The forum. [volume] (Springfield, Ill.) 1904-192?, 1917-03-31

/ tinuing In office such capable and fair
minded man as Judge Jeffries.
His charge to the jury In the Levi
Pruitt case was as follows:
Gentlemen of the Jury-The defendant
here, Levi T'ruitt, is charged with having
on the I'D dag of February. A. d. 1915. al
the city of Detroit, county of Wayne
state of Michigan, feloniously. wilfully
and with malice aforethought did kill and
murder one Charles Nielands, contrary tc
the form OF the statute. 1.-THE court here
defined murder and its several degrees
and also the crime of mansaughter.l Con-
tinung. he said: Now, gentlemen of the
jury, you are the sole judges of the facts
in this case, and II Is for you to deter
mine what weight and credit shall be
given to the testimony adduced in this
case. l want to make this observation
gentlemen, In this case. The administra-
tion of the law is presumed and Is to be
impartial. Every man stands equal before
the law, and every man ought to be equal
before the court and the jury. The purity
of the law is not only In its proper con-
ception of right and wrong and proving
the line of demarcation between right and
wrong, but lies also in its just admins
tratlon. 1t has been said that "justice is
blind" The meaning of that proverb is
that justice can see nothing except justice,
and | am calling your attention to these
few general principles because / want you
to preserve, If you can In this case the
purity unsulled of the administration of
the law.
We are all human. and we all more or
less have prejudces, and perhaps the dis
tlnction between learned and unlearned
man is not only what he knows of the
"a n nf nd hut 10
ability to dsarm himself OF the prejudices
that are natural in ordinary human ma
ture The defendant in this case Is a
black man, but he is a human being. He
has the powers and privileges of a white
man, and he stands before the law with
his burdens the same as white man and
entitled TO the same uses and the same
rules and the same procedure In adiudi-
ca ting his rights as that of a white man.
| say this because we are all human, and
we all have our prejudices and l want
you, gentlemen, to place yourself in his
position and then consider II this defend
ant were a white man instead of a black
man. | think you should put yourself In
this position: that this defendant Is sim
ply man. neither black nor white, in this
court and in relation to the admin tra-
tlon of law in this court he should be SC
treated.
| want TO talk TO you ABOUT this case
not to review the testimony, but to point
out to you what l consider the issue In
volved and to carry you along in that way
with the hope of disarming you of any
prejudice you may have against this de
PENDANT on account of his color. l know
You are sworn in this matter to render a
true and Just verdict. and what say has
no reflection upon any gentleman, but j
make this statement more in reference to
a general reflection upon the human race.
which has not arisen. perhaps in our per-
sonal attitude to the high ideals of the
LAY as before stated.
The defense in this case is that the de-
PENDANT shot the deceased in self defense.
That is a proper defense. and II is de-
Tense which. If proved to you-and you
have a right and it is your duty to care
fully weigh all of the testimony-and II
YOU believe the testimony in behalf Of the
defendant, that the act of shooting was In
self defense, you have the right, and l
say it is your duty to acquit this defend
ant
| charge you that 1t was the duty of this
defendant to avoid killing or shooting the
deceased II he reasonably could dc 80
lie would be only justified in taking this
lire in order to save his own life or to
save himself from great bodily harm.