The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1900-01-09
JUDGE BUCHANAN'S
CHARGE ON FACTS.
GIVES TIE MEhRES JURY WHOLE
SOME RAIiING DOWN.
Tho NJ MiscarriaEo OF Justice in South Caro-
llha Caused by Jurors Disrcgnrd-
lnE Their Oaths--A Mis-
trial Ordered.
Especial to the State. }

this morning. Everybody WAS anX-
lously awaiting tho verdict IN the
Mraros case, and wbilc tho aiority
of people looked for mistrial, there
woro many who thought that a jury
which had bocn out from Wcanes-
day afternoon at . o'clock until Fri.
day morning until Il a. m. could
surely roach Il vordict from such
lengthy dclibcration. But not so.
Judge Buchanan called tho ury out
Of th"ir room at | o'clock yesterday
molning and whom thoy announced
that thorc was no possibility Of roach
ing verdict, ho began to speak to
the jurymcn in worry novel and
plnln-SpOkcn manner in regard to
tho case, Their inability to agree,
ho Stnton, was Il matter Of much re-
gr"t, and that nothing brought 50
much rcpronch upon tho administra-
tion of justice rs mistrial The
jury had spent thrco or four days in
hanging ont, and had cost tho coun-
ty about $40, whorcos oven a YER
dict against tho defendant would
have put upon him a bond for only
$500; that tho jury had spont moro
money by hanging on and fooling
around than tho amount that would
havo been oXacted by Il conviction.
"You, gcntlcmcn," SAID tho Judge,
"probably will bo tho first to speak
lightly of courts and to say that JUS
tlco cannot be gotten; that the law
yors fool around in tho courts and
delay justice, while tho truth of tho
matter is tho lawyers, tho solicitor
and tho court do their duty, and you
mon have not tho manhood to do
yours. You have no ono but your
solves to blame for tho miscarriage
Of justice. The State and tho dofond-
ant arc entitled to a vortlict and you
have acted like SGT Of school boys
locked up three or four days, when
you should have agreed upon ver-
dict. If tho public would cultivate
Il higher standard of obligation and
mon were to understand that whom
they tako an oath to do their duty,
they should do it honestly instead Of
frlttering thoir timo away and vac
cIllating by reason of feoling of
kindness for Il ncighbor, or some fan
ciod thing in the evidence, moro OK
act justice would be doI,n, and there
would bo no moro roproach upon tho
administration Of Justice through tho
neglect Of tho urors to do their duty.
They seem to think it is sIcight of
hand thing when thoy should 60 Oh
a jury. a man taking an oath to
perform duty on tho jury should
meet his obligations as ho would his
promise to pay 4 note. Jurors don't
do it, and because of tho fact
that wo have to have jurors to try
this sort Of cases, justice is not
dono.
81 want to burn that idea into
you, gcntlomen, that justice has mis-
carried in this case, because you did
not have the manhood to carry out
tho law and tho obligation you took.
And [ want you to know that I know
it, and L want ovory juror to under
stand when ho comes into the court
whore [ am to preside, and takes an
obligation to decide case and does
not do it, that | intend to tell him
about it and intend to mako it hot
for him.
"Anothor jury may have to 90 over
this same thing, because Of your lack
Of manhood and nothing else. It is
because you all did not understand
your own oath and did not keep it
to decide this case according to the
evidence. want you to understand
that I know it, and everybody olse
knows it, when it becomes q m;tter
Of opprobrium for juries to mako q
mistrial everybody will roproach
them for it, because they did not
keep their obligations they took
to agree on n verdict and fur
thor the administration of Justice"
After this address tho jury was
dismissed and tho court adjourned
for the term. -
Tt comes from tho most rela-
bio authority that the jury sood:
8 for conviction and 4 for acquit-
tai.