Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-24
JURORS HELD AS PRISONERS
From .h. New York Ever,,e Post.

case of visitor who came on business. |
With such person Lynch may use his
discretion. II he decides that the caller
Is the kind Of man to regard the courts
INDUCTION not to discuss the pending
trial he permits the business talk to
proceed In private for a few minutes.
The Jurymen are under orders not to
mention to one another anything con-
nected with the case. Their first dis
cussion of II must take place after all
the testimony is taken and after the
Judge has made his charge. To insure
obedience Of this order the court officers
do not allow the jurymen TO speak to
each other without being overheard.
When juryman tells funny story, II
is related, the officers must suffer In
silence. SO II happens that the Thaw
jurors are about the only intelligent
New Yorkers who are relieved from
the necessity OF at least seeing head
lines over malodorous gossip relating to
the much-talked-of case.
In order to minimize the interference
which the trial would cause in the
Jurors business, however, Justice Fitz-
gerald has ordered that they be per-
mitted, within reasonable limits, to visit
their stores or offices In company with
n guard. The trips are made daily by
some of the twelve, but their stays are
brief and their conversations are linz
tied to what is absolutely essential. In
fact, even If their freedom were great
er they would have little time to at
tend to business details between the
closing of court at A:30 or 5 p. M and
the opening at 10 O'Clock the next morn
ing. Their principal ground for COM
plaint has been that the court would
not allow them to spend Saturdays at
their offices.
A watch is kept on their food, so that
they will not eat anything likely to
make them ILL., In the strain of weeks.
perhaps months it is regarded as pos
sible that one or more of them may
succumb. The officers are on the look
out to see that the suite Is well venti-
lated, that the water Is pure and that
the twelve tender charges are properly
protected at all times against the
weather. The other day. when a jury
man started absent-mindedly to go out
into the snow without his overshoes a
kindly officer reminded him Of the de-
ficiency.
Good Iiumor Despite Annoyances
Yet, with all the restrictions, the jury
men have managed to keep themselves
in a good humor. The piano player Is
in great demand. There are two or
three really expert story tellers, If the
reports of the officers are to be relied
upon. and such of the jurors as were
not practiced pinochle players before
the trial began are now versed in all
the games intricacies. The eleven who
could not manage the piano machine
in the beginning. Furthermore, are be-
coming so familiar with it that
stranger could hardly pick out the orig
inal musician.
The monotony is varied a little on
Saturday and Sunday. There is the
late nap in the morning, then the leis-
urely breakfast. and finally the con-
sultation over plans for the holiday"
This week Sunday was spent indoors,
most of the twelve having tired of
drives. On the previous day only their
good temper had prevented a mutiny
over Lynchs veto of the theater propo-
sition. On the whole, however, the
two days with no court session are
welcome relief, for, after all, the five
hours or more on the hard seats Of the
jury box are harder to endure patiently
than the hotel Imprisonment.
The rigor with which these particular
jurors are watched and curbed is
unique, even in New York. The men
who sat in the case of ABE" Hummel
about whose trial unwonted care was
taken. had the privilege of talking pri-
viately with their wives and close
friends. Those who sat in Judgment on
Molineux, Patrick and Kennedy, though
surveillance allotted to the Thaw panel.
But the present case presents novel
conditions. While the defendants In
previous trials of spectacular interest
have, in some instances, commanded
considerable funds and much influence,
there has never before been held in
the New York courts a trial wherein
a man charged with murder possessed
practically unlimited money for his de-
fense. Nor has there been another
case in which were involved personal
interests of so many different persons
or classes of the city's population. If
ever there was danger in relaxing
watchfulness over a jury, in short, 1t
would seem that the danger exists in
the present proceedings.
THAT statesman would rather manage
the political destinies of other men than
to be a candidate himself"
"Yes. He isn't content with one presi-
Dental bee of his own. He wants a