Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-21
TWELVE MEN CHOSEN TO HEAF
BRIBERY CASE
TRIAL TO BEGIN IN EARNEST
MONDAY
TaIesmen Offer Novel Excuses for
Wishing to Escape Duty-one
Pretends to Be Hard
of Hearing
Rr Associated Press.

first introduction of evidence by the pros
ecution.
The jury was completed at 4:4O o'clock
this afternoon, after more than score OF
talesmen had been exhausted in the Ose-
lection of jurors numbers IL and IL, Inc
following men compose the trial panel:
Edward w. Bender, publisher OF law
books.
Nieis C. Mortensen, contractor.
Oscar Ferguson, insurance agent.
Florence Driscoll, plumber
John Olsen, shipping agent.
Edward w. Strange, jeweler.
Frederick M. Morcom, art dealer.
Arthur W. Johnson, grocer.
Daniel Kelley insurance agent.
Charles w. Could manufacturers agent.
John G. Chase, jr., contractor
George Gohler, grocer.
Two of these twelve, Mortensen and
Strange, were members of the jury which
convicted Vice President Louis Glass of
the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph COM
pany of the bribery of Supervisor Thom-
as F. Lonergan in the interest of the
corporation ramed.
Ford is on trial for the bribery OF Lon
ergan in the interest of the United Rail
roads, 1t being charged that on the 18th
of May, 1906, he paid or aided and abetted
in the payment of $4,000 to Lonergan as
the price of his vote in favor of an ordi-
nance empowering street car COM
pany to electrify it's cable lines through
out San Francisco city and county.
One Challenge Left to Each
When after day spent in the tedious
examination of talesmen, both the prose-
cution and the defense announced them
selves satisfied with the selected panel,
there remained to each side one unused
peremptory challenge, the people having
exercised four and the defense nine.
Judge Lawlor himself administered to
Bailiffs Ryan, Montgomery and O'Con-
nor the special, oath which binds deputy
sheriffs to keep a trial jury secluded
from approach, and at o'clock COM
mitted the panel to their charge. The
twelve men sat for photographs for tn.
newspapers and then were taken to the
Fairmont hotel, where they will be quar-
tered until they have passed upon the
guilt of the accused man or confessed
their inability to agree upon verdict.
Before being taken from the courtroom
Juror Olsen, number five on the parel
Informed the court of a wedding to b'
celebrated in his family tonight and asked
for permission to attend it in charge o.
Zone of the baillffs. 1t was granted, ant
Deputy Sheriff Ryan was delegated the
lucky wedding guest
Judge Lawler announced that owing tC
the smallness of The force of deputies al
Sheriff O'Neill's command, the court had
requested Chief of Police Biggy to detail
a number of bluecoats to assist in the
preservation of order throughout the trial
which. it is expected will be attended by
big crowds.
absolute order must be kept" sai6
the Judge, land there will be enough Of
ficers here at every session to see that il
NJ atI, ~ ~
order will be tolerated at any time"
Thirty Eight of the forty talesmen sum-
moned yesterday by special venire from
the body of the county for the compile
ton of the Ford jury presented them
selves in court this morning when the
trial was resumed. The thirty-ninth
showed appreciation of the firm tactics
of Judge Lawlor in enforcement of sum-
mons and by telephoning for permission
to be late.
Talesman H. K. Mitchell was fined $2s
for contempt of court in failing to pre-
sent himself promptly for examination
Talesman Jacob ]. Gottlob, whose ex-
animation was continued from yesterday
Moons overnight adjournment, was chal-
lenged this morning by the prosecution
for cause, and was excused. The work
of securing the two jurors necessary to
complete the trial panel was taken i'm
mediately after the exercise of this chal-
lenge Ten jurors have been formally
accepted and sworn.
The next six talesmen two merchants
haberdasher, a saloonkeeper, plumber
and a manager of furniture house, dis
qualified themselves by declaration OF
bias or other. cause and were quickly ex-
cused.
The oldest excuse thus far developed
by the graft trials was presented by G.
M. Somer. a dealer in mems furnishings.
He explained to the court that in his
absence there was no one but his wife to
wait on customers and that 1t did not suit
him to have sales of mems underclothins
made by her. He got off.
Though the morning session accom-
plshed the examination of seven tales
men there were no additions to the ten
i,,rors in the box Attorney A. A. Moore
of the defense used an hour and a half
In examining the second talesman called
and thereby won from the court rebuke.
Judge LaWlor said that hereafter exam
nations must be conducted more quickly.
An incident of the session which amused
the large crowd in attendance had to do
with the alleged defective hearing of
Ta;esman Leonard c. Nelson, laborer
from the Mission. Throughout his ex-
animation by both sides Nelson affected
to be unable to hear any question that
was not hurled at him in loud voice.
On this score he was finally challenged
and excused. AS he passed down the
aisle Attorney Porter Ashe said to him
in low tone and without looking at him.
..Giye me a match, will your Nelson
stopped took a bundle of matches from
his vest pocket and handed one of them
to his exposer. Everybody saw it and
laughed aloud