Litchfield enquirer., 1870-04-21
WOMEN AS JURORS.

The Hon. J. H. Howe, Chief Justice of Wyoming Territory, has written letter speaking in decided terms of the late trial of women as inrors in that territory. After speaking of the high character of the women and ahis own prepossessions against the policy of admitting women to the right of suffrage etc., he says:-- N aa s5ad
 .DpWith all my prejudices against thespol- icy, I am under conscientious obligations to eayathat these women acquitted them selves with such dignity, decorum, propri- ety of conduct, and intelligence as to win the admiration of every fair-minded citizen
 of Wyoming. They were careful, pains taking, intelligent, and conscientious. They were firm and resolute for the right as established by the law and the testimony. Their verdicts were right. and. after three or four criminal trials, the lawyers engaged in defending persons accused of crime began to avail themselves of the right of peremptory challenge to get rid of the women jurorss who were too much in favor
 of enforcing the laws and punishing crime to suit the interests of their clieatsi After days the dance house keepers, gamblers, and demi monde fled out of the city in dis may, to escape the indictment of women grand jurorsl In short. have never in the twenty-five years of constant experi- ence in the courts of thu country, seen @ more faithful. intelligent, end resolutely honest grand and petit jury than these. A mean, lying and silly dispatch went over the wires. to the effeect that during the trial of A. w. Howie for homicide in which the jury consisted of six women and six men), the men and women were kept locked up together all night foe four nights. Only two nights intervened dur ing the trial, and these nights, by my order, the jury were taken to the parlor of the large, commodious and well-furnished hotel of the Union Pacific railroad, in charge of the sheriff and woman bailif, where they were supplied with meals and every comfort, and at 10 o'clock tho women ereconductod by the bailiff to large and suitable apartment, where beds were pre- pared for them, and the men to another adjoining, where beds were prepared for them, and where they remained in charge of sworn officers until morning, when they were again all conducted to the parlor, and from thence in body to breakfast, and thence to the jury-room, which was clean and comfortable one, carpeted and heated. and furnished with all proper conveniences. The cause was submitted to the jury for their decision about II o'clock in the fore noon, and they agreed upon their verdict, which was received by the court between II and 12 o'clock at night of the same day, when they were discharged. Everybody commended the conduct of this jury, and were satisfied with their verdict, except the individual who was convicted of murder in the second degree. The presence of these ladies in court secured the most perfect decorum and propriety of conduct, and the gentlemen of the bar and others vied with each other in their courteous and re- spectful demeanor towards the ladies and the court. Nothing occurred to offend the most refined lady If she was sensible lady) and the judgment of every intelligent and fair-minded man present was, and is, that the experiment was success.