Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-02-23
PROFESSIONAL JUROR.
HIS DOMAIN, HIS HABITS AND
 LEADING CHARACTERISTICS.
Tricks by Which Legal Proceedings Are Prolonsed-"Holdius Out" an Extra Day or Two-slipping into the Jury


 Chief among the institutions almost time honored, but now in rapid decadence, is the professional juryman, for he is an institution, and it will not be long until he is numbered among the antiquities of that limbo of the long ago known as ''the good old times"
 Many circumstances have brought about his decline, among these legislation on the subject and active measures taken by the courts to prevent his depredations, and his extinction is now only a question of time.
 He may still be occasionally seen, however, stalking solitary in the neighborhood of the court house or its corridors, for he is not e gregarious animal The circuit court is the place where he finds his best picking and is his favorite haunt. He is also frequently seen in the common pleas court or in the law and equity court, when common law cases are on trial, but never in the other tri- bunals, as heretofore it has never been the custom for jurymen to draw pay in the other courts.
 On the first or third Monday morning in each month, at the regular time to draw the two panels for the half term of the circuit courts, he, or several of him, may be seen lettering about, hoping to fill up the needed number, as "bystander," and an interesting study is afforded. If there is a long and tedious trial promised in the common law courts, a number of him is sure to be present, for, unlike the ordinary juryman, he likes the trial to last as long as possible to swell the total of his per diem. In fact, he has even been known to resort to tricks to pro- long the proceedings. It is a very simple matter for him not to agreo on a big contest and "hold out' the jury for a day or two. To be taken on the grand jury by hook or crook on Q chance occasion is almost a sine cure If summoned as ''bystander" for the petit jury he will always, if possible, ''hold out" till the second day, for, so summoned, he can draw pay for only one days services, while, if he remains over till the second day, he can draw pay for both days.
 HIS NUMEROUS TRICKS.
 His tricks are almost innumerable and, although there are several species of him, all are characteristic of the genus professional juryman." Three-fourths of the hung jur- ies, it is said by court official who is statis- tical fiend, are due to 'professionals. H., delights in a trial for murder or any other serious offense, as there is O chance for q ''lock up,"i in which case, if he show sufficient obstinacy, under the name of t'conscien tious determination, he can spend several days at first class hotel, under the assidu. ous care of mine host, who takes care that he shall have the best of attention.
 Another favorite trick he has is to slip into the jury box and fill up the vacancy caused by the absence of one of the regularly drawn jurymen. The clerk has frequently to con. suit his list and call the roll to di cover the interloper, and when asked to give the reason of his presence he generally explains by stat ing that he "thought the clerk called his name" Of course there is no penalty, and he slinks away, sad at his detection. But he is a man of insistence. One defeat does not discourage him, and it is but O few days un- til he is ready to repeat the trick.
 The genus professional juror," for con. venience of classification, may be subdivided into number of species, embracing persons of nearly all ages and all classes of society There are politicians designated by varior. terms, such as 'sward workers" strikers ''wire pullers," or, as they call themselves linen of influence" There are thriftless hus bands, unnecessary appendages to thrifty wives, who are generally found to be proprie dresses of small boarding houses, or worse still, shiftless fellows who ara not so fortu nate as to be appendages. These are dis charged policemen, gamblers, spectators disabled men, men out of work, and, saddes of all, shabby genteel men of decayed for tunes and gentility. Every specimen of the different species is as distinctly recognizable as if he wore label. These are the men who often decide a knotty point in common law or decide whether a prisoner shall spend ont or ten years in the penitentiary, shall get C ''hfer," or be hanged.-Louisville Courier Journal