Bribery
StoryIllustration★★★The mob boss was on trial for murder, so he sent one of his henchmen to bribe Maurice, juror. The henchmen said, ‘We’re paying you to hold out for a conviction of manslaughter.’
“Yes, sir,” said Maurice nervously. “I’ll do my best.”
When the trial ended, the mobsters were surprised by how long jury deliberation took. Finally, the foreman read the verdict: “Guilty of manslaughter.”
Later the happy henchmen called Maurice: “The Boss thanks you for the verdict. Ten years is better than life. But tell me, did your arguing for manslaughter cause the deliberations to go on so long?”
“It took me a long time to sway everyone to manslaughter,” said Maurice. “They all wanted to acquit.”
The point
A clever irony story where a juror bribed to vote manslaughter actually convinces the jury to acquit, turning the bribe against itself.