Sweets Trials

Anthony Magliaro
1/15/10
History Vaknin

    I. The Sweets Trials
      A. Defendants
      There were multiple Sweets Trials. They include The People of Michigan v. Ossian Sweet and The People of Michigan v. Henry Sweet. The defendant of the case The People of Michigan v. Ossian Sweet was Ossian Sweet and the ten other people in the Sweet’s house at the time of the riot. The defendants of The People of Michigan v. Henry Sweet have the same defendants, Ossian, Henry and the other Sweets and were defended by Clarence Darrow.

      B. Charges
          The charges against the Sweets were the murder of Leon Breiner and conspiracy to commit murder.

      C. Major Arguments of the Prosecution
      One major argument against the Sweets that they had killed Leon Breiner and were conspiring to commit more murders. The Prosecution team, especially Robert Toms, attempted to reinforce the idea that the trial wasn't about solving the racial issues of the country, but about punishing those guilty of killing an innocent man. Yet he subtly kept hinting at the fact to the all white jury.

      D. Major Arguments of the Defense
      The major arguments of the defense of the Sweets and Darrow that every citizen has the right to protect his or her home and property and the prosecution team attempted to prove that everyone inside the Sweet home that night were the aggressors, and that by their actions an innocent person was deliberately killed and another wounded.

      E. Decision
      The decision was a long drawn out decision for after 46 hours of deliberation, the jury says it is unable to reach a verdict. Judge Murphy finally declares a mistrial and dismisses the jury in November of 1925. In May of 1926 the jury finally makes a decision as the Sweets are found Not Guilty. After they are found Not Guilty, Breiner’s widow sues Sweet for $150,000, claiming he wrongfully caused the death of her husband. The case goes nowhere as it is eventually...