Debs: His Life, Writings and Speeches, with a Department of Appreciations — John Shaqi
Debs: His Life, Writings and Speeches, with a Department of AppreciationsDebs, Eugene V. (Eugene Victor)
History
Debs: His Life, Writings and Speeches, with a Department of Appreciations
Debs, Eugene V. (Eugene Victor)
Socialism -- United States; Socialist Party (U.S.)
On convening court Judge Grosscup announced that “owing to the sickness
of a juror and the certificate of his physician he will not be able to
get out for two or three days. I think it will be necessary to adjourn
the further taking of testimony in this case.” General Black, for the
prosecution, said he thought it would be possible to arrange that the
proceedings be continued with eleven jurors. Judge Grosscup thought such
proceedings would not be valid. Mr. Darrow, for the defense, proposed
that the place of the sick juror should be filled and the case proceed
after the evidence had been read over to the new juror. Long argument
was then held and on Tuesday morning, the 12th of February, 1895, Judge
Grosscup discharged the jury, and continued the Debs case to the first
Monday in May. This was done over the objection of the defendants. They
were confident of an acquittal at the hands of the jury and their
confidence was justified by both words and actions of the jurors after
they were discharged. As soon as court adjourned they shook hands with
Judge Grosscup and then made a break for the defendant and their
attorneys. For half an hour they held a regular levee, shaking hands and
chatting most cordially with Mr. Debs and the other defendants. Counsel
for the government were rather left to pose as wall-flowers. Mr. Debs
was told by more than one juror that on the notions he held when he went
into the jury box, five years in the penitentiary might not have been
unexpected, but that since hearing the testimony, his notions were very
different. Mr. Walker, attorney for the government, who was nearest the
jury, remarked to one of them that now he was free to do so, by reason
of their being discharged, he would like to shake hands with them. “We
want to shake hands with the judge first,” was the reply he got. Most of
the jurors shook hands with the judge, then hastened to find Mr. Debs,
the defendants, and their attorneys. One or two jurors shook hands with
the prosecution attorneys, but there was a decided heartiness in the
demeanor of the jurors toward the defense. Mr. Debs and all of the
defendants have ever since believed that the jurors were fair, candid
and able and they did everything possible to have the case brought to a
conclusion by the jury which had been selected and accepted.
The sudden termination of the Debs case left the question of whether Mr.
Pullman was in contempt or not in the shape of unfinished business. Mr.
Pullman afterwards said that he had had the grip, had aches in all parts
of his body; his nerves were shattered and his heart affected, he had a
bad taste in his mouth and felt a disinclination to engage in any
physical exertion; made up his mind to go East; thought the trip would
do him good; had his private car arranged, attached it to a train which
was to leave February 5. He admitted that he was in the Pullman offices,
as stated before.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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