St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1890-01-25
On The j ury.
Cor. Baton Rouge Adcocate.

The last two issues OF your weekly
contained articles upon the very unsat
istactory results of the late session oi
the district court; whiet tl.e officers oi
| the court attach the responsibility upon
the class OF jurors presented. and You
unite with them in urging that "the
| standard of the men selected be raised.'
! This is decidedly q proper move, yet il
| does not cover the case fully.
| The writer had the misfortune TO be
| drawn on the regular venire Of the last
| session, aud spent d week in making
observations aud aaoertaining what the
life of a juryman was.
The first day of the term was prirci-
| paliy taken up in assigning cases that
| never came to trial, and in nolle prose
Qai cases, some of which should have
| ueen tried. One case came nearly to a
trial, bnt in arraigaiug a man charged
with refusing to work the public
roads" the information insisted upon
Larceny. Some llnw OF other, the ac-
cused became mixed up with the wrong
information, or uice yersG, and a pros,
was ordered and the jury discharged
until Tuesday.
On the second day, court met prompt
~ly at appointed hour, and jury em-
battery" After the prosecuting wit
ness was placed Gu the stand. and testi-
fled to being struck on the head with
all axe, and also exhibiting to the Jury
the horrible wound, the case came to a
,eedy close by the court entering
n,tpros the crime heing that of around-
ing less than mayhem. The jury was
discharged until Friday.
The district attorney seemed anxious
to assign murder case for Friday, but
the counsel for the defense insisted
upon more time, and got il.
The fifth day was consumed in try
ing case of assault and battery-the
first jury case of the week. Que Obstre-
peIOus coiored juror claimed that the
accused had right to whip his wife
and his grand d-mother-in-law, and held
out for aequittal, but on compromise
verdict OF assault, yielded. Thus end
ed another day. Saturday, however,
promised to DO the day of days, yet alas
of some half dozen cases assigned, half
of the accused failed to appear. Cue
man tried and found guilty of carrying
concealed acsapoas. As this was distri-
buring justice with lavished hand, the
same fellow was tried for trespass, and
also found guilty. On this case half of
out OF the court room, and it is need !
less to say, were all colored, of this |
several held out for acqnittal,
not caring to convict anybody, and it |
was only after they found ont it had to
be a verdict of not guilty OF be locked |
up perhaps until Monday, aud thus miss |
their game of "craps,n that q verdict |
was obtained. To sum up d weeks ex- |
perienee: Accepted as juror on three |
cases, one of which an order to isoEls |
pros by the court was entered and two /
tried and found guilty, challenged by
defense on one case.
Not more than five cases were tried I
the frat Nseis. Surely at this rate of
speed court would have to run twelve
months in the year, and the docket
would be full at the end. The second
and third weeks seventeen cases were
,ried, resulting in only four additional
convictions. Why ahepld all the res
be thrust upon the jury Is
t the jury's fault that out of a20 cases
IN the docket, only twenty-five were
to trial Z Is it the jury's fault
hat in four days of the first week not a
Ease was tried.
for the first week, when there
AZ oU A1uuj SlIJ CGSGS Vu eiiO uUCh6t,
where the accused and witnesses could
20 brought into court upon moments
lotice
Why consume the time of the court in
making assignments when the State is
lot fully prepared toenter trial, there
~ entering mol pros, or making re-
OF what avail to raise the standard of
he regular venire, and then allow one
II more rag-tag negroes (ls talesmen)I
o sit on q case. IL the law contem-
,lates the selection Of good, intelligent
nen, only, as jurors, why are ignorant I.
legroes selected as talesmen7
Then, again, should you produce
Welve men of good fepute, men who
ONE up the standard, is it not equally
ecessary that the linz of prosecution
10 minutely mapped out, aud present
he States case to the jury in such a
1anner as will admit of no doubt as to
he guilt. of the accused Fl
And now. dear Adrocete, with all due |
espect to your views, and the same to
he court and it's officers, come with me .
little further: The bad talesmen must
o eliminated as we'll aa the regular
enire. and then give us sucl prompt
nd vigorous prosecution as was never
ad before, and East Baton Rouge ius- [
ice will not be as oDe-sided as Of late
riminals will not be SO plentiful in our
arisll and, while the criminal expen-
ps may not be lessened, we will at least
ave value received. HI