The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-16
sWINDLING THE JURORS.
A System OF FrRud that has Long been Carried
on In the Marine Court.

To THE EpIToR OF The sUN-Sr: Allow me
uo Is s {GS e ne 20 OF carried
as you are aware entitled 10 81 for each that he
Rs scuse TO the CLERK ana BY Se CLERK should be TAD
s Juror " ~, some in'snses tns js.,r receives nj,
attention the jurors at the Of the
e p yss ses az 10 es &c f s snr Pso
,sei5 serve. ou tbs amount Il my case shd that OF
was dle Us The onicers explan,tion was that where
eossuS The jury we're emitted 20 no Day IL such
!. the law, we should certainly IKE 10 know why the
has TO pay 90 him before proceeding 10 trial precisely
s wG2 Sc sas Jug renders To ya Ss
sla cases ana reoeiyed only - Please throw little
The system OF swindung described In the
foregoing communication turns out. upon
Investigation, to have been carried on boldly
and regularly In the Marine Court for several
years and tho fees OF which Jurors have been
defrauded, must amount to tn ousands OF dollars.
Dir. Miller is clerk of Part III. OF the Marine
| Court, and as such he discharges his duty CON
sciontiously and pays Jurors honestly. one dol
lar to each man, the instant "a verdict Is render
ed, whether by direction OF the Court. or after
elaboration. Sucn also tho practice of
former CLERKS In other branches II the Court
The former Clerk at Chambers, and tho former
Clerk Of Part H.. both Of whom are now sta
TONED IN tue Clerks office proper, paid the jury
Tees immediately upon the rendition OF "A YER
dict. Mistakes and fraud were thus rendered
impossible.
but LOT reNerh Ntht pas, anu until Wlthln a
month, Michsel +. DAILY was clers Of Part H.
He Is now calendar clerk IN the Clerks ONCE
proper. Numerous complaints made
against TINS man by defrauded Jurors. Two
Jurors Of the last term Of the court were in
the Clerks once last hursda, TO look for him
and demand their pay for last IN onth. For along
time he has practised puttinR on the payment
OF JurOrs fees until the end Of their terms In
May last one Juror who had boon serving before
judge GoepD for two weeks. and had taken
part In nye or six cases Ia which verItcts w,re
given IA poor man. besides, who urgently headed
compensation for his ume) received only one
dollar. ID lly explained tbs by saying tpat
jurors not euiitlod To pay In cases in which
yerdicts are directed by the Court.
But the truth II that the pla1rtih paws the
jury tee to the clerk IN such cases precisely as
IN Others, the Juror ~ equally entitled to II, aud
the clerk IL equally bound 10 by II. Even IN
inquests which occupy only few minutes and
consist IN briefly proving plaintiffs claim
where the defendant does not appear TO contest
II, every juror Is entitled To half dollar.
la the TALL OF 1874, in tue case OF ~ against
Lynch. tried before Judge Alker, whore a Jury
sat two days aud rendered "A verdict Without
direction from the Court some OF the Jurors
complained TO the plaintiffs counsel that
| ID lly had not paid them their Zee. The counsel
addressed Judge Alker about II, and DAILY M al .
lame excuse about his having 10y mistake paid
the fee received by him In that case TO Jury In
| another case In which the plaintiff had not yet
paid the fee. 1t Is said, and II seems probable,
| that DAILY has been swindling Jurors In this way
! eycr since. Tue moneys received IN eacn part
| OF the Marine Court for pagmcut to Jurors
| amount average to two or three thou
sand dollars year, and a dis onest clerk, with
an ingenious plan Tor swlndlng juror, may
easily augment his annual Income by one thou
sand dollars or more.
John Shea, who II clerk OF Part l., has also
carried On tho practice OF postponng the paw
inent OF Jurors until the end OF their term, and 1t
Is admite ed III the Clerks office Of he Court that
complaints have been made against him similar
to those az inst DAILY.