OCR Text |
Show A GROUNDLESS CHARGE. On Wednesday last one of the thinest [thinnest] cases on record was tried in the police court in this city. Although the officers were not to blame for entertaining the charge, it certainly must have been a matter of humiliation to them under the circumstances. On last Monday morning a ten dollar bill was taken from the satchel of a teacher of the second district school. Hyrum Davidson, a young boy attending that school, was arrested on suspicion of committing the theft. He was kept in charge of the officers for a few hours and then given into the care of his relations until the case was called on Wednesday. Then he appeared with his counsel, Mr. Willard Maughan and Mr. Lee, who asked and obtained for him a jury trial. A number of witnesses were examined for the prosecution; but not one of them uttered a single word which by any stretch of the imagination could be construed into an implication of young Davidson's praticipation [participation] in the crime charged, or any other unlawful act. At that time a motion by the defense to dismiss the case would certainly have been favorably decided. But with great forethought the defendant's counsel proceeded to lying before the court and jury, the testimony of every person who were supposed to know anything about the case and by so doing forever silence the calumny [unreadable line] successful in this endeavor. The only word which was uttered by any witness reflecting even in the most indifferent way on the defendant came from a party who had been surrounded by the defense for that especial purpose. But even that implication was based only on a flimsy supposition. In order to place the matter beyond controversy an alibi was proven by some of the strongest testimony which could possibly be introduced into a court. The result was what might have been expected, a verdict of "not guilty" by the jury. |