Evening journal., 1907-12-04
MEREDITH FINED
FOR CONTEMPT
Court Imposes a Penalty Of
$40 and CeRSureS the
Withdrawn Juror
TALKED OF A DAMAGE CASE


charge this morning which will have
the effect Of preventing future outside
discussions Of the merits Of cases Oy
jurors drawn for service in the court.
IL was the outcome Of The rule issued
by the court on Monday against Will
lard s. Meredith. a former member of
the Legislature. to show cause why he
should not be adjudged in contempt OF
court for having made statements
bearing on the Anderson VS.. Mayor and
Council damage suit to witnesses in
the case MIR. Meredith was repre-
sented in court by Walter II. Hayes.
Daniel o. Hastings, deputy attorney
general, prosecuted the rule against
the defendant. and at its conclusion,
Chief Justice Lore. for the court, od-
judged Mr.. Meredith guilty, and fined
and censured him.
The Chief Justice said:
Mr.. Meredith Stood Up.
Mr.. Meredith, stand up The court
have heard the testimony in this case.
We have many painful duties TO per-
form and this is one of them.
We want TO say to YOU tEat one of
the primary duties of a juror is to
listen carefully to the testimony on
both sides and TO make up his mind
after he has had the whole case be-
fore hm. 1t is highly improper; gross
~ improper, for a juror to talk to
others than his eellow Jurors about a
case in which ne mas sworn to do JUS
tice, and it is grossly improper for
him to permit anybody to speak to him
about the case i'm any way. It touches
the administration Of justice at one Of
its most Vulnerable points-the con-
fidence Of the public in the integrity
of the court and i'm the integrity Of
the jurors, that the court will deal
fairly anh justly. This confidence is the
bulwark Of our judicial system
Your conduct in this case in talk
ing with the witnesses IN tho case who
had already testified but who were to
come again and testify and ia the pres
ence of persons in the sherifrs Office.
was a fragrant violation or your duty
as a juror; one which the Court cam
not condemn too severely. and one that
we hope n-ver to have come before
us again. We are not the Judges Of
your impulse sor of the motive with
which ycn did this, bur. we do say. to
you that your conduct was grossly i'm
pr nci.
I'VE therefore feel It our duty to i'm
pose upon you fine Of twenty dollars
and the costs of this proceeding. and
you are committed to the sheriff of
this county to be by him delivered to
the workhouse until this fine and costs
are pads
Sheriff, he Is in your custody"
The hearing bordered on the sensa-
tional It began with an apology to
the court from Mr.. Hayes, for his eli-
ent IF Mr.. Meredith has made any
statements disrespectful to the court
Mr. Meredith is heartily sorry" Mr.
Hayes said.
Then Mr.. Hastings began the prose-
cution of the rule by calling Leonard
Mr.. Hobbs, a Peoples Railway Com
pany motorman. who gave testimony
last week I'm the damage suit in which
Mr.. Meredith sat as a juror. Hobbs
said Mr. Meredith got aboard his car
on Saturday and remarked to him;
You fellows are having a great time
over that hole Satterthwaite will
prove there were two holes there and
that one Of them was filed up before
the accident. de viii also prove that
the man was drunk and had no busi-
mess down Third street If any one
did drive into the hole he couldn't ex-
Ipect to get damages from the city"
Replying to a question by Mr.. Hayes,
Hobbs said he could not recall that
Mr.. Meredith had said Anderson would
not get a verdict.
Samuel Kaufman, motorman of
the same car. who overheard the con-
versation between Mr. Meredith and
Hobbs, corroborated Hobbs review of
the conversation.
Harry l. Gnlis. "a state detective
swore that while he was in the Office
of Sheriff Stafford on Monday Mr..
Meredith came in and in the presence
of quite a number of persons discussed
the Anderson case. According to his
testimony Mr.. Meredith said;
I was surprised at Satterthwaite
not asking for a non-suit, and the
other jurors also were. We are satis-
fed the court would have granted it,"
Deputy Sheriffs Joseph e. Bartlett
and Amos Cole. who were in the office
lat the same tine, corroborated Mr..
ellis testimony. except as to the state
ment. eve are satisfied the court would
have granted &C." Messrs. Bartlett and
Cole swore some reference of the kind
was made, but they did not care to
swear 10 the exact language.
Defenadnt Tells His Story
Then Mr. Meredith went on the stand
IN his own defense. He referred to th'
conversation which had causd is appear
ance IN court
Referring 10 the conversation In the car
he said he gave 1t az coming from
Mf. Satterihwaite, who defended the
case for The city u was his impress
sion that he had made statements in
The sherifrs Office cimilar TO those sworn
10 after some one In the Office had put
The words IN his mouth.
Perhaps I did assent to them; I am
sorry for Il. / had no motive in TAX
ing SIDES IN the case and had no thought
OF committing contempt against the
court" he concluded This closed the
hearing. The court retired and upon
its eturn censured and fined Mr.. Mere
eitf in the language above quoted.
County seaool Commission Meeting.
The New Castle county school COM