A Thursday's special from Hempstead says: The scenes and occurrences during the progress of the last three days in the district court are unparallelled in the history of the county, and, indeed, of most counties in this broad State. Enough has happened to give the people a chance to talk for a year and it all was caused because a representative jury saw fit to agree upon a case with the charge of murder, on the first ballot in the jury room and bring in a verdict of acquittal after eight minutes by the watch.

Jim Wood, a respected citizen of Harris county, stood charged with the murder of Charles Quinn, on election day in November, 1892.  The killing occurred near the polling place in Reid's Prairie during a general fight, with both factions using guns and pistols.  Wood, Reuben Bulware and Tom Wallingford were charged with murder, and Wood was placed on trial.  The prosecution employed special counsel.  District Attorney Pinckney never in his life fought harder for a conviction, but the jury, a body of good, represenntative (sic) men, came in with a verdict declaring that James Wood was innocent.

Here Judge Reese undertook to reprimand the jury for their verdict.  The judge did not seem to believe that a jury could or should honestly come to a verdict within eight minutes in a case requiring two days of trial.

The Post correspondent interviewed some of the jurors, who seemed hurt by the action of the court and declared that they could not convict from the testimony offered in the case, and they could see no reason why they should deliberate further when they agreed upon the first ballot.

Judge Reese followed up his sensational address to the jury this morning by changing the venue in the Bulware case to Austin county upon his own motion.  The case is transferred to that county for the term of the court commencing December 31, 1894.

City Marshal Goss was tried this morning for killing Hugh Quinn and was acquitted, the jury not leaving the box, the case being proven one of clear self defense.

"District Court - Hempstead", Brenham Daily Banner, (Brenham, TX), Friday, August 17, 1894, p. 1, col. 3-5.

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