The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1906-03-23
THE AVERAGE JURORS.
Is 1t Lack OF Judgment, or Indifference
Which Controls?

III IL Lueh vi ouuYWVht, Ol lHulllCl CMSS,
Which Controls?
Because the jury in the Lamb
case at Wilmington Lamb who
was accused of numbering h 8
mistress when he was drunk as a
fool, remained out seventy-nine
hours and then returned a YER
dict of not guilty, many of the
papers are discussing the matter
and naturally wondering how it
was possible to remain out so
long and finally agree. In other
words, it is suggested that some
of the jurors who were for con-
vlction were simply driven to
another verdict because of fa-
tigue. That might or might not
have been the case. The aver
age juror is perhaps open to con-
viction and if there were a few
jurors in that case who at first
believed that Lamb should have
been convicted and the evidence
was surely to the effect that he
was guilty, those who believed
otherwise might, by persuasive
argument have induced the other
fellows to change their minds.
But the presumption is that they
all finally came into camp-prin-
clpally because the error under
the sod was a frail woman who
had no friends and the error
! above the sod had sisters to weep
and moulin ~ In. These svm-
comes dIin0s come in, and no
osition, Mercy cries uU-;..ii:7~,
: world has often been reminded
l that mercy should season justice.
1t has been suggested from the
S time the system started, that the
: Jury was the one thing to stanc
: between the liberty of a mar
and the state-it was the only
safeguard to the liberty OF TN
people-but things have changed
If the newspapers are to b.
, believed, and from the evldenc
y; we could obtain their report wa
~ ! correct in the recent long draw
!. out Samuels case, there was on
., Juror who said from the stal
~ that he would never convlc'
=, He set up the proposition ths
- 80 the government could rum an
lei man that it went after, and TT
e Jury, after sitting the box Il
~ - five weeks went out to dellberaa
~ As and found that it was eleven I
,p conviction and one against. /.
ito 80 only way it reached a verdi
II was by letting the obstinate m
- the one who wanted to dlsm
,,o a., the prisoner on general prln
' ,IIo ples, say that on one, count
I'VE. we charge Of conspiracy, the DEF
n'Iy lrg dant was not guilty. And I
bat bot Jury agreed to this-and u
hat 'i,at the verdict was promptly retu
'nao nao ed In other words, one n
~. ,,r stood pat just because on gene
III principles he thought he sho'
and rather than have a mist
lark the eleven men agreed 10 w
GIN. the obstinate juror said. II
is true, and we have the best
reasons for believing that /
true, it certainly shows that
of Jury system is weak, detect
% is it gives one man, either thro
IS al obstinacy, contrariness or We
and itv a chance to defeat the
for Of Justice. What the jury sh
has do, and some day that WI
n as the way of it, is to dellbe
llarly and then vote on the questl!o
ID re- issue. And when a maJorlt
,ublic the twelve men find that
pain son is innocent or guilty, let
news be the verdict. The e
e idea twelve may discuss it, and
: sub may arrive at conclusion.
must TO give one man the power
good. feat the ends of justice. esp
t that " in this age of corruptio
their GREAT wealth, is to invite re-
ced to ty, and it should not be; I
W un- iority of the jury should no
loook- power, ard in this way J
l other would oftener be optall
5, Everything.