New-York tribune., 1881-12-15
THE JURYMEN BREATHING FOUL AIR IN
THE COURTROOM

BY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUSE.l
WARRINGTON Dec. 14-The adjournment of the
Court to-day in the Guteau trial after a session Of
only one hour and half, because OF the illness Of
one Of the jurors, vexatOus delay to the pros
ecutOn. al nd shows the dangers to which the whole
case is subjected by the ovcrcrowdng of the court
room This was second sick iuror--not the col
Ored member, who seems to be doing better but
another member of the jury, who was untitled for
duty by an attack of indigestion. resulting, no
doubt. from the life the jurymen are compelled to
lead aud the foul air they must breathe for four
hours a day.
There are times when Justice COx's little court
room fifty feet by seventy bears marked resem-
blance to the Black Hole at Calcutta. More than
an hour before the trial begins, the doors are be-
sieged by crowd including many women, who
fight their way in the moment the doors are opened
and fill the courtroom BY the time the trial be-
gins this crowd has been consuming for an hour the
oxygen which belongs to the judge and the jury the
counsel, the experts and the reporters who repre-
sent the fifty millions of people who cannot get into
the courtroom. The usual recess of an hour docs
not help matters. Most Of these sight.seers bring
their lunCheons, jut as some of them bring their
Operaglasses, and they sit through the recess still
using up the n? mat belongs to people having real
business there If the windows are opened they
specially addressed the Court the other day. de-
manding that all the windows remain open during
the entire recess The crowd is guilty of the DIS
order, except that of GuIteau, which has made the
trial a scandal, and its presence undoubtedly stmu-
lates the assassin to greater outrages upon the Dig
nifty OF the Court than he would be likely to COM
NIT if there was crowd to please his vanity by
laughing at him.
1t is easy 30 understand how the room becomes
Overcrowded when spectators admitted at all
in the present mode. The popular anxiety TO see
GuItcG1 is great, and numbers of distinguished per-
sons applicants for admission day by day. The
plan might at least, be adopted of refusing to admit
persons than the seating capacity of the room
will properly accommodate Now every space
where foothod can be found is packed and spec
tators even stand sometimes as several women did
to-day the steps OF the judges dais. The crowd
takes Guiteaus cbullitions somewhat more quietly
than il did, apparently because many persons are
getting used to them, for many faces are repeated
among the spectators day after day. And II is not
an eXaCgcration to say that Guiteau himself does
not seem as fresh as he did. There was an appear
ance of effort in his performances today. when no
went through little of the familiar tableslapping
and in part OF a brief speech he made his voice
had that absurd twang which was noticed when he
repeated passages from his speeches Oh the witness
stand-au unnatural recitative tone. If the sem
tence had been committed to memory. It may
have been simply the exhaustion that follows
terrible nervous strain, but Ii looked at one point
as if his versatility was almost exhausted
One of the experts said of him the other evening:
believe he simply works himself ND every day to
do those things, because he knows that on them de-
pends his sole chance of making people believe him
insane One of the persons who is with the
assassin great deal says: think he's playing it
very fine He don't act this way when he's alone
with us, He acts then like any other man.