The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-10-25

The jury before whom Common
Councilman James j. Grier was tried
for taking and soliciting bribes for
his official vote was unable to agree
and yesterday afternoon at 4:3O Juds"
n. Nj. Edwards discharging the jurors
from further consideration of the casA
and without the customary thanks ot
the court. The jury stood seven for
conviction and five for ncuuittal. 1t
retired at 3 o'clock Monday afternoon.
After court opened in the morning
the Jurors filed into court ard re-
ported that it was impossible FOR tnem
to reach an agreement and they asked
to be discharged. Judge EdWafds IN
replying to them said:
have a communication from yoi. gen'l'n'c,
OF the Jury. saying tina, you cannot agree III
this ease. | yer, sorry that You are h"'
able to agree 1t took It's seven or rlgh' iaHS
to try the case, and il has been al r"hS'der'
able expense to the county, and at great in.
convenience to yourselves. Some j'li! VIII
have to agree upon this case. it you fail To
agree, and you seen, To be twelve pretty intel
ligrnt men.
We think YOU ought to be able to dispose OF
this case and bring in verdict. do not feel
warranted on account OF the turn taken in the
trial of the case, and the Importance OF it, in
disclmrgng you this morning. will ask YOU
again TO retire and to Use Your best efforts
to agree upon a verdict. ! decline to discharge
You AT present.
CALLED BEFORE THE COURT.
The Jurors were plainly disap-
pointed. and Judge Edwards informed
the attorneys that if an agreement
was not reached by adjourning hour
in the afternoon lie would discharge
them. At l.3O he sent FOR the jurors
and said:
Gentlemen. are you nearer an agreement than
you this morning!
Foreman Bachman are not. yo,,r honor. |
think it is impossible for us to arrive at
verdict.
The court DO you think there is a chance for
YOU to agree if I keep you together for the
balance of the week
.Iuror--T do not.
The conr,It is great disappointment to til,
court, maybe TO the parties. hut certainly 10
the community. that You have not been able to
agree upon a vcrc, in this case. OF course
recognize your right to Your own judgments
and do not want TO keep you together unless
there is prospect OF an agreement one way
the other. II there is any member Of the
jury who thinks by keeping this jury together
longer that they might agree would like to
hear from him.
.Iurorl don't think there is a possibility
for us to agree the way we stand
The court-Wcll am very sorry that such
calamity has happened. that will have to
go all over this work again. hut | take your
word that it would not answer any useful pnr
pose to keep You together any longer. I there
fore discharge you from further consideration OF
the ease.
hi f1Sf r..tt I,a,
stood six to six. After few ballots,
one CT the jurors changed his mind.
and from that time on the jury stood
seven for conviction and five for ac-
Quittal. The jurors We're: Joseph
Rachman. farmer. Gouldsboro: Earl
Carpenter. huckster, North Abingdon:
Thomas Holmes. clerk. Simpson: z.
G. Hanson, laborer, I.aPlume: James
Harris, miner, Scranton; l.. II. Hol-
gate, student, LaPlume: Albert John
son. plumber, Waverly; +. S. kel-
logg. painter. Scranton; Chauncey
Noack. farmer. Madison: Jacob Stan
ton. farmer. West Abingdon: G.. G.
Williams. farmer. West Abingdon.
JURORS WE'RE SEEN.
T.. B. Sturges. the prosecutor Of Mr..
Grier and the leader in the present
reform movement. was seen by
Tribune man last night and asked to
make a statement regarding the fail.
ure of the jury to agree.
Il don't know that I have much tn
saw said he, except that | know it
again shows the need of a better class
of jurymen and of more honest Jury
commissioners. have information
which leads me 10 believe that at
least two of the jurymen We're seen
before hand.
IN fact, when the trial VAS only
one day old we realized that we had
Very little chance of securing a con-
Viction. One could see by the indif-
ference of some of the jurors by their
inattention to the evidence, that they
had been seen beforehand and We're
already decided which way they We're
to vote"
Mr. SturGes was asked whether the
Grier case would be taken up at the
next term OF court or whether the
,i,,t.t