The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-02-02
NEWS FROM NEAR BY.
HOW A MAN BECAME A CITIZEN
WITHOUT KNOWING 1T.
The Occur d'AIene BIockade-same
Old Lightning Rod Takers - The
Colgate Relief Party Returns.

Livingston, Jan. "a rather anus
|ing incident occurred in the district
Icourt the other day. A jury was being
secured in the Northrup murder case
and the court room was crowded. The
regular panel had been exhausted and
about forty special jurors had been in
terrogated by the state and excused
by the court because they had shown
themselves to be disqualified. Most of
the afternoon had already been con-
sumed in trying to secure a jury of
twelve good men and true who had not
formed opinions which would take evil
denoe to remove, concerning the guilt
or innocence of the accused, and still
the panel was incomplete. It began to
look as though another would have to
be issued. This being Northrup's third
trial the costs in the case had already
amounted to thousands of dollars, and
so when one juror otherwise qualified
to try the case, was about to be ex-
cused because he was an alien, Judge
Henry determined to exercise his au-
thority and make the said alien a full
fiedged American citizen right then and
there. 1t was all done so quickly that
j. D. Bower, the victim, was momen-
tarilly dazed and in his eyes was a
wilder look than in those of the pris-
oner who was about to be placed on
trial for his life.
The court was cognizant of the fact
that the juror had declared his inten-
ton to become a citizen of the United
States, and in stern way, said:
''Mr Bower, when did you take out
your first papers?"
Ten years ago. answered the juror
in a tremulous voice.
"Where?"
In Minnesota"
Have you the papers now?"
"Ye-no; that is, have them at
home
What country are you a native OFF"
Canada
tana?"
Five years."
Addressing the members of the bar,
Judge Henry then asked:
do any of you gentlemen know Mr.
Bower?"
Receiving an affirmative reply from
Attorneys Allan R. Joy and A. J. Camp
bell, the courts aid:
Gentlemen, be sworn
The clerk administered the proper oath
and the two witnesses, in response to
the interrogations of the court, stated
that Mr.. Bower had been a resident of
the state Tor at least flVe years, was a
man of good moral character, attached
to the principles of the Constitution
Iof the United States and we'll disposed
to the good order and happiness of the
same.
Stand up" said the court
'Be swornr' said the clerk
Although not fully comprehending the
meaning of all this, Mr.. Bower arose
and raised his right hand while the
clerk administered the following oath
of allegiance in a very rapid manner:
you do solemnly swear that you will
support and defend the Constitution of
the United States of America, and that
you do absolutely and entirely renounce
and abjure all allegiance and fidelity
to every foreign prince, potentate, state
or sovereignty whatever, and particu-
larly to Victoria, queen of Great Brit
ain and Ireland and empress of India;
so help you God?''
For a moment the juror hesitated, as
|if he didn't know whether to say yes
or no, but finally replied, Il do" and
sank down in his chair.
The whole thing occurred in less time
than it takes to tell it, and Mr. Bower
was so taken by surprise that he
doesn't know now whether he re-
nounced allegiance to Queen Victoria
or Queen Liliuokalani.- Anaconda
Standard.