The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-04-15
SOMEBODY'S FIXED, SAID
PFAFF;; JURORS NEARLY FIGHT
Steele, With Whom Pfaf Had the Dispute Doesn't
Think it Was Meant Seriously Ridiculous"
Others Say, Of Insnuation Of Bribery

: : ~
whole thing. rs it wouldn't do any
good making fuss about it. "rhc
4itipa that any of the jurors w0re APP
tproncbcd is too ridiculous to think of
ENSe were closely guarded, in the first
place, ana besides that there was not
/ Il man on the jury who would allow
himself to be Influenced IN any
way
Juror Oscar a. Pink said lie did not
want to stir UP any moro bad feeling
by discussing tho bribery charge.
used" he said. "In fact, ! paid little
attention to it. was in favor OF
acuuittal from the first, and i let tho
Jurors know my reasons why. j am
friendly toward Pfaff as we'll as the
other Jurors My idea is that Thaw
was insane when he shot White. No
amount of argument could change that
opinion, and I told the jurors So"
Juror Pfaff smiled when asked to
explain his remarks.
whats the use Of talking about
it now?" he asked "The trial Is over
and don't want to say anything"
pfaff was asked II he would attend
the dinner OF Jurors next Saturday
night at the Broadway Central Hotel
He said he did not know. t Is said
that all Of the jurors will be there,
with the possible exception Of Pfaff.
Steele did not promise to attend when
tho dinner was discussed on Friday,
bat last night no declared that he
would probably join the others
Policeman Talked to Pfaff.
There was some talk yesterday Of
several of the jurors having been APP
preached by n policeman while on
their way to the Broadway Central
Hotel last Thursday 1t was said that
the officer, who syn:puthizcd deeply
with Thaw, whispered to the jurors
the same secret order that these par
ticular Jurors belonged to, All the
jurors yesterday. excepting tDenec. de-
ried that they knew anything of the
incident. Dence gave this eXplana-
ton of it:
George Pfaff, who is a Mystic shrin-
or, came to me about three weeks ago,
before the insanity commission was
appointed. I anna Mystic Shrincr
myself He told RE that on several
mornings WREN tho jury had gotten
back from breakfast one of the police
men on duty in the lower corridor Of
the courthouse had approached New
ton, juror No. S, another Shriner, and
told him that Harry Thaw's father
was Mystic SSriner also. IIc asked
me what I thought of it. I told him
that thought It should not go on.
] knew that it was only of passing
interest and that no man, certainly
not Newton. would regard his Masonic
VOWS as forcing him to change his
opinion in the murder trial. Pfaff
came to me once again and told me the
same thing. and we discussed the adj
visibility of reporting the matter to
District Attorney Jerome. But we never
Gld It, do not know who the Off
Ger was or what his number was
AS TO the hint Of bribery. of course
1T was suggested in the jury-room and
talked of there very plainly. l do not
believe that any one was bought d.
brlbed, or in any way ,lnduly innu-
cnced. I do not think any one tam
percd with the iury-not a soul. r.
the policeman did, 1t was probably IN
his own hook.
Lots of Animosity.'
There have been lot of unkind
.ilhgs sad about me- and want to set
ithem right. What might be termed the
convlctionists thought it odd that Steele
and Harvey would not explain their
position. There was lots OF luminosity at
all times. 1t commenced the first night
and progressed constantly
Nobody tried to sleep, the air was
so bad with the bad pipes that Pink and
Fraser smokcd-no one but George Pfar
lie had male up his mind to murder in
the first degree, and he didn't intend to
change 1t. So he rolled up on table
and went to sleep, apparently. for tfty
minutes. There was much loud talking
among us. In the midst OF 1t Pfaff rolled
OFF the table, where he had been, and
only make believe sleep. and rushed up
to Steele and shook his fist in his face
and said:,I know there are some mem
bers OF the jury who are not above sus-
piclon. think there has been some
thing doing. Somebody's nxed -
Steele became uncomfortable. and drew
his arm back to strike Pfaff in the face,
but we all rushed In and stopped them.
There were other scraps. Bolton and
Harvey had one of their own a private
one apparently. because Harvey wouldn't
explain why he felt as he did for ncquittal
Bolton said that IIarneys statement
about him should be characterized by a
stronger word than falsehood Then
Gerstman and Newton had brush;
what about / don't know
Brearly Wasn't approached"
/ Juror Henry c. Brearly said he knew
nothing Of tie efforts of the policeman
TO influence the jury
"Of course, the line of jurymen was
q long one" he said, land It was made
longer by the presence of several OH
GERS of the court. AS to the hint of
| bribery, l simply cannot conceive OF
| anything Of that kind being true Of a
| single one of the jury don't believe
| there Is scintilla OF truth in It.. I
was certainly not approached in any
way, and ! doubt II any one else was
| or course, there We're some crank let
ters, but not in the sense Of attempts
| at bribing u.s.
Gerstman Made the Prayer.
/ Bernard Gerstman. juror No, ~
issued this written statement last
! night:
1 II regret that anything was said al
! all concerning the sessions in tho jury.
room. ] suggested to all separated,
that it should be II closed book ant
remember that they all agreed with
me. Now 1t seems that most Of then
arc talking for publication.