The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-01-10
MeareS' Case a MiStriaI.
Judge Buohana n's Remarka.
BILE Lecture to the Jury

In the criminal court Friday morn.
Ing the jury, IN the case against j
@. Meares for bastardy. was relieved
from further consideration of the case
and . mistrial entered upon the rec
ords of The court
Judge Buobsnan called tho jury
out st IL o'clock and upon their
announcing that there Was no posi-.
bili'y Of their sgreeing upon . YER
dict. proceeded to give the members
Of the panel . "hsuling over the
GOALS" which IVES some what novel
sod decidedly plain.spoken
Hs stated that the inability Of the
jury 10 sgres wss Q matter Of regret,
and thst nothing brought 90 much
reproach upon che administrstion of
iustics - . missrisl The jury had
speas three or four days in hanging
out and had cost the country about
$3.50. where's even Q verdict against
the defendant would have put upon
bin bond for only $500. that the
javy hsd spsnt more mensy BY hang.
ing on and fooling around than the
amount that would have been exact.
ID b ossviotion. : JGf
"You gentlemen" ssid the Judge,
probably will be the fret to speak
lightly Of courts and TO ssy that
justice osooot Do gotten. thst the
lawyers fool around in the courts and
delay justice. while the truth of the
matter 10 the !swyears, the solicitor
and The court do their duty, and you
men have not the manhood to do
yours You have no one but your
selves 10 blame for the misc arrisge of
justice The State aud the defend.
ant are entitled to verdict. and you
have acted like Q set of school boys,
locked up three or four days, when
you should have agreed upon q
verdict. II the public would cult
vate high standard of obligation
and men were to understand that
when they take en- osih to do their
duty. they should do it honestly,
instead Of ffitteriug their time away
and vacilIating by reason ofs feeling
Of kindness for . neighbor or some
fahcied thing 10 The evidence, more
exact justice would be done and
there would be no more reproach
upon the administration of Justice
through the neglect OF the Jurors to
do their duty They seem to think
IL 10 sleight of.haud thing whe o they
20 on tho jury. A man taking an
oath to peforn . duty on the jury
should meet his obligation az he
would his promise to pay q note. |
Jurors dome do il, and because of
the fact that We have to have Jurors
to try this sort Of css,s, justice is
not done.
Il want to burn that idea into you
gentlemen. that justice has miscsr
fied in this case. because you did
not have the manhood to carry ou.
The law aud the obligation you took,
and ] want you TO know that ! know
's, and want every juror to under.
stand when he COMES into this court
where | an to preside and takes an
obligation to decide . case and does
not do It. that | intend to tell him
about IL aud inteod to make II hot ;or
him
"Anothr jury may have TO go
over this 9. ne thing because Of your
lack Of manhood aud nothing eIss
II 10 becsuse you all did not under
stand your oath and did not keep
to decide this case according to the
evidence l want you to undorstsnd
that ] know il and everybody else
knows It. and when il becomes q
matter, Of opprobrium for Jurors TO
make . mistrisl everybody will re-.
prosch them for it because they did
not keep the obligation they took 70
aUroo IN q vardict oud fr.xL,, A..