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Penn, William - Jury Goes to Prison

STORY PREFACE

The question is not,
whether I am Guilty of this Indictment,
but whether this Indictment be legal.

William Penn
Trial of William Penn
(1670)
6 Howell's State Trials,
Page 951

 

Juries today listen to a phrase they don't believe:

You shall deliberate this case,
without food and water,
until you reach a verdict.

One can imagine the average juror's reaction:

Right! I don't think so!!

Typical response from a modern juror. In today's world, who would actually think a judge could order folks not to eat or drink until they decided a case? But in years past, it is exactly what would be expected. It is exactly what happened to William Penn's jury. That and much, much more.

 

Author: Carole D. Bos, J.D.

To cite this story, using MLA Guidelines:

Bos, Carole D. "Penn, William - Jury Goes to Prison" AwesomeStories.com. Date of access
       <http://www.awesomestories.com/famous-trials/penn>.

IN OTHER WORDS: Author. Title of story. Name of web site. Date of access <URL>.