The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-09-14
THE GRAND JURY
SCORES A REPORTER
Story in Thursdays Times About De-
tectives on Grand Jury Is Brand
ed as Utterly False-Judge
Edwards Approval.

When the grand jury made its return
yesterday morning the following sup
Elementary report was offered:
To the Honorable Court.
The grand jury of this county now in session
beg TO call the attention OF the court to the III.
| sulting article which appeared in the scranton
Times yesterday This article contains state.
ments and insinuatCns which we dCnounce as
false in every particular and pray that the coult
will use the means at its command TO stop fur
ther publications Of such character
NJ. l.. Smith, Foreman
Attest:-W. Hobby, Secretary.
Scranton, Sept. Is, 1900.
In regard to the report, Judge Ed
wards said:
JUDGE EDWARDS REMARKS.
The communication referred by the grand jury
| to the court is a proper to make, and | was
| very much surprised myself to the article
| in the newspaper referred to in regard to pro-
ceedings before the grand jury and in regard To
| the presence nj certain gentlemen either in the
| grand jury room or near the grand jury room,
| OF course, | have already caid to each OF you,
| 50 that you could all hear that under cir.
cumstances must grand juror disclose to a re-
| porter to anybody else even the names of the
cases that have been before the grand jury, much
less any action which takes place in the grand
jury room. The reporters Of our city of a
| very enterprising class and during the sessions
OF the grand jury they are generally to be found
| around the corridors and they are asking ques.
| tions Of the tipstayGs and district attorney and
Of the grand jurors. 1t is highly improper.
| believe that all reporters should keep away from
the entrances and approaches to the grand jury
room. The people are interested only in finding
| out what the official action OF the grand Jury
| is. and IL would satisfy public interest to have
| the newspapers simply make a record Of the lie.
| turns of the grand jury after they have been
| made. Now, that Is legitimate news, and that
they can get from the clerk after the indictment
| and the returns OF the grand jury have been
filed.
| Ii cuch articles are repeated as the one that
| You complain OF here, we have the power TO
| send for the editor Of the newspaper, and we
| will exercise that power il find it necessary.
| We shall probably not do 1t now on this one oc.
| Casion, because think the article very likely
| resulted from the extra zeal, il were, on
| the part of the reporter but it is a mistake.
| Publication of the article was a mistake, and
| as you say the information contained in it is
| absolutely false. | am glad that you put your.
| selves on record so that the people will know
| that such actions as were referred to in the
newspaper could not possibly occur before this
| grand jury.
| | will direct your communication to be fled
so that your statement will 90 upon record and
1 y
have taken in regard TO the publication of such
| articles. ] notify the tipstaveS who have charge
of the grand jury that all persons must he kept
| away from the corridors and IRON the approaches
to the grand jury room, except prosecutors and
witnesses; nobody else has a right to be near
the precincts of the grand jury.
The article referred to appeared in
Wednesdays Times and implied that
there were paid detectives in the en-
ploy of the Mems union on the present
grand jury. The information which
led to this statement was alleged to
have come from members of the Mems
union, and in the article a representa-
tive of the union was quoted as saying
in answer to an Interrogation by the
Times scribe that among the jury men
there were union sleuths.
One of the attorneys for the associ-
alton yesterday utterly denied that
there were any regular detectives on
the grand jury but said that there
were certain persons interested enough
in the present crusading work to in
form the members of the union of any
irregularities going on in the jury
! rOC",.
r grand Jurors themselves did not
gi,' any information, as they are pre-
vented by oath from diVulging any OF
| the transactions which take place.
From all present indications there
was merely gross misunderstanding
between the Times man and the repre-
sentative of the Mems union.