The Topeka state journal., 1902-03-03
JUDGE HAzEN TALKS.
Says the Jury Has Been Free From
Professionalism.

The jurymen in the district court and
| the court officials are considerably
worked up over the fact that a Topeka
paper charged that the jury was made
up of professional jurymen" and in
| tlmated that the verdicts in liquor cases
had been somewhat unjust because OF
the supposed element in the jury box
Judge Hazen, in speaking of the jury,
said: THE jury for the present term
was made up in the regular way au-
the practice in this district for at least
twenty years. 1t frequently happens
that several of the regularly drawn
jurors are unable to serve and are ex-
take their place upon the panel. and
stand simply as a substitute for the
jurors excused. This is true with ref
erence to some of the jurors on this
panel.
I'm the trial of liquor cases, when ad-
dt1onal Jurors were needed, special ef-
fort was made to secure jurors from the
representative business men of the city,
and it has been common talk that those
called in were from the best class or
men in the city
THE law also authorizes parties to a
suit to demand that taleSmen shall be
drawn from the jury box in the man
ner provided for the drawing of the
original panel, when there are not
enough of the regular panel available
to make up a jury in the case called
for trial. If attorneys should insist
upon a strict and literal compliance
with this section of the statute it would
add greatly to the expense and delay
of transacting the court business and
greatly increase the Inconvenience OF
itigants and all others interested. Court
would often have to adjourn and wait
until the names drawn from the box
were brought in by the sheriff from diff
ferent parts of the county, and all par
ties, witnesses and attorneys be kept
waiting until sufficient taleSmen could
ha nf 70 inc II.
IS only after the regular panel is ex-
hausted that there can be any need of
talesmen, and of course after the trial
mas been entered upon and all parties
ready to proceed. 1t has been only on
very rare occasions that attorneys have
asked that this method of getting ad-
d1tlonal jurors be followed, but when
the question has arisen have generally
expressed preference for the regular
way of completing the panel. From
my observations 1 believe the present
jurors are all honorable men and have
acted honestly and cOnScientiOuSly in
all the cases submitted to them.''
The jurymen, whose names appear
below, this morning took oath to the fol-
lowing affidavit:
I'VE the undersigned Jurors on the
regular panel of the district court for
this term, feel that an injustice has
been done us by a publication which
appeared in a Topeka paper of Feb
ruary rs, in which are charged with
being professional jurors.
The facts are that out of the entire
panel of is members, only three have
ever served on a jury in the district
court within the last ten years. and
none within the last three years, and we
therefore feel the injustice of the publi-
cation referred to. We have endeav-
ored conscientiously to do our duty, and
we feel that we have done so under the
facts presented to us and the law as
given by the court in all cases which
have been submitted to u.s."
w. W. Fisher. c. F. Lercher, Joseph
Fields, G. A. Thomas, w. A. Covert E.
HI. Medlicott, F. NJ. Engle, John Dyal,
s. Willis, George Druse, ]. w. Patter-
son, Charels Howerton, T. D. Nash, ].
r. Bancroft, George Wagner, NJ. T. KEEL
sey, G. w. DeLong, r. Wilson.