The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-08-18

Mrs. w. F. Thomas, of Seattle, W. I
writes a lively and gnaphic letter descrit
ing her experience rs q voter and a jurol
We quote these passages: / have bee
In this Territory nine or ten years. ! wa
perfectly satisfied with my condition
had all the rights ] cared for; in fact
was entirely indifferent to woman's bal
lot. My interest and effort in the TEN
pennce cause brought me in contac
with 20 much inconsistency in professe'
Temperance men when election day cam
that, womanlike, | reasoned IF womeI
could only vote they would not simpl.
pray, Lord, save the d~runkard,' bu
would put their vote toward il, too.
While | WAS, chicken-like. just breakin,
my shell, / awoke one morning to fine
myself a fulI-fedged citizen. ! was
! little ashamed, somewhat astonished ant
altogether mystified at what should do
Relieving that "the powers that be an
ordained of God,n as a christian my duty
was plain, whatever the result might be
With this idea before me my mind was
made up; but judge of my surprise when
/ found that the mind of most Other
women was not settled on the subject.
While ! was thus ~perplexed and surpris'
ed | was one day summoned nom my
room a gentleman had called. | rose 10
confront "a stranger, who said:
Madame, ! am the Sheriff of King
county. This is Mrs. Thomas, ] presume?
| have called to notify you TO appear at
the Court House to serve AS a juror"
why, sir, l am not fit to serve ON the
jury" | stammered.
why, madam, what reason have you
to ofier?"
why" | replied, 81 am not capable ;
you want some one who can keep track
of both sides of the case, and then have
judgement and discrimination"
Have you no other excuse2 Ii not
you must allow me to be the judge and
he very politely bowed himself out, leav-
ing me in such a state of bewilderment
as | never before experienced. My trem-
bling knees at his first appearance had
telegraphed the purport of his message,
but / concluded that my case was a
hopeless one as far as the Sheriff was
concerned. a
But l would go to judge Greene he
would let me off. Well, / did go. After
listening to my excuse he smiled and
said it WIS out of his power to excuse me,
and if it were in his power he would not
let me off, for | was the right person TO
be there. If any poor woman's mind
went through a Kaleidoscope experience
the intervening days il was mine.
The dreaded morning came, and | went
to my doom. Such a place the Court
House appeared to me. The fact that
lawyers had objected to women on the
Grand Jury the previous day did not
better things.
There were no special objections made
that day, and after certain forms of law
had been disposed of a gambling case
was called up. ! was called to serve, but
was objected to. Truly, what next? |
simply stepped out of that jury-box and
tried to find a corner / did not know
whether to feel sighted or compliment
ed. / was sure of only one thing, ] was
,af xx-af ON that aaSa Rnt soon
had some company one-two more la
dies were called off, and as they left what
a smile passed over the faces of the law
yers, But more ladies were in the jury
box, 50 they gave that up. The case was
heard, and conviction followed. NeNs
several men came to plead guilty in sim
liar cases, by advice of lawyers. and so
the work went on. There were seven
teen cases at that term of Court and thir-
teen convictions; four forfeited bail. j
sat through a term of five weeks; was on
two cases which occupied a week each (:
was locked up. We were all locked up
all night on a Chinese case. and as we
passed into Court next day some of our
fellow-townsmen in Court were interested
to see how the women stood il. The YER
diet was that We looked brighter and
better than the men. We were also es-
corted several times through the streets
by Court officials to meals at Uncle Sans
expense. On one case which we took
down into the jury-room the ballot stood
eleven 10 N with the blissful prospect
of staying out all night, as it Wa clearly
a case of eleven obstinate jurors. But
when certain transactions crept out, and
a woman protested that she would not
be Il party to cover up the fact should
they return TO Court, twelve votes were
east the mex time and the case was set
tied.
The men were all that could be desir-
ed, with the exception of one, who in
sisted that "a real nice woman would not
sit on the jury" He made himself very
conspicuous in his efforts to "let them
have enough of it." But somebody else
got tired Of him before long, and he was
excused from further service before half
the term was over. At the
ment of the term the introduction of
women into the jury-box caused some
anxiety to the older and most experience
ed gentlemen jurors, but at its close they
expressed themselves unqualifiedly pleas
ed and satisfied. There was a little
in that establishment. Tobacco
smoke, cigars and spittoons disappeared
before the restless knitting needle, and
ladies' parphernalia were seen in many
parts of the Court House where such
were never seen before. Truly,
the change was a great improvement in
the sanitary conditions of that important
institution.