of but a few seconds
duration, and that Crawford's pistol
covered Stuart during that time.
The jarors as rule were not re-
markable for an intelligent appear
apce. Dir. Block, the foreman, is q
resident of Camden, the others live
in the country.
The people Of Camden are rot dis.
posed to receive the result of the trial
with much kindness, but those who
attended the trial predicted that the
outcome would be a mistrial or &C.
quittal.
The constab!es, attorneys, wit
ne ;ses. Solicitor Thurmond and Judge
Buchanan returned to Columbia this
afternoon. The constables feared an
attack at Columbia, and INDUCED in
little cheering as the train pulled
into the depot.
There was no mob in sight. Craw-
ford ard his friends rode unnoticed
on q street car to the Jerome hotel,
and hardly dozen people knew he
was here.
Crawford wants to be reappolnted
; on the force. William Bank.
Bad management keeps more peo-
pie ir poor circumstances than any