The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1901-02-06
THE GIBSON aMESs."

absconded as soon as indicted by the
Kinds county grand jury, aud the Gov
ernor and court officials set to work
on his track and at last overhauled
him in Michigan, near the Canada line,
before he had made good his escape,
and had him brought back with great
flourish of trumpets, to stand trial,
the public was not prepared for the
announcement which was made last
Tuesday that the prosecution against
Gibson had been compromised on the
condition of his pleading guilty, with
out trial, and paying fine OF $1,000
and costs, the 5000 bond forfeiture to
be annulled. Yet such is the final
record of the sensational case. The
Magnolia Gazette we'll says this
unceremonious conclusion OF the
case comes as distinct sur
prise. So much has been said about
the case and the Governor has been so
emphatic in his statements and so
earnest in his endeavor to bring Glib
son to trial, that only full ventilation
of the whole affair before a jury was
expected. Indeed. every act OF the
officials concerned with the prosecu-
ton of Gibson has evidenced their ap-
parent eagerness to see him brought to
trial and confronted with the accusa-
ton of the Governor and his corrobo-
rating witnesses. In making prepare
lions for the trial they were not con-
tent with the official prosecutor alone,
but must call to his assistance the
attorney general of the State, and
specially employ the celebrated Bob
Miller, known far and wide for his
skill in the prosecution of criminals.
In word, everything was made ready,
every precaution was taken, everything
done to insure full and convincing
presentation of the case on the part Of
the State. The day Of trial comes.
the Judge is upon the bench. the jury
for the week are in their seats, the
prisoner and his attorneys are present,
the attorneys for the State and their
witnesses are ready all is in readiness
for the beginning of the trial. Then
comes a consultation, long and earnest
between the opposing parties, an agree
ment is reached, the court is notified
of that agreement, the necessary for
malities are concluded and the prisoner
is discharged. Such is the wind-up of
case which has attracted the atten-
ton of this whole country. Such is
the paltry punishment meted out to a
man whom the Governor of Mississippi
had sworn upon his oath had attempt
ed to bride him in the discharge of his
high duties. We confess we are very
much disappointed. This alleged
bribery was not matter to be lightly
swept aside by compromise between
the parties. The people of this State
had right to hear the evidence, and
the whole matter should have been
thoroughly ventilated.
Possibly questions of expediency en-
tered largely into the transaction, and,
after all, the course pursued was the
best to follow But we cannot refrain
from believing that the case merited
the serious deliberation of an impair
tial jury.
In its comment upon the disposition
of the case the Clarion-Ledger express
ses our convictions on the subject in a
nut shell:
"Gibson was either guilty or limo
cent. If guilty, he ought to have been
tried, convicted and sent to the peni-
Tertiary. If innocent, his innocence
should have been established, and he
permitted to go free without stultifica!
ton. He has neither been proven
guilty nor innocent, but compromise
verdict agreed upon, that this paper
doubts will give satisfaction to the
State.
"The Clarion Ledger cannot agree
that the honor of the State has been
indicated"
Following the first announcement is
an additional statement that Gibson,
as condition to the settlement of the
case, paid all expenses incident to his
capture and return to jackson, includ-
ing attorneys fee. Governor Longino
expended out of the executive fund
something like 1000 for kilograms in
locating and causing Gibson's arrest,
including a reward of $500 and the ex-
penses of witnesses who came from
Michigan and Indiana to testify against
him, as we'll as the expenses of the
State agents who went to Detroit and
brought him back, and the fee of Hon.
h. N. Miller. This sum is in addition
to the 81 900 fine imposed by Judge
Powell and costs of court when Gibson
pleaded guilty, and goes into the ex-
ecutive contingent fund.
All this, however, does not remove
from our mind the unpleasant impress
sion that a grave blunder was made by
the States representatives in the final
disposition of the case.
This impression is emphasized by
the fact that Immediately after his re-
lease Gibson published statement,
emphatically denying his guilt and al
leging that he was constrained to enter
his plea of guilty before the court by
the peculiar circumstances surround
ing his case.