The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-01-23
GETTING A JURY
LEONARD MURDER CASE CALLED
IN COURT YESTERDAY.

turoy heomanry-Only Two More Meu
Wanted But They are Hard to Get
Great Crowd of Spectators Attend the
Court With Women Predominating-
Evidence May Commence Today.
Yesterday morning the great murder
cas- Of the States of Kansas against
Irela Williamson-Leonard was com
r1elced in the district court with Judge
Dae presiding.
County Attorney Davis represented
sh' state, and S. B. Amidon and James
F. Conley, the defense.
Mrs. Leonard Will be tried separately
tom her ex-husband, Marion Will
ifms, and her son, Norville Williamson,
10Th of whom are accused Of the muir
Ger Jointly with her.
1t could be seen early in the morn
ing from the crowds that were headed
towards the Court house that the trial
would be the object of great public in
terest.
1t was the largest crowd ever in the
Court house, and the women exceeded
the men in numbers. Court Bailiff
Joe Furnish had his hands full all day
TO regulate the crowd to the best ad-
vantage and his line Of policy was TO
give the woman the front seats
All the seats were filled before 9
o'clock and every time the door opened
the people rubber necked," for there
was great anxiety 10 see the prisoner.
Promptly a o'clock she was brought
IN by JailOr Lee Cone, who had his hair
parted in the center for the occasion
and looked like regular Adonis
Many Of the curious spectators in
CURED whether Lee was the prisoners
son, and they all said, "he looks in
nocent, doesn't he?"
Mrs Williamson was not as nervous
looking as she has been on previous
occasions when the preliminary trial
was going on. She came into court in
an apparent Indifferent manner, and sat
WIN Lee Cone on one side of her and
her relatives, including her father,
brothers and sister on the other side.
she was dressed exactly the same as
when she was taken TO Jail.
Hear We, hear We, the District court
of Sedgwick county is now in session"
said Joe Furnish as Judge Dale took
his seat on the bench, and Immediately
the most profound silence prevailed.
The jury was called in and examined.
but only few Of the original panel
stood the test of the examination
Nothing was done from that time until
the court adjourned at o'clock but to
bring in and examine Jurors.
Three separate venires were examin-
ed, and there We're only ten men in the
box at the time of adjournment The
improbability Of getting a jury in the
city without an opinion was so appar-
ent that Judge Dale ordered a special
venire for the body of the county
These gentlemen are TO report at 9
O'Clock this morning and ii is very
likely that a full jury can be sworn
in by 10 o'clock
Judge Dale is rushing things and II IS
entirely probable that the case cannot
last more than two days at most, and it
may have ended before tomorrow noon.
1t Is very likely that neither of the ten
men now in the box will be challenged.
It IS hard for one to keep his temper
while a jury is being chosen. The law
yers ask, seemingly to the uninitiated,
some very foolish and apparently IN
necessary questions, and the jurors
make some very provoking answers.
It looks as If both the jurors and at
torneys would be more practical in their
replies and questions, but they will not
for some cause.
How, from the questions asked, and
the various causes for incompetency to
serve, q jury can be selected at all, is a
mystery.
If a juror reads the papers and forms
an opinion as to the guilt or innocence
of the defendant he Is fired bodily.
The most Of them say they read all
about the murder IN the papers and that
they formed no opinion as TO the guilt
or Innocence Of the parties charged
while some say that they read the
papers and the accounts Of the murder,
and did not even form an opinion as to
whether Henry Leonard was dead or
not How q man could read a seven
columns article In paper about local
murder, including the statement of the
man who found the body. the chief Of
police, the sheriff, the county attorney,
the county physician and the coroner,
TO say nothing of the account OF the
funeral the obituary notices, the lodge
resolution and the card Of thanks by
friends, and not have formed an opin-
ion as 10 whether the man was dead, is
Unexplsinabie When a Juror in reply
TO the county attorney, says he has
formed no opinion. that he can give the
case a fair and impartial hearing, that
he viii be governed by the law, evil
dence and instructions Of the court, and
thai be has no prejudice. either for or
against the defendant, one naturally
supposes that he is all right. but in a
minute he tells attorney for the defense
THAT he IS not tax payer. or that he is
opposed 10 capital punishment and he
is promptly fired.
AbouE O'Clock yesterday afternoon
County Attorney Davis and Judge Dale
agreed that 1t would save the court
time and the county expense, 10 ask the
most vital questions first. and il an
swerS Were satisfactory then PROFOUND
TIE less important questions. This
worked Ike charm, and about thirty
jurors were examined and found in
competent in less than an hour. The
main question asked was. Have You
an opinion as 10 the guilt or innocence |
of the defendant" Five out of every
six had and no more questions were
asked OF them.
a man named Simon Peter answered /
every question satisfactory until Ami .
don asked him if he was prejudiced
against capital punishment, and he
said he was
When III. J. Parrot was called he rails
ed his left hand 10 be sworn. Raise I
your tight hand" said the clerk Mr.. Z
Parrot was in q dilema- His right hand /
was disabled but the law said that his .
right hand should be raised. The peo-
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