Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-13
1Hfti.S III IiRlNEN.
Chapter of Amusing Stories of ,bc
'fo"d 'feu and True
From III. LINN Mil

FROM lite London Mail.
Although jUIies iii their collective car,c-
lily seem to be the embodiment of common
sei.se' taken indh idually they frequently
oehaNe IN the Stlangest manner. The
writer RENE mbers ease in which the Judge
"hen lie c@lhe 10 sum ~ noticed that one of
the JGiymen y as missing
Just as search was being instituted f,,
lhe deilr4Geai. = juror arose and said: Nv
lord, the gentleman has a s;cI, 5a,obt.,.
"ioSe Case Is 20 Je diagnosed at ) o'clock
TO-DAY ny a ce.e.nateu Specialist. Fearing
you Woi'-d not sNe ni:u permission. he l.f,
tiie hoA soon aI,er the court resumed ...,,-
ing his verdict with ne"
Inc l"Ige fen back on hearing This and
~ -. was S"I>e Il minute before he recovered
,.ia 1900 re coUnss.. OF course, waAed
WI h'S-t+ they La. NJ reason for ;t..,sr
Dc t-e ~uJournhlcnt OF ne case of Coz rs.
meant more lees. The Judge next nor.I,p,,
lned the absentee TO, wnIcn he could very
ven AFFORD to pay, he was living in a
mouse rated a ZOO a year
Special jUries, because they live in bouxas
rated at not less than t:JU a wear i'm NIdt,c-
sex, raised to tlVO for towns containing less
IMAM 2o,u0 inhabitants, are supposed 10
possess special qualifications tor irving
cases lnVolVlng technical and intricate as
sues. "
1t may be so. although personally most
people would tail TO see WHY the tenant of
muse iabti at l.)p Il year should not he
equally as intelligent as the gentleman who
kappeI-s to live in $50 dwelling. One
thing, however, is clear: Common jury
men, although they are not without weak
nesses, seldom guilty Of what might be
called downright foolisnness."
Not long ago special 1uryman, toward
the conclusion Of long trial. was taken
so ill that. after adjourning the case for a
day, the judge directed a fresh juror to be
sworn. IL Will scarcely be believed that
this juryman a few minutes after he had
entered the box, prompted by his col
leagues, rose and said:
My lord, ] have been in court all
through the ,rial"-which was not true
and listened attentively to all the evil
dence, is it necessary We should have it all
over AGAIN.
Yes. replied the judge, but you were
not on oath to well and truly try when
the evidence was first given
On one of these occasions a juryman so
lost his temper as to audibly swear. The
writer viii never forget the delicious way
in which Lord Coleridge. who was the
judge, and who always rose to the level OF
such occasions said: The tropical feryor
of such language is SO calculated TO impair
that cool judicial atmosphere SO necessary
for the Droner administration of the law
that. as Il punishment for tampering with
the legal temperature | must me you to
In an instant the hand of every other
jurynlau was in his pocket and while his
lordship (who was too Sood-na,Cred to no
ticel bent over his notes and smiled, the
mcney was subscribed and the fire paid.
If the retrial of case, through the in
disposition OF juror, annoyS the twelve
good men il absolutely terriiies the wit
ueSSes. They are afraid lest the second
edition OF their evidence should not CORE
spond with their first. The awe-stTicken
manner in which they creep into the Wit
ness box. evidently under the impression
that any tIifiirg discrepancy will be maSnl-
fled into an absolute contradiction, is III
dicrous in the extreme.
1t is on these occasions that the working
man Juror shines. While "A special jury
would probably take no pains to conceal
their Indifference. regarding the whole al
fair as an awful bore THE twelve thirty
pounders" to use the words of the late Sir
Frank Lockwood, ARE all the time on the
fiOunce.
The writer calls to mind an instance in
which such copiouS tears were Shed Dy the
plaintiff. who was in weeds. whenever the
name of her late husband was mentioned,
that at last the judge testify inquired,
How long has your husband been dead?'
Twelve months" was the faltering re-
ply.
That's not true. my lord said voice in
court. Hes been dead seven years.
The bereaved lacy little thought that her
probably one of reasons why she lost
her case.
Sir Edward Clarke once told the writer
that a juror at the conclusion of a case
went to him and SAID, II should have liked
to have given you a verdict. Sir Edward,
but the facts were too strong
jury box seems also to be a rare Mace
for forming friendships. The writer has
frequently seen jurymen who a the OPEN
ing of the case were all perfect strangers
~ each other go off arm-in-arm at its con-
clusion TO dine together.