The morning call., 1893-04-04
THE LAWS DELAY.
Six Hundred Men Exam
ined and No Jury Yet.
The Sheriff Forced to Summon Jury
men From the Bystanders-A
Highlander Under Trial.

Six hundred citizens have been dragged to
the City Hall to serve as 1urymen to try
Lee Sing for murder, and seven Of them
did not come for nothing.
At the present rate. about 100 will have
been lnterrogsted as to their qualification.
rejected and dismissed ere twelve good men
and true eau be obtained and the trial COM
meDced.
If the object to be obtained in convictIng
the highlander is to be commensurate with
the cost in time and trouble Of citizens and
cash Of the city, il must mean either that
the community IS in pressing need of the
example and warning which the conviction
OF the Chinaman will furnish, or else that
the time of San Francisco business men IS
BOT valued very highly.
On last Monday thirty or forty jurors
were in attendance in Judge Daingeffeld's
court, and after an argument BY VI. NJ.
COfey, the defendants attorney, on the legal
sutiicency Of the return of the Sheriff, the
prosecution proceeded to empanel the Jury.
1t was $3.50 O'Clock and the court re-
marked that no more could probably be
done that afternoon than empanel the jury.
The court was right. One man was OBJ
tained.
Every day one man was obtained.
Meanwhile other criminals waiting to be
tried languished In Jail.
And the Judge, the clerk, the bailiff. the
shorthand reporter and the assistant prose-
cutting attorney continued TO draw their
salaries out Of the city treasury.
Yesterday three whole venres of Jurors,
mum erinR about 600 in all, had passed into
the jnry-boX and gone out again. at 30
O'Clock seven men had been obtained
OF course the fault is not solely in the
system by which men may be rejected for
cause by the prosecution and defense
The main reason for tho
delay is found in the fact that all man has
to do to be excused from service Is TO say
that he wouldn't believe a Chinansan under
oath. That let's him out Of the box in
moment.
So, when John Smith wants to get back to
his hardware business, he answers under
oath that he wouldn't believe Chinaman
under any circumstances.
Some have other excuses, but such men
they more rlgldly examined, andi is not so
convenient.
When the last man Of the last venue
picked up his hat and sailed gayly out of
the courtroom Judge Daingeried was In
despair. 1t was only u o'clock, and 10
summon more men in the usual way would
necessltate the loss OF the entire afterno con.
In the interest Of economy, therefore. he
ordered the Sheriff TO summon men of
the county from among the bystanders,"
as 1t Is called in legal phraseology, that IS to
sally IoTth from the courtroom and collar
the City Ball, drag them in and make them
serve.
Mr.. COffey objected TO this mode of COM
pleting the jury, for reasons which he prob
ably understands himself, but which he
failed TO make evident to the court, who
Oyerrnled his objection, and the Sheriff
carried out the order. II was $780, however
before the work of getting more iurymen
was resumed, ana little was done.
One juror. Gustave Levy. cutlery and
hardware 1obber, implanted bitterly of his
privatiOn. He had been in attendance since
Tuesday, he said. and his business was suf-
fering greatly on account Of his enforced
absence.
Judge Daingerheld is alive to the gravity
oil the situation. He formally announced
yesterday afternoon that no more fiimsy ex-
cuses would be tolerated.
lie said that considerations of business
would no longer be accepted by the court,
ana that jurors would henceforth be exam
lhgd very infinitely as TO their qualifications.
Lee Sing himself looks weary. 1t Is not