BRINGING IN A VERDICT.

Thames Star, Volume XV, Issue 4791, 17 May 1884, Page 4

BRINGING IN A VERDICT.

At' a little'"back-woods settlement, in Vancouver's Island, an Indian had been stealing potatoes from a farm belonging to Mr Sproat, the local justice. One day, in order to frighten the Indian, the man in charge, who was a Western backwoodsman, fired his gun vaguely in the direction of the potato field. To his astonishment he found that he had shot the native •. dead. An inquest had of course *o be : held. The woodsman did not look upon the slain.lndian as a very great affair, and - several came, to Mr Sproat and said: " You are not going to trouble Henry ahout this, are you, sir?" MrSproat, being -'' not only the man's master, but also a magistrate, had to reply that however , much he felt for the man's misfortune, he must let the law take its course. But"where" was. a surgeon to be found to make the post-mortem, examination P A care-worn looking man stepped off a •pile of lumber, where he was working .and. said he was-a surgeon. . This statement being naturally received with some hesitation, he produced from an old army ohest, his commission and bis degree, provine that he had been a staff surgeon. He performed the post-mortem, and soon produced a shot from the lung and proved that the Indian had died from gunshot wounds in ..the chest. Other evidence was forthcoming; one of- the witnesses testifying that the prisoner had said " Jack, .I've killed an Indian." The "Judge" laid down the law to the jury, which were '.composed of twelve' of the most intelligent of the men, and they were sent into another room. to consider their verdict. It was nearly half an hour before they returned. The foreman then said : u.JWe find that the Indian was worried by a dog!" "A. what?" the judge exclaimed. " Worried by a dog, sir," said another juryman, thinking that the foreman had not: spoken plainly. Assuming a , proper expression of magisterial gravity, he again went* over the case, and calling their attention to the medical evidence, and to the production by the doctor of the shot found in the body of the Indian he again dismissed them to their room begging . them to become back with a verdict

reasonably connected with the facts. They remained away longer.than before. When they at last returned, the" Judge drew a paper towards him to record their finding. " Now, men, what do you say ?" Their decisive answer was : "We say that he was killed by falling over a cliff." The judge shuffled his papers together, and . told the jury they might go to their work, and he would return a verdict for them himself. For a full mile in every direction from where the dead body was found the ! country was as level as a table. The jury was not so conscientious as another in the game part of the world, composed of tho friends of some people accused of stealing - pork : "We find the defendants not.guilty, tut believe! they hooked the pork."