The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1907-04-27
CONTEMPORARY COMMENT.
Opinions OF Leading Louisiana Nswp
papers on Current Topics and Evense
Interesting Discussions of va
riety Of Subjects.

The Grand Jury and the Favrot Cases
If Hon. George K. Fayrot were NOT
national figure by virtue of his aIec~
ton to congress; If he were not protnsv
nent in this state aa having been 8
Judge Of court of civil and criminal
jurisdiction, his incarceration Ii jail
on charge OF murder and his suhse-
quent release therefrom by failure Of
the grand jury to indict, would have
attracted little attention beyond the
local interest in the case. It is slsis
prominence as public man, as we'll
as the character and the standing OF
his victim, DR.. Robert Fl. Aldrieh.
whom he killed on the night of Novem.
ber 7, 1906, which suggest g consider.
alton OF the case.
In this deed, which leaves wiaow
and several small children bereft Of
their protector, man who was beloved
by the community In which he hsd
lived and attained eminent success ID
his profession; man who was es.
teemed as the soul of honor; . man
whose charity and good deeds were
unbounded, the friends Of Judge FRy-
rot claim justification in the declare
tion that he avenged with death 3
deadly affront to his famiIY.'
If the alleged affront was SO erieY-
GUS as to demand the deliberate ksll-
ing of DR.. Aldrich, his schoolmaae,
his classmate, his chum and his friend
in manhood, why should thers bs 20
mysterious concealment OF this as.
! frOntp
If Judge FaVrot's claim Of jnsti6ca-
tion under the 'tunwritten Law . cauid
be sustained. why should he not have
courted a vindication By jury OF his
peers, in q court of justice end OF law
In Louisiana nc man need apprehana
the verdict OF trial jury II his acs Be-
justified by the unwritten law.
The recent acquitsal Of the Strother
brothers in Virginia, who she's ana
killed the man who had deceived sad
dishonored their sister, Is case ia
point to sustain the unwritten law. In
/ deed, it is the rule all over the south
that no man shall be adjudged guilty
who shall protect the sacrednass al
his home, his mother, wife, daughter
or sister; therefore the question Of Jus
LITIGATION must be made plain, As i
was In the case of the Strother broth.
ers. It will not be insisted taas ask
failure OF grand jury to find bill q
Justification Of the act Of the indi sit.
ual released from confinement on !
charge of murder or for other Grimes.
In the instant case, the failure OF tie
grand jury to indict, If unexpected. i
not surprising. Grand iuries have 10.
fnfrequently failed In their plasls flusa
| by yielding TO influences and pIs d inos
which should have been brushed aside,
j One OF the striking features of taIs
case is in the consideration Of tie lael
that In February of the presens yes
Judge FaVrot was indicted by s..
grand jury then sitting, but the indiot
ment was aaashed on legal technlcaai
ties. And another fsature OF this Is
QUESTION ia that the present grand i.ia,
returned no true bill ID the case 5
Congressman Fayrot, aud i true bIss
against Frank Ieer, negro. Tor q
murder Of bis wife.
There Is no question as to the iii
ing Of Dr.. Aldrieh By Judge Esysos
In the eyes Of the lev and of the pso
pie, the grand iury's duty wns psi
and direct With evidence sanscisn
to establish The fact that Judge Faro
had killed Or. Aldrich. bill shoIl
have been presented 10 the coars, i
which Judge Favrot could have e
vindtcated on sustaining hts pisa d
justification. As IL is, Judge Fagar
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