The morning call., 1892-01-10
SELECTING JURORS.

Our readers know as a matter of fact that
at the first of each year the Superior Judges
select 5000 names from the assessment roll
and the Great Register to serve as trial
jurors throughout the year. But what our
readers do not know, unless specially in
formed, is the process by which many Of
these persons are relieved from jury duty
A CALL reporter detailed to get the exact
facts of the case finds that these 5000 names
are handed to the County Clerk, who re-
writes them, with addresses on a core
spending number Of small! slips, and they
are dumped. in miscellaneous confusion,
into the large trial-juTy box, Of which the
law makes him (the County Clerk) the Gus
todian. These names are drawn out from
time to time, as jurors are required, always
By order Of the Court, and usually about 80
at a time. The County Clerk personally at
tends TO the drawing and the names are en-
tered on the court record as fast as they come
Out0fthe box, always one at time. \ list IS
then prepared for the Sheriff. who q, tails
deputies to 20 out and summon the persons
whose names are drawn. Up to this
point everything appears fair. There
are 5000 good names from whom trial
jurors are to be drawn. But for one
reason and another but few Of these
men serve. Although names end addresses
are given the deputies, about One-third are
reported as mot found" Personal service
is made. If possible, but service by notice Is
legal. But while service by notice is legal
great many are reported as mot found"
But the not-found" list is apparently
part Of a system Persons summoned as
jurors who have influence or are willing TO
ray f0r an excuse from jury duty are &C
counted for on this list Our reporter gives
the following as the record of one criminal
court for portion Of last year. On the eth
of January, 1891, in Department ., the court
ordered $50 names to be drawn from the
iury-box. The Sherif's return is as fol
lows. Served in person, 43; served by no
tice. AS, not fouEd, 80. Four days later 46
names were drawn and the returns showed
that il were served in person, Il served by
notice and q were not found. On Febru-
AIRY 9TH there was another drawing Of $50
names, of whom 81 we're served in person,
81 by notice and 46 not found. In less than
two months $40 Jurors were drawn 10y ona
Judge, including veniIeS amounting TO 80
drawn from the body Of the county. In
view of the fact that there are twelve de-
pdTJmeutS Of the superior court ana O"I
5000 jurors allowed for all, the number
drawn by Department > indicates that the
principal Jury duty is done by persons sum-
moued from the body of the people, whose
names, Of course. were not in the jury-boX
1t is these specially summoned jurors who
are relied upon to "hang" juries when an
acqui,;al is impossible. The Sheriff is con-
fIput that his Office IS not used by jury
brokers, and we do not intend TO cast any
doubt on his disclaimer. BE does not know
that it is so used. But the bosses have
forced him to employ a number of the mem
bers Of tie last Legislature as deputies and
there is much reason to fear that an in
innate connection between these deputies
and the 'not-f0und" list mag be traced.