Year: 1875

CONCLUSION OF Ills TRIAL FOB THE MURDER


MANsLAUGHTEB.


TRENTON, N. j., Oct. %, 1875.


The Keenan, murder trial concluded to-day. The
given to the jury at halfpas three o'clock
the afternoon. The forenoon consumed by Attor-
ney General Vanatta who made brilliant address
while summing up the for the State. He lis
tened to with breathcss attention. He said that
expressions dropped by counsel on the othor side
calculated to divert the minds Of the Jury from the
facts 1t was part of their duty consgn any
TO the gallows or to extend or uphold mercy.


Your duty is simply to ascertain what the truth is.
have reason to believe that you win go beyond
your sphere of duty The first question is, Is Jacob
Reupp dead? If you satisfied that he is dead then
take another step and inquire by what his
death causedG Did he die by disease accident by
the hand OF volenceS If by violence, who inflicted
that violence' Then what human being is re-
sponsible for the violence which caused the mans
death? His death is not disputed" Counsel here paid


HIGH TRIBUTE TO THR DECEASED


and the country which gave him birth, Germany. He
said the Germans consderate, deliberate,
sibe and iudcious people. Reupp was good citizen,
good father and good police officer The assassins
bullet had wrung the heart of his poor wife and
stripped family OF a kind husband and father The
wound inflicted on poor Reupp sufficient 10 have
killed nine men, The ball entered in the very climax
of its velocity and propellng power The important
question is, Who set that projectile in moton7 The
evidence fixes with unerring certainty the commission
Of that offence on


THB PRISONER AT THE BAR.


The unfortunate prisoner at the bar fred the fatal
shot The testimony Of Hartmann and Applegate and
the dying declaration OF the deceased fix tho terrible
crime the prisoner Tho story Of the prisoner him
SELF given the stand, ID one Of those miserable
subterfuges that in the unfortunate position OF
this man apt to resort TO- His evidence is


A


put forward with The most repusive perjury. Then
another STEP was the prisoner justified in committing
this deed The prisoner said he did not shoot His
counsel say he did shoot and II served the police oh
right The defences incongruous and inconsistent;
useless, worthless and false in fact On his state
ment the prisoner acknowledged that on the night of
the fatal ARRAY he drunk TO that degree that made
him


pEv1LIsn AND PIENDIsH


Another question is whether this man fred the shot
with the intention to take the life of ReuppY Counsel
conended that the evidence proved that he did fire the
shot with that intent; that he courted contact with
the police with the intent to take the life Of Jacob
Reupp. The police officer was lured, provoked and
then shot by the prisoner at the bar he got the ps
tol with murder in his heart. He used it with murder
in his heart Counsel said he never saw case where
the intent TO take life was SO manifest as ip this one
In vigorous pcroraton the Attorney General con-
cluded by calling for verdict Of guilty, as in the man
ner charged.


THE CHIEF JUSTICES CHARGE.
The Chief Justice then charged tho jury. He re-
viewed the testimony in clear, concise simple man
ner, and laid down the law applicable to the two
degrees OF murder and tho crime of manslaughter.
He knew the jury would discharge their duty with
frmness and ndelity They should not be affected
by anything outside the evidence. Your
reason is appealed TO, and not your sympathes or inn
agination. Neither the Court jury had, fortu-
natey anything do with the consequences OF your
verdict That is left with the law. AS officers of the
law we are called upon 70 discharge faithfully
separate functions You TO consider tho evidence,
the Court is 70 explain the law.


After consuming about one hour and half the Chief
Justice concluded, and the jury then retired.
VERDICT JURY.
deliDerRtiOn
court with verdict OF manslaughter The arst ballot
that they took resulted in six for guilty Of murder in
the first degree and six for not guilty Six ballots were
taken altogether The last resulted In a compro-
mise verdict as above stated. The punishment for
manslaughter in this State Is limited TO ten years in
the State Prison. Keenan, will not be sentenced until
the latter part OF next week, tho Court having adj
ourned until then when 1t Is probable the full
limit OF the law for his offence will be dealt out TO him.