The San Francisco call., 1895-11-03
A JURORS STORY.
How |. j. Truman Felt and Acted
While Trying the
Case

Judge Murphy did not order US locked
up In room every night during the trial
and for that L am truly thankful said I.
). truman last evening as he told of his
personal experiences during the time he
was juror. "All of my friends have been
kind enough to me to express their COM
miseratlon over the time have lost and
inconyeniences l have been put 10, but
when | think that, had his Honor deemed
1t advisable, we all could have been locked
up in stuffy, ill-ventilated pen every
night during the last three months, all my
troubles become trivial in comparison. L
shudder to even contemplate the awful
possibility.
But his Honor, in his great wisdom,
placed his faith in us, and [ for one can
say that his trust was not misplaced or
abused. We were allowed to leave the
courtroom and go out among our friends
and reside at our homes with our families
and, aside from the restraint placed upon
US regarding discussion of the case and the
interference with our business, my life, for
one, went on Just about the same as usual.
OF course could not leave the City at any
time since July %, although at times it
seemed imperatiyely necessary for me
to do so. During the weeks adj
journment that we got, toward
eA4O S4AN Va hLC ti4aA3 W NiICli -AIiOA4ACy DOO-
prey was trying to recover sufficiently to
appear before us in an argument, | man.
aged to get out of town and run down on
my ranch near Mountain View for a few
hours. Aside from that, however, l have
| not been out of San Francisco since the
| trial began.
"Of course my business has suffered.
The hours of the court and those of a
business man are identical.
a. used to get down TO nv Office before
the janitOr did in the morning. l made a
practice OF getting up early-it always
| seemed just after midnight--and of catch
| ing one of the first cars downtown. By
| O'Clock | was as deeply interested in my
| business as L ordinarily am at 10.
81 worked steadily up to 10 minutes
of 10, when my clerk had orders to call
me for the court. 1t takes Just that many
minutes to reach the courtroom in the
| City Hall from my office. l had my move
ments timed TO the second and could gauge
| the time exactly. AtnoOn l would be able
to get about hfty-five minutes for business
again. After adjournment of the court al
4 or 4:30 usually returned and spent my
time in the Office until dark.
II did not make many social or business
calls during the trial. Wherever | did go
! though, l found every one most thought
| ful and considerate, and, with the excep-
tion of Secretary Mccoy, no one ever men.
| toned the matter III my presence. Often
l have dropped in on knot OF friends, and
| almost invariably my presence created g
| strained silence for few minutes. | al.
ways understood the situation, however
and either withdrew or suggested some
other topic of conversation.
Il read the papers regularIy-that is, ]
read everything of interest to me except
/ the account of the case. Whenever my
eye fell upon a headline containing the
prohibited matter l OF course skipped 1t OF
turned the page. The columns of matter
| concerning the various plausible theories
advanced, which did not come out in the
trial, 1 have not heard of until to-day.
"For Durrants family I, in common
sympathy. Their grief, however, is be
yond human consolation and while W,
were deeply conscious OF this phase of tn,
affair it could not influence US in arrivin,
at a verdict"