New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-08
UNEARTHING JURY FRAUDS.
AN INVESTIGATION IN PROGRESS.
IMMUNITY FROM SERVICE OFFERED 70 BUSINESS
MN IN RETURN FOR MONEY.

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arrest man who is described tall, slim, rather
good looking and young, who has peeh >iShi"s
men called to do jury duty, and for consideration
ranging all the way from so TO so. promising
to have the citizens called 10 serve their city III
this way relieved from that duty. II has been
pretty well known for some time that GER
tain men have not been called upos to do jury
duty The reasons for this condition OF affairs
have been limited at many times, but IT has peeh
some years since it became publicly known tIa'
any man was making business OF doing 'his
sort Of thing.
On thc Saturday night before the 'Bonncr-llam-
mersten trial. which was held in April, young
man called AT the house of Mr.. Wiegand, VINO
had been drawn OH the panel from which the
Jurors who were to try this case were 10 pe Sc
| lcctcd Mr.. Wicgand lives in Harlem. When the
stranger reached his home, Mr.. and Mrs "legahu
were preparing to 20 out for the evening 10 an en-
tertanmcnt which was to be given py one Oh 'ne
Harlem German societies that evening Inc
stranger found his way past the servant ana went
10 the dining-room. where the head OF the iamii!
AT that moment happened 10 he.
He introduced himself by saying: Mr. Wiegah"
Won have been drawn to serve upon the jury next
week. but if You want 10 get ont OF II, can in IL
for YOU for n small sum of money.
] 40 not knOW WIN w" "i'' '''' -'''
il reported 10 have said. &" ! do not want 10 get
out Of doing jury duty, but | do waht you 10 gc'
cut Of this house.
N this the stranger went away, and Mr..
Wjerand thought nothing more about the affair
until Inc was in the juryroom after the Bonner
Tammerstcin case had been sent To the jury
Then he accidcnty made some mention OF IT, ana
10 his surprise three other members OF the jury
had much the same story TO relate. The four
Jurors thcn compared notes. and the DESCRIPTION
which each Of the jurors gave Of the young man
showed that the same person had called upon all
Of them How .Iudg. Van Brunt. before whom
the trial took plac" learned of the attempted eN-
tortion /, -t:ll unsettled. Several widely dit
fcrcn. stories are told by those interested. II is
.aid by one court officer that William II. Ricketts,
one of the jury clerks overheard the members oi
the iurv discuss the case and that lie told M
1udgc Another story for which Mr. Ricketts,
himself is responsible j. that the jurors were
heard talking about ii on an elevated trall
as they were returning to their homes
after the verdict had been handed IN ana thcy
were dismissed. At any rate. Judge Van Bruh'
cent for Mr.. Byrncs and put him III possession ol
All thc facts that he had secured The Superin-
tcndcnt then put Detectives Heidelberg and Dali
ton on the case. The detectives SAW the Jurors
who lal bccn 1pprtafNfl bN INV NNHHr huhh WIZ
had offered 10 free them from doing jury duty
and secured ~ good description OF
him ns possible. The jurors also were
placed where they could see the four subpoena
servers who are employed in the Sherif's
Office but no one Of these was the person
for whom the detectives were looking. For somc
reason bcrt known to himself Judge Van Brunt
did not say anything to Sheriff German abcnt thr
affair and the detective lad been Il work upon
thc case for several days before the Sheriff knew
ANYTHING about it.. Then il came TO him from lbs
under sheriff John D. Seeon, who had heard Oh u
in some mysterious manner. The Sheriff also TOOK
a, hand nj trying to find out who the man was
who had been offering 10 sell exemption from
irv duty hut hc has not been any more successful
than Supcrintcndcnt Bvrncss men have been.
IIc too sent for the four jurors and questioned
them closely. and they each told about the same
story.
Rnmors that an investigation OF THIS kind haa
been going on were circulated yesterday afternoon
A. first they assumed huge proportions. ana IL
WIS said that wholesale business had been done III
Getting business men free from jury dnty MI "i
the official, who had anything t. do with the
case or were in any way interested, at first were
inclined 10 lc absolutely silent about it, but when
they heard the rumors that were in circulation
al c>ccpt Judge Van l,runt told all that would he
Told without injnring IL" prospects of catching
thosc who were connected with the scheme.
Sheriff German was seen at his home in East
Scycnty-sccondst by Tribune reporter III the
afternoon. He said that il was true that
some one had been promising 10 get men
relieved from attending trials "a jurors II they
would give him money enough
We do not know who the man Is who mas
bccn doing this kind Of business. Int am sure
that he is no one who is connected with the
Shcrn's Office in any way. There are ohiy iouf
,I,ocno- server. in my Office AM | have abso-
n,. confidence in all Of them | an certain that
thcy are gutlcss of any connection win the
affair"
Mr. Ricketts,. the court officer. was also seen
bv The Tribune reporter at his home in Ma i'son-
ave.
An that know about the case,
ne said. is that this man Wiesind,
,,h, vus on the Bonner llammcrsteln
Jury. told about his experience with a man who
had forced his way into Mr. Wcgand's dining
room "A day or two before the trial began and
nromscd 10 have him taken from the jury If IA
certain sum of money was paid do not under
stand that any specified amount was named. After
the Juror told his story three other members had
about the same thing to tell. That is all that
Judge Van Brunt, who brought Superintendent
Rvrncss attention to the attempted cNtorion, posi-
lively refused to gee reporter in relation to the
ease.
Superintendent Byrncs was leaving Police Head
ou,rtcrs late i'm the afternoon when a Tribune
reporter made inquiries about the attempted en-
tortion. and he said Il WAS called into an IN
ycstication by Judge Van Brunt, ana
| have had some Of the detectives
engaged in attempt 10 trace s'me
of the eases of supposed extortion. 1t would
appcar that somebody had been going to business
men who received notice to serve on Jurics, ana
Offering 10 get them excused for various sums
s,o or 81 90 in some cases. The fact was brought
,o the notice of Judge Van Brunt by one Of the
mon who had been approached Thus far we
have not been able to discover to what extent
,re practicc has been carried on:
'''. rTa'o any arn,t, been made" the reporter