The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-12
GRAND JURORS IN TROUBLE.
EACH EMITTED HIS POCKETS TO
PROVE HIS INNOCENCE.

nat Suh0enly Disappeared anu
How 1t Is Said to Have Come TO
Light-A Mysterious oath That No
One Violated.
Eighteen United States Court grand ju
rorsto free themselves from suspicion, yes
terday, turned out the contents of their
pockets on the table In the grand jury
room. And in the curious mixtures that
filled. but failed to adorn, the green baize
a solitary counterfeit silver dollar, bright
as though fresh from the mint. stared all
il the face as silent evidence that it had
really disappeared.
1t was the recrudescence of this dollar
that the district attorney was after when,
in the name of the law, he is believed to
have requested the gentlemen of the grand
jury to absOlve themselves from suspicion.
The dollar had been on the table, and pres
TO, the dollar was gone. Money flies, but
it takes hands for it to pass from sight
The windows were down, the door had
been locked that none of the mysteries OF
that chamber of indictments should pass
to the world beyond there was not even a
crack through which the dollar might
nave winged its way The key was in the
hole, and a quarter could not have slipped
through. even had it not been closed. The
district attorney was embarrassed but he
could not be recreant to the great respon-
sibilites upon him.
Gentlemen of the grand jury" the walls
of the room are said to have heard him
say, the days of miracles have gone.
The dollar was here; it must be here now.
There were five. there are now four Like
the shepherd upon the hillside, must seek
The wanderer from the fold. Where is the
missing dollar?"
Each grand juror is said to have looked
at all the others with the conviction OF
absolute innocence stamped upon
his own -ountenance Each face
Plainly said: (Which 70 you
men has got that doliar?" Personal
guilelessness and mutual distrust were
| blended. And then there came the pause
! OF aWkwardness that precludes the clear
ing of the atmosphere when suspicion is
fife.
There had been five dollars on the table.
/ all counterfeit. Every grand juror could
/ have sworn 10 that The spurious coins
| had been presented for. their consideration
! in case the government was making out
| against one Smith, of Valdosta, charged
| with passing bogus money. The testimony
| had been gone into and the case had been
| concluded. Whether the government had
made out its case viii not be known mill
| the indictments are returned The district
| attorney proceeded to gather up the rnuM
| witnesses of crime.
! zone, two, three, four" said the prose-
! cutor, as he picked up the coins. f'TbeA,
is another one somewhere"
Every grand juror looked hard at the
taplo' but the table refused to give up its
secret Every grand juror pushed back his
4 chair and looked on the floor. Rut tbe
CLEAN of no unlawfully minted dollar met
| their eyes. There was a hastv search
/ everywhere but the dollar stiu remained
| missing
The gravity of the district attorneys
| face had become painful in its intensity
| Ihere was an earnestness in his ewes. and
a ring unlike that of the counterfeit in his
| voice. As though pronouncing sentence
upon the perplexed jurors ne declared that
the dollar must be found before anv one
left the room. Visions Of an all night So
! Journ came upon the jurors and there was
! a determined scanning of every place that
! the coin might have got to, but to no pur-
pose.
Every juror was positive that some other
juror than he had last handled the dollar
Everyone wished that the dollar ana the
man who made II were both in some other
cline. The clouds without were bright
ness beside the gloom within Bread and
| water and solitary cell were all among
the possibilities. Unless the dollar were
found no one could tell what might rot
happen.
1t was an unpleasant suggestion to
make, but some one made it. 1t might
have been the district attorney. or it
might have been the foreman of the Jury.
Whoever thought of it, the idea was not
long in being carried out Every Juror
was requested to 'show up" And then
! there came q disclosure of the contents
of mans pockets that would have stirred
establishment within a school teacher ac-
cust0med TO rihing boys of the assorted
miscellanies that weight them down at
times From capacious- recesses came
knives. small coin, plugs of tobacco,
string, toothpicks, tidbits of lead pencils,
and other useful if not costly, articles.
As each grand juror deposited his pile
upon the table before him he smiled in
triumph and looked at his neighbors' col
lections. Even the juror that pulled out
the missing dollar is said 10 have beamed
cheerfully upon the district attorney and
| hastily glanced around the table to catch
| the cuiprit. 5uL everywhere he met re-
proachful, accusing eyes. Sadness and
sternness are said to have been personifed
in the person of the district attorney
'"The dollar has been found" said he
"wiH the gentleman pass it this way?"
Blushing like an American Beauty, with
tropidation in every movement, the grand
juror picked up the coin. AS il reached
him the district attorney is believed to
have counted them again. There were five
and there was a sigh of satisfaction. in
which all joined, when the prosecuting Of
ficer smiled and the gloom of the room
melted away like mists before the sun
Each grand juror picked up his property
and returned it 70 his pocket. And then
so it is rumored, they all took another
oath, an oath as sacred as that of a thirtv-
third degree Mason, that not one syllable
of an this should ever be known beyond
the four walls Of that room.
WANTS $4,000 DAMAGES.