The Noitgedacht Murder. 121 



prisoners will be remanded in custody pending the proceedings which 

 will be taken upon the order of postponement which I now make, and a 

 I have no other business to perform at this Session of the Supreme Court 

 for the month of June, Gentlemen of the Jury not empanelled for this 

 trial and those gentlemen I have just discharged, are all discharged for 

 the term. The delivery of the goal will be taken to-morrow morning 

 at 10 o'clock." 



Visit to Scene of Crime. 



On 13th June, 1918, Hon. Dr. Nunan, Attorney General, Colonel 

 Clark, Detective Inspector Gamble, Mr. E. A. Haynes, Government 

 Surveyor, Mr. C. R. Browne, barrister-at-law, counsel for Mahadeo, and 

 Mr. B. B. Marshall, barrister-at-law, counsel for Buckreedee, visited the 

 Noitgedacht estate. 



Jury System Improved. 



On July 17th, 1918, there was passed in the Legislature of the 

 Colony in the face of strong protest by a majority of the Elective mem- 

 bers of the Court of Policy a Bill entitled " An Ordinance to amend the 

 Indictable Procedure Ordinance of 1893, " the purport of which was to 

 improve the jury system of the Colony, and to do away with the right 

 of peremptory challenge thereafter, (though in view of the fact that the 

 matter had been referred before the passing of the Ordinance, the old 

 custom, that is the right of challenge without having to show cause was 

 preserved foi\the Molly Schulz Ca3e) and to allow for the fixing of 

 Special Juries on the application of the Attorney General to the Supreme 

 Court. 



Application for Special Jury. 



On the 5th Ocrober, 1918, Dr. Nunan on the strength of the new 

 Ordinance made an application to the Court for a Special Jury on the fol- 

 lowing grounds : — 



1. Indictment has been filed in this case against the above-named 

 prisoners and the trial will take place at the Criminal Session of the 

 Supreme Court for the County of Demerary to be held at the city of 

 Georgetown on the 1st October, 1918, and following days. 



2. Public interest was aroused throughout the Colony at the pre- 

 liminary inquiry of this case and popular indignation was evinced against 

 the perpetrators of the murder in the public Press of this Colony and 

 otherwise, by which popular feeling the eight accused are stated by one 

 of their counsel, the Hon. J. S. McArthur, to be adversely affected. Diffi- 

 culties and delays were even experienced by the learned Chief Justice in 

 securing a full number of counsel necessary for the defence of the ei»ht 

 prisoners, owing to the unwillingness of counsel to undertake the defence. 



3. The trial of this case was fixed to take place at the Criminal 

 Session of the Supreme Court to be held at Georgetown on the 



