Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-24

When Jury duty is attended by no ex-
traordInary hardships, II is regarded as
a hardship. To the twelve men con-
scripted for much advertised murder
trial In New York II must be n veritable
torment. The prisoner In the Tombs has
hardly less liberty than the jurors In
the Thaw trial. now In progress. In
some respects prisoner Is treated with
more consideration.
The man accused of crime and oc-
cupying n Tombs cell Is permitted at
least to read his letters first hand, and
he may write to his relatives without
having his communications scrutinized
before they are dropped In a mail box.
Not so these jurors. Every line they
receive OF write Is scanned by court
officer. There is one such officer dele
gated 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 temporary re-
Taxation of this severity Is due to an
entirely 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 dis
trict attorney, who feared that the state
laws did not permit the Incarceration of
the jurymen during so long n recess be-
tween sessions of the trial. But on Mon
day the rigorous guard upon the unfor-
tunates is to be resumed, If present
plans are followed.
Confined In a Hotel
The jury is imprisoned" though that
is not what their condition Is called
technically, in the Broadway Central
hotel, about half 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
confinement for fortnight. When they
are not listening to testimony or hear
ing the learned Judge tell them how to
keep clear of outside advice and acci-
dental interference with the duties, they
are in charge of Captain William j.
Lynch of the court squad assisted by
nearly a score of deputy officers. Lynch
! keeps as stern an eye on them as ever
| the Tombs warden did upon his guests.
| The other day he peremptorily refused
| to let them spend an evening at the
| ater under guard. Previously he had
announced strict rules about callers. in
cluding the jurymen's wives.
In going to and from the court house
the jurors ride in closed carriages or
Wdlh, OIl anu thoSS
who wish to go to church may do so.
and the others, If they can agree on a
way to spend the day, may take a stroll
under the guardianship of their custo-
| dian or a drive uptown. One Sunday
| they went as far as Grants tomb in
carriages. The next week, because all
of them had different ideas as to the
proper sort Of outing, they spent the
| day indoors.
They are lodged in a suite of fifteen or
more rooms, with a private dining room
and parlor. At breakfast the guards sit
at an adjoining table. When the jur-
ors play games or tell stories two or
more guards are always within few
| feet of them. While the jurors are In
| court officers still guard the rooms.
watching the chambern1aids and other
servants to see that no communication
| is slipped in. This extreme of precau-
| tion, 1t may be said, Is rather due to a
| fear of cranks than to a belief that an
| intentional effort will be made to ap-
proach the jurymen by such means.
That cranks or jokers are to be reck-
oned with has been proved by one in
cident. A street sweeper who shouted
to the passing jurors that they must
acquit the prisoner was hailed into
court and reprimanded.
Until 1920 o'clock at night the cap
tives' talk, read. listen to one of their
number manipulate mechanical piano
player, play stackless card games or
revel in day dreams. Amusements OUT
side of this list they have not. No
game with gambling in it is allowed.
Ginger ale is the strongest drink
brought into the suite.
Their Newspapers Cut to Pieces
Every newspaper read by juror is
perused beforehand by Lynch or his
| aids, and whatever pertains to the trial
| is cut out. In the present instance this
means that the sheet is in scraps when
| the juryman gets it. Even magazines
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, outgo-
| ing and incoming. are read by an Of
| ficer When a caller even a wife, comes
| to the hotel the conversation with the
| juror is overheard by at least one guard
and generally by another juryman. The
| only exception to this has been in the