Viewing "The First Jury Trials in Winona County." (1884)."The First Jury Trials in Winona County." (1884).In March 1853, Henry C. Gere's "claim jumping" suit against John C. Laird was tried to a six man jury in Justice Court -- the first in the Winona County. The first jury hung, the second returned a verdict in favor of Gere, who, however, never regained possession of the land from Laird. This account of the first jury trials in Winona County appeared in a county history published in 1884. |