The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-24
THE JURY LISTS.
What the Court House Officials and
Jury Commissioners Say.

|
lect the grand jurors for the seven terms of
the two courts, and the large number of dis
qualified and exempt In the box from which
| the petit jrrors are drawn, has been pretty
| freely discussed In the past day or two
The general opinion about the court house
is that while the proportion Of minors
| claimed in the clerks office of the city court
| was an overestimate that in the main the
statements were correct.
A MORNING NEWS reporter interviewed
nearly all Of the officials of the superior and
city courts, and the opinions which are
| given below will best show what trouble
has been encountered by them in getting
Juries fer the proper conduct Of the two
courts.
Mr.. j. K. p. Carr, clerk of the superior
court, said that the proportion of the names
on the lists which cannot be used is very
large and is mostly minors and those over
age. He thought that the jury commission
ers had not confined themselves to tho tax
digest, as they should have done, and he
could not see how they could have got the
names of so many minors on the list If they
| did not make the mistake of relying on the
| city directory. The names Of minors were
not on the tax digest, and therefore the COM
missioners did not revise the jury list from
the tax digest, as they should have done
under the law. He said, however, that he
does not see how the commissioners can tell
who are and who are not eligible, and there
| fore unnaturaliZed citizens whose names are
on the TAX digest are as liable to get n the
jury list as are firemen, druggists and 9th
ers: There are cases, too, where man is
ineligible on one day, as, for instance, a
| member OF military company, who by
resignation the next day is eligible.
Sheriff Roman said that there has been no
| little trouble with the jury lists. At the
December term ten school boys were drawn
from the petit jury box and he stated that
| i'll the jury list previous to the one now in
| the box, the names of two women had been
drawn. He did not know where the names
of the minors came from, but they must
have been furnished by the jury commits
sioners
Referring to the grand jury list he said
it is too small. There are not nearly enough
names in the box, and 200 or 300 more
names ought to be added. There are some
grand jurors whose time is nearly taken up
by service In the two courts, and it is not
| just to them, when there are plenty good
citizens who can be added to the list
Deputy Sheriff A. Jones Franklin said
that there are not enough names in the
grand jury box, and some jurors are serv-
ing on tho grand jury now that served on
the grand jury last December. Referring
to the names in the petit jury box, he said
that the list has large number of minors
one drawing, seven or eight minors were
drawn.
Frank Z. Meudel, one of the deputy
sheriffs of the superior court, said that the
list in the petit jury box is very unsatisfac-
tory, and is causing great deal OF vexation
In summoning jurors. He detailed a tire
some tramp out on Bismarck street to serve
a paper on juror whose name had been
drawn from the box, and found that his
juror was boy. The young juror did not
think it necessary to go, but Mr.. Mendel
told him that he had walked all the way
out there for a juror. and go the juror
must.
Hon. Philip M. Russell, clerk of the city
court, admitted chat he had claimed most too
high ratio of minors in the petit jury box,
but he said that the number is very large.
There are not only the names of great many
minors in the box, but of those who are not
citizens of the United States, and he said
that Judge Harden had often complained of
the matter and had said that he couldn't
see how the jury commissioners could get
the names of SO many minors and aliens on
the list, ana that they ought to have been
more careful in revising the list. why,
sir" said Mr.. Russell, young men are
coming into my office frequently and swear
ing they are not 81, and one came in the
other day and swore that he was only 10,
so that he could have been but II when his
name was put in the box, nearly two years
ago."
Abiding to the inadequate number of
names in the grand jury box, Mr.. Russell
said: "Out of the BOG names there are As
exempt, so that there are but about 100
jurors for seven terms of two courts. Just
think Of only 206 names OH the grand Jurors
list out of population of $4,000 people.
Couldn't the commissioners take 500 grand
jurors out OF the 3 600 and odd voters, and
yet they only take 206. and 4S of these are
exempt. There's no Justice in that"
Deputy Clerk Nathans of the city court
said that in a drawing of thirty-six Jurors
from the petit jury box they sometimes get
less than nine men. At the drawing on May
thirteen were not to be found by the
sheriff's deputies, four were minors, one
was the assistant postmaster of Savannah.
and others were exempt from other causes.
At the February term the names of eight
minors were drawn. "By the time we
count ont the minors, the aliens and the ex-
empt in drawing of thirty-six names, y
said Mr.. Nathans, I'VE hardly have more
than ten left"
Sheriff Goodwin says that the petit jury
list is very imperfect, and that in panel
Of thrty-six names tie exemptions from
various causes, reduces the list to eighteen,
and as many as six minors are sometimes
found to still further reduce the list "Out
of thirty-six names" he said, 81 think | am
DONG well III get eighteen, ana this is
often reduced to fourteen and twelve, and
often as low as ten. By the time the
minors, non-cltizens, those who are dead
or have removed, and those exempt are
dropped out, it leaves but few to select
from The grand jury list is entirely too
small. We have but 100 for the two
courts, and often we have to depend upon
volunteers"
Thomas E. Harvey, bailiff of the city
court, says that his experience has been
very annoying In serving papers upon
those who should not be on the jury list, and
he cited one recent drawing where six out
of thirty-one names were the names Of
minors.
The jury commissioners do not deny that
; the lists are imperfect. The chairman of
the board admitted that the city directory
had been referred TO in making up the list.
, He could not understand. however, how Sc
many minors and those ineligible as jurors
should have got In, and he did not believe
that there are so many as has been claimed.
The commissioners say that 1t is mistaken
idea of a great many persons that because
they do not register as voters that they are
, not liable for jury duty. A good many re-
frain from registering under that impress
!. sion TO avoid jury duty, and for that reason
2 the tax digest proper is inadequate for
securing properly revised jury list for the
| two boxes without taking professional i'll