Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-02-03
CriminaI Court Jurors.

Criminal Court Jurors
Many jrrors summoned to attend the
Criminal Court escape service BY swear.
ing that they have formed or expressed
an opinion as to the merits Of the case
from reading an account Of the crime in
the daily papers. The usual questions
aud answers on this point are as follows:
Have you formed or expressed an
opinion as to the guilt or innocence Of
the accused in this csse2' II have"
Upon what did you form or express
that opinionG' Upon what l read in
the papers At the time OF the occurrence
Of the act" did that account Of the
transaction purport to be q true and cor
rect statemett Of the facts in the case2"
II believe it did" These questions and
answers, stereotyped as they have been
a thousand times in our Criminal Court,
have excused many a good citizen from
serving as q juror in q criminal case.
But yet the summoned juror did not
answer correctly in many instances: in
fact, in hardly any instance. although
he answered on oath. For instance, 9
crime is committed, the newspaper re-
porters are after a sensation, and they
do their best to get at the facts,
or as many Of them as possible.
As a general rule the reporters hear
bat one side of the case. Even a cor
oneris inquest ia out an ex parte exami.
nation, as witnesses for the defense are
net generally introduced. The report
ers write up the crimes in a professional
style. and embellish such with flowers Of
rhetoric. The newspaper accounts Of
crime do not purport to give all the facts
in such cases, because such are impossi
BILE to get at the time; then how can any
person summoned as a juror swear that
be believes the newspaper account Of
any crime purported to give all the facts2
Such facts are only given in the judicial
examination, and il q reporter gives a
verbatim account Of hat legal examiua-
ton then the account would contain all
the facts, but this seldom occurs. The
facts concerning crime published by
newspapers are necessarily few, but
sufficient to inform the public concern.
ing the crimes committed and persons
who commit them. In many instances
the juror is mistaken when he thought
lessly swears that he has formed an
opinion from the newspaper &C.
counts. BE has only formed an
impression, and that impression will
Of course be either fixed or
Changed when be hears the evidence as
q juror. To say that a man cannot do
justice to a prisoner because he has
formed or expressed an opinion on the
case from newspaper accounts is non.
sense, and is charging a juror with
perjury, a. he is sworn to be governed
by the law as he receives it from the
court and by the testimony as sworn
to by witnesses. Thus, masy citizens
summoned as jurors ~diaquslify them
selves in the above manner and often
without intending to do so. while Others
do so intentionally. The unfortunate
result of all this is to ~disquslify au intel.
ligent jury and to qualify a jury csm.
posed of ign lraht, illiterate men, who
read nothing, know less ADD who are not
fit to arrange aud properly consider ties.
timony or to clearly understand the
charge OF the court. By this means
many criminals escape who ought to be
punished. and often innocent men are
punished when. they ought to be acquit-
ted.