Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-05-20

pc,t jurors IN wyoming. l VIII comply
with your request, with this qualification,
that it be not published under my own sig
nature. as Edo not coyet newspaper public
ity, and have already, without any agency
or fault of my own, been subjected to an
amount OF it which never anticipated nor
conceived of. and which has been far from
agreeable to me.
| had no agency in the enactment. Of the
law in Wyoming comforting legal equality
upon women. found it upon the statute
book of that territory, ard in accordance
with its provisions several women were lie.
ga'ly drawn by the proper officers on the
grand and petit juries Of Albany county,
and were duly summoned by the sheriff
without any agency of mine. On being ap-
prised of these facts, conceived it to be
my plain duty to fairly enforce this law, as
| would any other; and more than this, l
resolved at once that, as it had fallen TO my
lot to have the experiment tried under my
administration, it should have fair trial,
and | therefore assured these women that
they should serve or not, as they choose;
that if they chose to serve, the court would
secure to them the most respectful consider
alton and Difference, and protect them from
insult IN word or gesture, and from every
thing that might offend modest and virtu
Gus woman in any of the walks Of life in
which the good and true women of our
country have been accustomed to move.
While had never been an advocate Of
the law, felt that thousands of good men
and women had been, and they had a right
to see it fairly administered and | was re-
solved that it should not be sneered down
if l had to employ the whole power Of the
court to prevent it. felt that even those
who were opposed to the policy Of admit
ting women to the right of suffrage and to
hold Office would condemn me if did not
do this. 1t was also sufficient for me that
my own judgment approved this course.
With such assurances, these women chose
to serve. and We're duly impaneled an jus
FRS. They are educated, cultivated East
ern ladies, who are an honor to their sex.
They have with true wpinaaly devotion,
ls>sa their homes of comfort in the States, to
share the fortunes OF their husbands and
brothers Ia the FIR West, and to aid them
in touudiag new State beyond the Mis-
souri,.
And now to the results. With all my
prejndices against the policy, | am under
conscientious obligations TO say that these
women acquitted themselves with such dig
nifty, decor1m, propriety of conduct, and ia
talligence as to win the admiration Of every
@ir-minded citizen of Wyoming. They
were careful, pans-taking, intelligent, and
conscientious. They were firm and reso-
lutte for The rights as established by the law
and the testimony. Their verdicts we're
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 &c,
rid of the women jurors, who were too
much in favor of enforcing the laws and
furnishing crime to suit the Interests of their
clients! After the Grand Jury had been
in session two days, the dance house keep
ers, gamblers, and demi monde fled out of
the city in dsmay, to escape the indictment
Of women Grand Jurors! In short, | have
never, i'll twenty FIVE years Of constant ex-
perlsnce in the courts of the country, seen
a more faithful, intelligent and resoutely
honest Grand and Petit Jury than these.
A contemptibly lying and silly dispatch
went over the wires to TIE effect that during
the trial of A. W. HOWE for homicide, lin
which the jury consisted of six women and
six men, the men and women we're kept
locked up together all night for four nights.
Only two nights interviewed during the trial,
and on these nights, by my order, the jury
were taken to the large, commocious and
wel-furnshed hotel of the Union Pacific
Railroad, in charge of the Sheriff and a
wo nan bailitf where they were supplied
with meals aud every comfort, ard at l0
O'clock the women were conducted to the
paror, and from thence IN hody to break
fast, AID thence to the Jury room, which was
a clean and comfortable one, carpe;ed and
ieated, and furnished with all the proper
couveniences.
The cause WAS submitted to the jury for
their decision about o'clock in the fore
noon, and they agreed upon their verdict,
which WAS received by the curt between
| | and II O'Clock at night, of the same
dav. when they were DISCHARGED.
Ey ybodv commended the conduct of
this Jury, and we're satisfied with their YER
diet, except the individual who was con-
victed of murder in the second degree.
The presence of these ladies in court
secured the most perfect decorun aud pro-
+, ietv of conduct, and the gentlemen Of The
bar ard others wed with each other in their
courteous demeanor toward the ladies' and
the court. Nothing occurred to offend the
most refined lady (if she was sensible
LADY,, and the universal judgment of every
intelligent and far-minied man present wa
and is, that the e. pertinent was success.
| dislike the notoriety this matter has
given me, but do not shrink from it.
never sought it nor expected it, and have
only performed what regarded as a plain
duty, neither seeking nor desiring any
praise, and quite indifferent to any censure
or criticism which my conduct may have
invoked.
"Tbanking yon for your friendly and
complimentary expressions, ! am, very re-
spectfully, yours, J. II. HowE.'