Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-03-03
! MEXICO'S COURTS

, JVUHA l , o. g.
10 oeooeeos &c seeee oee'
jury they are locked up in room
and the only person permitted to
enter that room during their delibera-
tons Is the Judge before whom the
case is being tried A verdict is
reached by majority vote. list of
questions Is handed to the jury and
the answers to these questions with
the recorded number Of votes pro and
con on each of them. decides the
guilt or innocence Of the party on
trial and the extent Of the punish
meent to be melted out. The jury's
recorded vote on each Of the questions
will determine whether the offence
comes within the first, second or
third degree, and the judge has some
leeway in sentencing within the limita-
tions of these degrees. However, the
judges discretion Is not nearly so
great as in the United States. The
voting Of the jurors also decides
whether the case can be appealed and
upon what points. If the verdict of
the jury Is unanimous there Is no ap-
peal of the case, and the matter is
settled for good and all wnen the
jury's verdict Is returned to the court.
As an indication Of the kind of ques.
lions which are put before the Jury
and upon each of which they must
take separate vote, let 1t be sup
posed that a murder case is on trial:
Smith is accused of killing Jones. The
question that will be put to the jury
by the court, will read something as
follows:
Did Smith kill Jones?
Did Smith kill Jones because he
intended to kill him, and did he get
ready to kill him before the act was
committed?
Did Smith kill Jones upon a sudden
impulse, occasioned by anger?
Did Smith kill Jones in a fight?
Did Smith kill Jones in self defense?
Is Smith OF sufficient intelligence to
understand the seriousness Of killing
anybody?
Has Smith ever killed anyone else?
Is the general conduct and reputa.
ton of Smith such as would make it
improbable that he would perform
this deed?
Did Smith kill Jones in an uninhab.
tied and lonely place, or were there
many people near at hand?
And other questions of similar I'M.
port. On each Of these questions the
jury takes and records its vote. The
Oldest man on the jury serves as the
president, and the youngest as secre
tary. The voting on each question is
done by black and white balls, the bal
lot box being held by the president
and the vote on each question being
announced by him. The president and
each juryman signs the verdict, which
is then certified to by the secretary
and 1t is handed to the judge. The
workings of the jury systems are said
to be so satisfactory in Mexico thai
the gentleman who gave me the above
inform alton states that in his judg
SAWent there is no comparison as to the
'-results obtained by the Mexican sys
I tenn as compared with those attempted
to be secured by the system In tn.
United States. There are no lon,
drawn out jury trials in Mexico: tn.
evidence is all prepared In advance o
the trial, and is presented to the jur.
!, in writing. The principal witnesses
are present when this is done, and an.
j member Of. the jury has the right t,
question or interrogate them as to thei
testimony. The attorneys address tn
!, jury much the same as they do in tn
United States, but If juror think
an attorney is misstating the testimon
or other facts bearing upon the case
he is at liberty, and often does, inter
, rupt the attorney in his address an
!. call his attention to the alleged mis-
,, statement.
!, My informant, who formerly reside
!, in the United States, but who ha
lived in Mexico for over twent
, years, states that under the Mexica
Jury system very few mistakes ar
, made, and that the party on trial neal
, ly always gets justice. In this cor
), nection he said:
There has been a good dea
) In the American newspapers durin
: the past few years in regard to Amel
!, leans being in Jail in Mexico, and a
!. one time Ambassador Clayton was 81
! verely criticised in certain quarter
: for not doing more for American cit
!, zens who were incarcerated in Mex
! can jails. want to say that Will
' some mistakes are made in judicis
, proceedings in Mexico. just as the
' are any place else in the world, We
+ in 90 cases out of a 100 where Anne
r leans have been incarcerated in Mex
+ can jails, they were put there becaus
! they ought to have been put there, an
. in the majority Of cases they were r,
a leased before they ought to hev
: been"
r Some Peculiar Mexican Customs.
ON the, street cars in Mexico Cit
= the conductors give a numbered r.
|. ceipt for every fare paid; the fare
within the city limits are s: cents 81
yer, increasing to from 10 to Is cent
3 to suburban points. The receipt mus
be retained by the passenger in orde
: to- be presented to inspectors VIII
board each car at certain points an
punch the receipt. This system make
complete check on the conducto
who must account for each receil
n er{, h,,%