Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1902-05-16
SOME OF THE EXCUSES
Nabe by People Who Dislike
to Serve on Murder
>JurieS.
MOST FREQUENT EXCUSE IS OLD
ONE OF "C0NSCIENTloUs
SCRUPLE5'
Judge Grace Rightly Believes Thai
Newspaper Readers Are Not DIS.
qualified Jurors.
TRIAL OF MURDERER NEEGX

The FIRST day Il tAe Jim Neely
trial was only eventual in the long
and Iaboriaas time Consumed III get
tins Jury ef twelve mon together
That and other Felinnales H=e.e7.
sarl before commencing tho t.fa#6ebt
tha court busy from 9 a. Nj. ootd Ia
p. IN. Circuit Clefk Goodwin .ssHed
Tenife after Feaife Of from tour t.
eiah; men 10 al = aroi5, ba5 oate4
the many 1auires probably only ono
would be acceptable To either the
state or defense. IS many as axteeh
jHfors We're challenged by tie de
feuse, and eisht by the state. It seem
ed from the excuses Of those sum
moned to act as jurors that a eont5t-=
gion Of conscientious scrnples was
epidemic. If the first man on The ve-
miro. in answer TO questions of The
court swore int he had such sc11s
pies regarding capital punishment
that he could not consistently serve
as a juror in the case, the suggestion
would be almost unanimously follow
ed by others until the entire venire
would be excused with the exception
of probably one person.
One of the favoritc excuses made
against serving on the jruy was that
opinions had been formed on the ease
by newspaper articles which appeared
Immediately after the killing AprO.
pos of this Judge Grace made caus-
tic comment on the supreme court Co,
holding that Impressions formed from
newspaper articles served to disquai
ify from jury service. He stated:
ut has the effect of putting pre-
MUM on ignorance, and disquaIifyinu
intelligence"
And it was only when prejudice
from this source was clearly shown
that he would disGualify the person.
Almost every other excuse which
would serve as a legal excuse to es-
cape jury service was offered, and the
court and others were considerably
cxaspcrated. But the jury was finally
completed. after patience had ceased
10 be a virtue and the witnesses Werc
sworn. About ten witnesses were on
hand for the defense and as many as
six for the state The witnesses for
the defense We're excused until this
(Friday) morning at 9:3O o'clock,
and the states witnesses were put
under the rule
Prosecuting Attorney SOrrells, for
the state. and Mr. S. NJ Taylor, for
the defense, made the customary
opening remarks to the Jury, sum
marizing the facts that would be pre-
sentcd by both sides.
Coroner r. d. McGaughy who held
an inquest over Johnson, was the first
witness for the defense. He testified
that he went to the scene of the
shooting Immediately when notified
Of its occurrence. He saw blood on
the floor of the main room on the
gallery and around the house. He
found the dead man lying face down
on the ground at the side of the house,
and produced a chart showing the iu--
cation Of doors, blood and spot where
the deceased was found. He stated
that he did not probe the wound be-
cause, dS ne stated, ne was young
in tho cause"
Mason Philpot testified that at the
time of the killing he was chief OF
police; that on hurrying to the
scene Of the shooting, he found the
body Of Johnson lying face down on
the ground. He traced the route
of Johnson from where he was shot
to where he feel by the blood, and
demonstrated it to the jury with
the use of diagram. He looked
carefully through the dead mans ef
feets and around the premises for a
weapon, but could find none He