Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-03-11

case or not. Is there any good reason why
Judge should be paid forfis service to the pub
lie and juror not be paid2 Such position
would be eagerly sought for, and the only
difficulty would be in selecting from among
proper applicants. 1t would be easy tc keep up
a succession in the ranks by providing that a
certain proportion should 90 out every year,
their places being supplied by new names. Now
let each judge at each term be empowered to oil
rect the summoning Of proper number Of men,
so that business should never stop from lack of
jurors. Then reduce the number fjurors in each
case from twelve 10 five, amy three ofw whom shoud
be capable of rendering a verdict. Hone should
chance to fall sick, let the others try the case,
the assent of any three out of all constituting
a verdict. think that panel of twenty men,
thus formed, would enable an upright Judge to
conduct the business of his court far better than
he can now hope TO do. OF course, The names
for each court and term would be drawn, as they
now are, at random. Il would rarely happen
that any two panels would consist to any extent
of the same names; bat any man summoned
would already have been shown TO be fit TO
serve as Il juror, aud in most cases would he
ready TO serve without proffering an ''eXcuse."
OF course, the right of either party to challenge
any Juror "for cause" would be retained-the
validity of the challenge TO he decided by the
court By such mode believe that q proper
jury could be obtained in any case within
couple of hours; lurv to whom might be safe
" intrusted the task of fairly trying any case
submitted to them, with reasonable prospect
that their verdict would be in accordance with
the law and the evidence.
"The fools are not all dead yet" is a saying
which rogues and swindlers have taken to heart
When it happens TO he a matter between sharp
rogues and stupid ones, am wholly Indifferent
to the result. Thus, when somebody sends
good money in order to buy ten or twenty times
as much of what he understands to be counter
felt, with which he hopes to cheat his neighbOrs,
/ am quite content that he should get only a
package of sawdust for his cash and trouble.
Both parties are rogues, and would like to see
both doing the state service at hard work in a
prison. But we have small gang OF clever ras-
calls who thrive upon fools pure and simple.
They are sharp enough to keep inside
the letter of the law, and they
are also acute enough to keep one of our
thieves lawyers 10 act as legal adviser. These
are the fellows who Get up "Gft Enterprises, y
Lottery Schemes" and the like, with the circu-
lars of which they food the country and crowd
the advertising columns of the newspapers,
These are the scoundres who profess to sell
"oroide" watches and Milton gold iewlery
affirmed to be rather better than the genuine
article, and at a fraction of the cost Some
times these fellows make coup which really
shows genius.
The very cleverest Of these has Just been tried
and quite successfully. Some ten days ago om
papers began to TEEN with advertisements to the
effect that the great Geneva watch company had
failed. The Franco-Pussian war had put q
stop to matchmaking in Switzerland, and this
great company could not pay its thousands Of
workmen, all of whom, with their helpless wives
and innocent children, were consequently on the
verge of starvation. To raise money TO pay
them, the company we've ready to sell thei,
magnificent stock of watches for whatever they
would fetch. Any thing was better than that
these honest workmen and their poor families
should starve. Some millions of dollars worth
of these valuable watches had been sent to their
agents in America. These must now be sold at
any price. For five dollars they would sell a
watch in solid silver; for any thing above fifteen
dollars, one in solid goddess indeed than the
bare cases would be worth TO melt up as bullion.
Now would any one who was not aware of the
guillibiiity of human nature credit it that this
took? The swindlers were aware that one OF
the first ambitions of Young America, of both
sexes, and of all ages from seven years 10
seventy, is to wear a watch--a watch that will
actually tick-and if such an one could be cot
for next to nothing; and moreover if the small
sum paid for it really went TO save poor Swiss
vanity, parsimony and philanthropy would be
graiifed all at once
The grand depot of the rogues has beer
crowded for ten days, aud likely will be for 8
week longer. How much the clever operator!
will have made no one can say; but venture
to affirm that the net sum within a fortnight
will be more than the clear profits of the Sp,
for five years. Thousands upon thousands 0
the watches certainly have been sold. Thei
cost TO the swindlers is about as near nothin.
as may be. Deduct advertising, rent and nov
and then little husL-money, and the rest il
clear profit. If some scores of these watche.
have not found their way to Worcester, the
good people of your goodly city have among
them less than the normal proportion of fools.
| suppose it is useless to offer advice to an alb.
solute fool, especially if he have in his compost
ton a good per centage of knavery. But to
those who are only foolish may say word or
two which may be of some service: If anybody
sends you circular proposing 10 sell you any
thing for half its value, or if you see an adver-
tisement to that effect in the most reputable
newspaper, don't regard it. II the circular
comes from New York, send it by mail to our
chief of police. 1t may possibly furnish the
missing link Of evidence which only is lacking
for the transfer of the head of all these swinders
from his luxurious quarters at the Metropolitan,
to more fitting abode on BlackweFs Island,
or even at SingSing. A.H.G.