The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-10
ED. ROGERS THREAT
STIFFENED UP THE BACKBONE OF
COUNTY ATTORNEY ANDERSON
TUESDAY AFTERNOON.
ABOUT TO ADMIT CHALLENGE
WHICH PIERCE BUTLER MADE AS
TO LEGALITY OFF JURY
PANEL.
CLERK OF THE COURTS SAID NO.
Told Anderson He Would Denounce
Him in Open Court, Which Broke
the Hypnotic Spell.
ABOUT TO ADMIT CHALLENGE
CLERK OF THE COURTS SAID NJ

Clerk of Courts E. G. Rogers having
slept over his grievance against the
county attorney, which arose Tuesday
afternoon during the examination of
jurors In the Stevens trial, was in a
cooler frame of mind yesterday Re-
ferrlng to what took place in the court
room; Mr.. Rogers said:
when Pierce Butler declared that
he would challenge the entire panel
of jurors, on the ground that the ju-
rors had been Illegally drawn and
made illusions to what he termed g
stuffed jury box, naturally 1 wanted
the truth of the matter to be brought
out, in justice to myself. Deputy Clerk
Fitzgerald was on the witness stand,
and all that the county attorney had to
do was to ask him to explain how
the petit jury panels are selected III
stead of that, he did not offer to cross
examine Mr.. Fitzgerald, but remained
silent and seemed inclined to go no
further if not to admit the challenge.
1t was by the merest chance that [
happened to be in the court room a.
the time. The first intmation L re-
ceiVed that something was wrong came
from Deputy Clerk Sundberg, who came
over where l was standing and told me
that he had heard that the county al
torney intended to admit the chal-
ference with County Attorney Ander-
SON. Mr.. Anderson told me that he
felt inclined to admit the challenge.
declared that if he did l would de-
nounce him before the open court. l
insisted that he proceed with the ex-
animation of Mr.. Fitzgerald relative to
the manner in which jurors are drawn
or else put me on the stand for the
purpose, in order that l might explain
the whole matter, and so protect my
self. But by this time Mr.. Butler
withdrew his challenge and that ended
the matter"
The county attorney has since, as
the G b e said, disclaimed that ne
had any intention of admitting the
challenge.
LAS for the method of selecting juries
in Ramsey county, I can only say that
there has not been the slightest de-
parture from that followed before
assumed the office of clerk of courts
AT the end Of June each year there
are always from $50 to 200 names left
in the box, none of which have been
drawn out during the year. Now, I'M
der the express sanction of the judges
of the district court, these names are
permitted to remain in the box and
to them are added the 1500 or 1000 ad-
ditlonal names selected every summer
by the judges Of the district court the
mayor and county assessor. There
after some 125 names are drawn out
every two weeks, beginning in October.
Now in the particular case of Juror
Upper, whose appearance in the
Stevens case led to the challenge Mr.
Upper was one of those jurors whose
name was left in the box a year ago.
1t so happened that his name was
among those selected by the judges,
mayor and assessor last July, they, Of
course, not knowing that his name
was still in the box. Consequently his
name went in again. This time, how
ever. it was drawn out, first during last
November and again for this June
term. 1t sometimes happens in cases
like these that a man is drawn twice
in two consecutive weeks. but he is
not obliged to serve but for one term
of two weeks in any single year"