The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-12

dollars TO see. Inc IflenuS OF tne prlS'
oner had the advantage in numbers
but the Poes made this UP by the sud
denness with which they went into ac-
ton. They had planned the whole
thing oV4 beforehand, and the eight
were taken completely by surprise. II
four Poes could lick eight of the other
side in a fair. square fight, it would
give the family prestige throughout
the county that would do much 10 make
people forget that one of them had TAX
en- a private grudge into the courts
And so the fight went on. The sheriff s
| officer on guard at the door of the jury
room heard the fighting and the &C
companying oaths, and he called Tor
| help. Three other officers came to his
assistance, and he then threw open the
| door of the jury ROOM The four Poes
were all on their fee and fighting
hard. Three of the other side had fall
en- and the walls and floor of the room
was spattered with their blood. The
court officers who tried to pacify the
| jury were banged around unmercifully,
and their calls for help brought all the
| Poes and all the friends of the prisoner
| within hearing to the jury room on a
run. A general mix-up of the TWO
| families and their allies followed that
| continued for a week. The members
! of the Jury retired to the woods TO es-
cape the wrath of the court over their
| disregard of the sacred oath admins
tered to them, and didn't come out
again until the court moved along on
| the circuit. The prisoner was oalled'
and the case was allowed to die
natural death. The court room had
to be completely refurnished. for there
wasn't a whole table, chair or desk lett
in it. -
How Old Dan Sullivan got a verdict.
alone and unaided, against eleven hos
tile Jurors, is legal lore history in the
CITY of Troy. For many years there
had been a conflict in that region be-
tween the farmers and the city tolks'
and this feeling never got so bitter as
when either side was engaged In any
litigation. You couldn't get country
Judge to decide in favor of a city man.
no matter what the evidence might be-
and il was Just as certain that the
plaintiff in an action. who happened to
come from the country, would lose IL
the Jury was made up of city men.
The Inevitable result of this condition
of affairs was that whenever mixed
Jury was drawn there was trouble from
the moment the key turned in the door
of the Jury room. Disagreements al
ways resulted, and there was just tnat
much more expense to the county tor
a new trial of the action. After While
with the drawing of men Tor
the juries saw to it that there
was no more mixing. Despite
this precaution, however, old Dan
Sullivan, who was always haV-
ing queer things happen to him, man
aged to get drawn on jury to try
suit for $4,000 brought against the
county by a farmer. The other eleven
turymen were countrymen and frlenus
of the plaintiff. Old Dan didn't make
the slightest pretense of discomfort
over his position; on the contrary, ne
was delighted, and made no secret OF
the fact. The evidence was all put in
and the Jury retired early in the after
noon The eleven countrymen talked
the matter over and decided among
themselves to give verdict for the
plaintiff for $4,000. They didn't think
it was worth while to consult Dan,
but merely notified him of the decision
that they had come to, and said they
would go through the formality OF
ballot Dan calmly wrote out deciS-
ion for the county on his blank, and
when the result was made known the
eleven countrymen were very much
surprised. They gave Dan line OF
stock arguments and warned him that
they would keep him out all night II
he didn't yield. They took another bal
lot but the result was the same. Old
Dan puffed away at his cigar ana
smiled. He smiled his way through
dozen more ballots. and an array or
threats that might have haunted less
obstinate man. At p. m. the condi-
ton of affairs was made known to the
court, who ordered the jury to stay out
until it reached a verdict. Then the
court went home and the jurors set
about laboring with Dan. They told
him that he was an old man, and the
strain of a night in the jury room
might result in making him a sufferer
for the rest of his life. Each and every
one of the eleven countrymen declared
dramatically that he would never re-
cede from the position he had taken,
and in other ways 1t was made clear
to Dan that he would have to yield.
After an hour or so of this kind of
talk another ballot was taken. This
time Dan took another position. He
found for the plaintiff and fixed dam
ages at six cents. The enraged eleven
informed Dan that they wouldn't take
another ballot until he asked for 1t,
and the eleven disposed themselves
comfortably around the room, salts
fed that before very long old age
would tell and Dan would give in. At
midnight the eleven began to get a
little less determined. Two laid down
on a bench, but they were too nervous
to sleep in such quarters. so they sat
up and swore at Dan.
whenever We come around to my
way of thinkin' jest let me know" re-
marked Dan as the clock struck two.
At three o'clock all eleven were lying
down and trying to sleep, but Dan
even scorned his chair. At four o'clock
| two or three began to weaken, and at
a few minutes after five o'clock eleven
hollow-eyed countrymen, very much
| subdued, came over to where Dan was
| standing and agreed II he would md
| again for the plaintiff they would fix
the damages at six cents. Dan smil-
| ingly accepted the proposition, and the
vote was taken. AS the foreman an
nounced the result the sun poked its
head over the sky line, and Dan, with
| prodigious yawn, sank down on a
| bench and before the court officer
| could open the door to let the jury
out was fast asleep and snoring huge,
| satisfied shores. Afterward the defeat
| ed jurymen learned that for ten years
! their fellow juror had been a sufferer
| from insomnia. which rendered II ut
| terly impossible for him to close his
| eyes in sleep from the time that the
sun went down in the evening until
1t came up again in the morning. AT
| sunrise every morning. though, Dan
falls asleep, and nothing in the world
will wake him up. So, II was by mar
row margin that he won his case for