The Anaconda standard., 1896-04-07
Butte Department.
WITH MANY EXCUSES
Men Who Would Rather Not Serve
on the Trial Jury.
PRETEXTS THAT DON'T HOLD
Some Pleaded Ignorance or the
English Language, Deafness
and Business engagements
Those Retained.

Judge Mediation impaneled a new
trial jury yesterday morning to serve
during the present session of court
and the usual number or amusing ex-
cuses were offered for the purpose OF
avoiding jury duty. John Runa,
Swiss. asked to be excused because he
could not understand the English IAN
guage perfectly although he had been
20 years in the milk business and the
court asked him If he had any diff
Guilty in understanding his customers
Don't use much language In the
milk business" was Ruffa's answer.
The court was of the opinion that a
man who has lived in the United
States 20 years ought to be sufficiently
familiar with the English language 10
make a fair. average juror. but later
he was excused.
William Matthes, one Of the old-tim-
ers, told the court in very good En-
glish that he was not familiar with the
language, but he was persuaded that
he knew more than he thought he did.
II want to be excused, your honor"
said another.
What is your excuse?'
'Well, this is my busy season"
This is my busy season, too" said
Judge Mediation.
All AiShNs Sdi0 thO JoACA o4AN ~ -
mained on the panel.
Cyrus Page and Morris Powers were
excused on account of deafness and
this suggested the idea TO another
juror that he might get off on the same
excuse.
IF it please your honor" he said. II
don't believe 1 would make a compe-
tent Juror as I have only one good
ear"
do you have difficulty in under
standing ordinary conversations" asked
the court.
'If / get my good ear to the person
talking can get along all right"
There will be nothing to prevent you
getting In that position" replied the
court. and the one-eared juryman took
his seat.
A station tender at one of the mines
didn't want to risk a serious accident
or great mining calamity by putting
another man in his place, but Judge
Mediation thought there were other
men who could do the work safely.
Several men were excused on ac-
count of serious sickness in their fam
ilies and one man was let off because
he had a large family to support and
had just succeeded in getting a job
which he was afraid of losing If he
were compelled to serve on the jury.
A man named Williams was excused
on the ground that he was in the en-
ploy of the receiver of the Gray Rock
mine as foreman.
A man with a badly battered face
said he would like to be excused be-
cause he had been thrown out of a
cart on Saturday and was badly
shaken up. He said his shoulder look
ed worse than his face but ne did not
convince the court that he suffered so
much that he could not serve as a
juror.
A pawnbroker said he was very busy
and could not spare the time to do jury
. duty but he will be required to serve
just the same.
Another man said he would not
make a good Juror because he was no
scholar, had very little education and
could read and write only a little. He
proved himself a competent juror and
was retained.
they had served on the jury at the
last session OF court.
One man wanted to be let off be-
cause he was running a saloon in Cen
terville and had no one to look after
the business for him.
II would just as soon be a juror as
saloonkeeper, and would probably
make Just as much money. but can't
neglect my business" said he, but the
excuse did not go with the court.
One of the publishers of a weekly
paper thought his occupation of re-
molding public opinion would take up
all his time but the court had an idea
the public would survive IL mold"
or two were missed and the publisher
will do jury duty for a while.
A man with three motherless chill
dren to look after was afraid he would
be locked up on some case and the
children would be uncared for The
court excused him. Another man want
ed to be let of because he served on a
jury year ago but he will be required
TO serve again this year. and an archi-
tect who thought the men working for
him could not get along without his
constant presence will have TO do fury
duty and attend to his other work at
the same time.
One fellow who could not speak En-
glish and was also so drunk that he
could barely navigate was permitted
10 go. Several men were excused be-
cause they were not full citizens and
the following were retained on the
panel and ordered to report for duty
on Wednesday morning: O. L. Baer.
Allen Beebe. Frank Boucher. James /.
Broughton, A X. Buchanan. Daniel
Carroll. L. j. DAILY. John Driscor T. III.
Dunstan. Lee Freudenstein, Malcolm
Gillis, Joseph Grennen. William
Hawke, John Hooking. Fred p. Hol-
brook. Thomas Knucky, James Leyden.
William Matthes. Charles r. Miller. u
L. Morrison. John Olson. William II
Perry. w. b. Robertson, Edward Rose.
Clinton Sloan, Peter A. Smith. Richard
Thierman, Arthur Thomas. Richard
Thomas. r. j. Tonkin, Henry wais-
man. Henry Wasley. Josiah Youlton.