The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-03-03
GUARDING The JURY
Hardships Of a Murder Trial
in the Metropolis.
NO LIBERTY FOR THE TWELVE
watched All the Time, Personal Let
tiers Read, Newspapers Clipped,
and Food Tested-Can't Even Go
out without Rubbers and OvercOat.
Thayv Jurymen Amuse Themselves.

Thaw Jurymen Amuse Themselves.
When Jury duty is attended by no ex-
traordinary hardships, it is regarded as a
hardship To the twelve men conscripted
for q much-advertised murder trial in
New York it must be veritable tormel.t.
The prisoner in the Tombs has hardly
less liberty than the jurors in the Thaw
trial, now in progress. In some respects
a prisoner is treated with more considera-
ton, says the New York Evening Post.
The man accused Of a crime and occupy
ing a Tombs cell is permitted, at least, to
read his letters first hand. and he may
write to his relatives and friends and
business associates without having his
communications scrutinized before they
are dropped into mail box. Not so these
jurors. Every line they receive or write
is scanned by court officer. There Is
one such officer delegated to guard each
juryman of the twelve during every hour
Of the day and night, except when the
court is in session.
That there has been a temporary re-
Taxation Of this severity is due to an en-
tirely unexpected occurrence-the death of
the eleventh jurors wife. For three days
the twelve men have been released on
their honor" by order of the court. with
the consent of the district attornes who
feared that the State laws did lot per-
NIT the Incarceration Of the jurymen dur
ing SO long a recess between sessions Of
the trial But on Monday the rigorous
guard upon the unfortunates is to be re-
sumed, if present plans are followed.
The jury is Imprisoned though that
is not what their condition IS called tech
nically-in the Broadway Central Hotel.
about half a mile north Of the Criminal
Courts building. Some Of the twelve
those chosen in the early stages Of the
trial. have been there for three weeks
All of them have endured the cOn1ine-
ment for a fortnight When they are not
listening % testimony, or hearing the
learned judge tell them how to keep clear
Of outside advice and accidental interior
ence with their duties, they are In charge
0f Capt William j. Lynch. of the court
squad. assisted by nearly a score Of dep
uty officers. Lynch keeps as stern IN
eye on them as ever the TOmbs warden
did upon his guests. The other day ne
peremptoriIy refused 20 let them spend
an evening at q theater under guard
Previously, he had announced strict rules
about callers. including the jurymen' 8
wives.
On Their Day OF.
In going 10 and from the courthouse
the jurors ride In closed carriages or walk.
On Saturdays and Sundays those who
wish TO 80 10 church may 90 so, and the
others. If they can agree on a way to
spend the day, may take a stroll under
the guardianship of their custodians or a
drive up town. One Sunday they went as
far as Grants tomb IN carriages. The
next week. because all Of them had DIFF
ferent ideas as TO the proper sort Of out
ing. they spent the day indoors.
They are lodged in d suite Of fifteen or
more rooms, with a private dining-room
and parlor. At breakfast the guards sit
at an adjoining table When the jurors
play games or tell stories, two or more
guards are always within a few feet OF
them. While the jurors are i'm court. Off
GERS still guard the rooms, watching the
chambermaids and other servants to see
that no communication is slipped in. This
extreme preCaution. it may be said. Is
rather due TO a fear of cranks than TO
a belief that an intentional effort will be
made to approach the jurymen by such
means. That cranks or jokers are to be
reckoned with has been proved by one
incident A street sweeper. who shouted
to the passing jurors that they must ac-
quit the prisoner, was hailed into court
and reprimanded
Until 1890 o'clock at night the cap
tives" talk, read, listen 70 one Of their
number manipulate a mechanical piano
player. play stdkeless card games, or reveI
in day dreams. Amusement outside of
this list they have not. No game with
gambling IN it is allowed. Ginger ale is
the strongest drink brought into the suite
Every newspaper read by a juror is
peTUsed beforehand by Lynch or his aids
and whatever pertains 20 the trial is cut
out. In the present instance this means
that the sheet is in scraps when the jury
men gets It. Even maya zines and books
are examined, for fear that there may be
writing on the pages, or that a letter
may have been inserted between the
leaves. All letters. outgoing and incom-
ing, are read by an officer. When a
caller, even a wife, comes TO the hotel
the conversation with the juror is over
heard by at least one guard. and usu-
ally by another juryman. The only
exception TO this has been the case of a
visitor who came on business. With such
a person Lynch may use his discretion
If he decides that the caller IS the kind
Of man 10 regard the courts injunction
not to discuss the pending trial. he per-
mits the business talk TO proceed in pri-
vate for a few minutes
The Jurymen are under orders not to
mention 10 one another anything connected
with the case. Their first discussion of it
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
jUTymcn to speak to one another without
being overheard. When a juTyman tells
a funny story, it is related, the officers
must suffer in silence. So it happens that
the Thaw jurors are about the only in
tellgent New Workers who are relieved
from the necessity OF at least seeing
headlines over malodorOus gossip relat-
ing TO the much-talked-of case.
In order TO minimize the interference
which the trial would cause in the Jurors
business, however, Justice Fitzgerald has
ordered that they be permitted. within
reasonable limits, to visit their stores or
Offices in company with guard These
trips are made daily by some Of the
twelve, but their stays are brief, and the
conversations are limited to what is alb
solutely essential. In fact. even if their
freedom were greater. they have little
time TO attend to business details
between the closing Of court at 4:9O or D
p n. and the opening at 10 O'Clock the
next morning. Their principal ground for
complaint has been that the court would
not allow them to spend Saturdays at
their Offices