Show t THREE SEPARATE OPINIONS A Peculiar Case Before the United States Supreme Court Washington Jan 21 Three separate opinions were rendered in one case in the United States Supreme Court today to-day The case was that of Hofman Sparf and Hans Hanssn plaintiffs in error vs The United States who had been found guhty in the California federal court of murder committed on the higSi sea Tine crime occurred onboard on-board the bark Hesper on the 13th of January 1893 and consisted in the killing kill-ing of the mate Maurice Fitzgerald and an attempt to Mil the captain by the prisoners and others of the crew with the view tx > seizing the vessel and turning it into a piratical craft Many legal complications were involved and the court seemed thoroughly impressed that an important precedent was being estabLshed in the opinion rendered The principal opinion was rendered by Justice Jus-tice Harlan and affirmed the decision of the court below with regard to Hansen Han-sen but reversed it with regard to Sparf Justices Brewer and Brown dissented from the Opinion of the majority in remanding I re-manding the case of Sparf while Jus tlces Gray and Sluras held that the verdict should be set aside in regard to Hansen as well as to Sparf All the dissentions were of considerable consid-erable length |