The Savannah morning news., 1901-06-26
JURIES ENFORCE THE LAW.
c. f. LuersOn Found Guilty and
Erinoh for SUNDAY Iinunr Selling

c. F. LuersOn Found Guilty and
Fined for Sunday Liquor Selling.
Two Law and Order cases, the de-
PENDANTS in which had been indicted by
the grand jury for keeping open tipping
houses on Sunday, were tried in the Su-
perior Court yesterday. In one of them
there was conviction and Judge Fall
giant promptly imposed a sentence of a
fine of $3.50 and costs or six months in
Jail upon the defendant. In the other
case there was a mistrial.
The case i'm which the conviction was
had was that of C. +. Luerson, who keeps
bar on the corner of Bull and Thirty
second streets j. n. McGillis testified
that he had bought a bottle of whiskey
from the defendant on Sunday, Feb. "a.
The purchase had been made from me-
gro boy, but at time when the defend
ant was in the store and only few feet
away. The evidence for the defendant
consisted Of a fiat denial on his part and
some testimony from some of his neigh
bOrs as to the good order he kept in his
place and its respectability.
Mr.. r. l.. Colding represented Luerson,
and in his examination of the witnesses
for the state and his argument to the
jury took occasion to criticise the for
mer's methods of reforming the morals
of the city, as he said by inducing men
40 commit crime in order to secure its
punishment. He also had something to
say about the witnesses themselves,
whose personality did not excite his adj
miration.
Judge Falligant, in his charge to the
jury, had a good word for the witnesses
a man who sought 20 secure the enforce
ment of the law, he said. deserved no
criticism On the contrary, said the court,
it is the highest duty of the good citizen,
whether he be an officer of the law or
not 40 assist in the laws enforcement,
and the good citizen who gives his time
to such an effort should excite only the
admira ton and emulation of his fellows
The jury wasted only a little time in
its room and returned with a verdict of
guilty. Sentence was Immediately impos-
ed, directing the defendant to pay fine
of $3.50 and the costs of the prosecution or
spend six months i'm Jail
The next case sof the same character
called was that against John f. Meyer
whose bar is located at the corner of
Purse and Sims streets. in the western
section of the city. E. T. Hendry, w S
Clark and Ely Otto testified to the pur-
chase of a bottle of liquor from Meyers
place on March nth. Hendry said he had
turned the whisky over to Mr.. McGilis
and it was identified and offered in evil
dence at the trial.
AT the conclusion of the Introduction of
evidence for the state, Mr.. Colding
moved the court to direct a verdict of not
guilty, on the ground that the allegations
of the indictment and the proof offered at
the trial did not correspond The mo-
ton was based on the fact that in one
place in the indictment the name of the
defendant was given as John r. Meyer
while his correct name is John f. Meyer
The name was properly charged in an
other section of the Indictment and Judge
Faliigant held that the question of iden-
tity was one for the jury to decide and
therefore refused to direct verdict of
not guilty.
The defendant denied that he had ever
sold whiskey on Sunday, and without
argument from counsel the case was sub
mitted to the jury. 1t went out at 1870
o'clock and the first ballot taken showed
that the jury stood eleven for conviction
to one for acquittal During the remain
der of the afternoon the jury ballctted at
frequent intervals, always with the same
result, the one obduate juryman refusing
to change his mind. Shortly after
o'clock Judge Falligant sent up to the
jury room to ask if there was any chance
for an agreement and received in reply
the information thdt the jury was just
where it had been from the first and that
there is promised to stick. On this show
ing the foreman of the jury was discharg-
ed and a mistrial declared.
In addition to the whiskey cases there
were two cigarette cases tried in the Su-
perior Court. The defendants were charg-
ed with selling tobacco and cigarette pa
Ders to pupils of the public schools. An
drew Gasparinioil, the FIRST of the defen-
dants to be tried, was found not guilty
by the jury, while Jack Wilson's fate is
bound up in a sealed verdict, that the
jury was instructed to return.