The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-06-08
GRAND JURORS FOR LIFE.
THE SMALL BobY OF NEW VINO SEREE
EUR Years ~ TINS CAPACITY.

MnIea II Necessary that They Shall II
Men Of Experience In Grand Jury Dut
victorian Foreman FoSdlck Describe
the Routine In .ho Grand Jury Room
How many citlzons OF New York know tina
ono OF the most powerful engines for tho nd
minstratOn Of Justice, the Grand Jury, 4
made up OF u small and permanent body O
mon, each OF whom assumes this most import
ant public duty one month In every twelve, yea
alter year? A Grand Juror in New York Is
Grand Juror for liio. Onco upon tho panel
which is only u littlo larger than enough L
supply tho monthly draft for twelve months
he stays there for life. or until disability, re
moval. or some legal exemption takes him OF
lie la suro to be drawn for service once durInl
Onch year, and then no must give month o
his time to the service Of tho country for The
pnl'ry compensation OF SO n day. unless. per
chance, no con ofror some good excuse which .
Judge will accept for his not serving.
Tho permanent Grand Jury system Is prob
ably peculiar to Now York. Toa certain extent
It. Is an outcome OF tho immense growth OF the
business OF the criminal courts. No Grand
Jury Of IN celaneous selection and without
experience could accomplish twenty per cent.
ot tho work done under the present system.
Fo II has como to pass almost OF necessity that
the criminal law in this metropolis 10 admins
tered by professional jurymen. 1t Is a matter
Of SURPRISE under the circumstances that the
Grand Jury system OF New York has retained
such dcscrvedIy strong hold upon public con-
flcnce. II Is universally recognized rs an In
corruptih,e fearless body OF men. sound in
sense and In morals. Its Investigations arc
thorough and its conclusions are respected.
How has this confidence been maintained
under a sytem which In some sense seems I'M
democratic? The secret lies In tho selection Of
SH"n FOR the service. II Is fact which will sur
prise most people that all the Jurors for oil tho
cour in this big town are drawn from body
o. mon numbering below 900. All others ere
exempted from Jury service either by law or
Nv custom. The law exempts q great many.
Including physicians lawyers, cerGymen. and
rublic officials, Federal State. and city. It 80
fGprens. therefore, that most OF those who
have heen unable on one pretext or another to
escape service are summoned for petit jury
duty on an average about every twelve months
II is q serious matter to most men to be thus
called upon to give almost one-twelfth OF their
time for mere pittance to public service. hut
the frequent experience proves valuable to tho
country. for. after man has served aoce ptably
for fow terms as q petit Juror. he 10 promoted
20 the Grand Jury panel Tho selections are
made deliberately and with q good deal Of
care by tho Commissioners OF Jurors. There
IS no lottery about It, as most people suppose.
and every man on tho list is an experienced
Survman.
The Grand Jury panel is revised in septem-
her by the Commissioners Of Jurors. and then
II remains unchanged for the year beginning
on Oct. 1. The panel at the beginning of the
year contains 600 names. and generally a few
more as a margin of safety. The list is care
fully gone over by tho Commissioners: the
names Of those who have died or who nre sick
az disabled or who have moved away are
10 be IN fact good, men and true" are added |
SG the list and as Long as the
Grand jury panel OF New York will continue |
to he an honorable roll.
jury duty. II is o choice between service on
u" rnnd or petit Jury. every man prefers to
vastly more varied and Interesting. and |
i" pes the long duh hours Of court room |
So" l"" Il aman gets released from Grand |
wheie he is worse Off than ever unless he can |
get another lenlent Judge to release him a
The selection Of the members of the Grand
Jury Jury from month NJ to month e done by lot
lnonSd some time during the Year. but he does does
EgT bs the n9 month Of sfTrce Con-
regarding the exact time Of service seems
R"arcoly necessary. It, would, no doubt be
:
II they knew the month of service. so that they
might shape ther bust ness affairs to conform
with the public demands upon their time. The
inmeS OF those unon the panel are put into
lottery wheel before the Court meets each
month and fifty names are drawn out. These
ZANE yenr so that when the last drawing Of
the twelve has taken place the wheel Is almost
hs y sof9 hHyS
the opening day Of The, General Sessions Court.
on an average about thirty-elght respond. The
nj ntIa
excuse. From, the thirty.eiCht the Court Sc
lects twenty-three to serve as Grand Jurors
foreman. generally veteran who has served
4 the same capacity several times before and
lien the mill begins TO grind
More essential almost than the efficient COM
position OF the Grand Jury itself is the selec-
ton OF the right kind OF foreman. Upon him
and Intelligent despatch Of business He Is
the .moYthpiece. Of the Grand Jury in al Its in,
IL must he thoroughly posted in certain legal
I"rmnlT and In the general rules Of evidence,
besides helIg az keen as q criminal lawyer In
New York is perhaps more Indebted than to
mn, other private citizen for the maintenance
i G{lcf tIs fSSe%an q he "st Grqnd jury
Ehich has Just finished its months abors.
RI IS served NsG tbs y n Rev
'nrk regularly in the Grand Jury room for ten
M FodGk EGs O. tho Grand
q WINS drawn to serve again in eight months.
I somnt'mes haDpens, as in the case OF a man
n the Grand Jury last September. that Juror
nay he, obliGed to serve two months consecu-
i,ely the months being In different Jury years
Mr. Fosdick Ia nm old-scbool veteran OF erect
Ill tnry figure. a ert, nervous, and forceful IN
II he says md does. He Is a leather manu-
lctnrer at 90 Spruce street. and when his
us mess Is not roo much interfered with no
glad to perform the responsible duties OF
roman o. the Grand jury. Judge. Jurors.
nd District Attorney are always glad when be
! drawn for service. for he has no equal in
he Now York Grand Jury room In thorough
Necutiye ability and the mower to expedite
usiness, while going almost by intuition d.
act to the bottom OF every case presented
lr Investigation.
The Grand jury room Ia by law star cham
or and It's secrets are remarkably we'll
uarded; hut there is no secret about the
,annor in which the work Ia done Foreman I
osdtck readily described the regular routine
tho Grand Jury room the other day when {
e1ucE:ed 10 do so by a reporter. I
AFTER rerolying It's Instructions from the !
ndg".' bHid no tho Grand Jury goes to its :
nom AMI StnrtB right in on tho months work I
q receive from the court and from the District 1
ttprne; 1 oltlco all the papers In criminal {
nS"s, WlhIh have como from the police courts {
M eisewhcre and having manned out the work :
e' sos arc admitted one at a time and are ex- {
!, mined .H by the foreman Whom he has finished. {