The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-07-21
The VERDICT IN THE LAMANA
MURDER CASE


he failure of the Jury to return :
verdict of guilty as charged against the
three Italians and the woman indicted
and tried at Hahnvillc for the murder Of
Walter Lamana has aroused the citizen,
OF New Orleans and Of the parish Of st
Charles and vicinity to frenzy Of re-
sentiment, which is not singular.
The strangling of the defenseIess bow
kidnapped in New Orleans and held for
a ransom, occurred in the parish Of St.
Charles.
1t is not possible for human being,
having responsive chord OF sympathy
IN his heart, to not feel and appreciate
the enormty of the crime, but it should
be conceded dispassionately that the trial
jury composed Of good men and compli-
mented at the time of their selection as
beng citizens who would render a true
and correct verdict and uphold the
majesty of the law, should now be de-
nounced for having qualified their con-
clus'ons without capital punishment.
nat there was conspiracy to kidnap
the Lamana boy is unfortunately fact
deplorable which has been intensified by
his murder. And it is equally true that
the three Italians and the woman tried
and convicted had full knowledge of the
crime and aided and allotted indirectly
II not directly, yet neither of these ac-
cused were connected as active partici-
pants IN the murder, and therefore the
jury found the verdict of guilty without
capital punishment 1t was either that
or mistrial, as eleven were for the
verdict rendered and one for hanging.
While the verdict has not responded
to the anticipations of the people and
fails to inflict the penalty Of death.
which every one of these miscreants de-
serves, except the woman who should |
not be hanged because of her sex, the
verdict carries with it imprisonment at |
hard labor in the pententiary for life.
1t is also true that the unfortunate
parents and their friends and sympa-
thizers would have applauded an I'M
qualified verdict, yet the Jury, in view
of the full consideration of the facts in
the case, have as honest and honorable |
men, which it was claimed they were
before and during and Up to the time of
their report into court with the verdict,
were guided by every motive in keeping
with their obligation, consistent with the
law and the evidence as they viewed it.
In these reflections it is not the pur-
pose of The Caucasian to defend the
jury, but it is to fix attention to the fact
that it is incumbent on the next Legis-
lature to provide law which shall
make punishable with death any attempt
to kidnap, or to kidnap, or to engage in
a conspiracy to kidnap. The law must
be so framed as to be free from all tech
nicalities and ambiguous phraseology
1t must be SO plain that its intent and
purpose will be positive, and whosoever
may engage in this crime directly or in
directly shall, on conviction, suffer the
penalty of death. |,
In all candor The Caucasian must ex-
rept to the denunciations of the jury's I
verdict as being miscarriage OF JUS I
lice. From our view il is effective and
will retire into the penitentiary for life
four of the individuals having had con-
1ection with the Black Hand, with 9TH
ers to follow in the near future, and :
among the untried one or two may not I
escape the penalty OF death on being
by jury.