The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1908-08-01
TRANSCRIPT FROM A
WOMANS DIARY.
lOriginal.l

Herbert Ringland called Tuesday
light for his answer. | told him that
wished my husband to be interested
with me in the amelioration of the con-
dition of women. We had long dis
cussion on the subject, during which
he asked me if | believed in women
serving on juries. | told him that I
believed in woman performing any
and every duty IA man performs except
certain manual labor and the duties of
a soldier. Then he said that women
had been tried on a jury and he had
been present at a trial before such
jury. l asked him where. but he cut
me short by telling me the following
story:
THE prisoner, Thomas Adolphus
Sweetword, was a mild hammered, OK
eyed individual with red head and
freckled skin. l thought him the home
Hest man had ever seen and since
he was to be tried for bgamy, wonder
ed how he had ever persuaded one wo-
man to marry him, not to speak of two,
when | heard n woman behind me
say, Isn't he liandsomeT The jury,
twelve true and good women. were
sworn and took their seats In the jury
box. They seemed to be conscious that
every one in the spectators seats was
looking at them. Six jury women felt
of their back hair, evidently expecting
TO find 1t loose and ready to come
down, while the other six adjusted
their hats. They listened attentively
to the Indictment accusing the prison
er Of marrying five women. l saw in
the face of every woman on the jury
terrible premonition Of the wrath to
come and thought how hard it was on
a man to be tried for such an offense
before women.
"Wife No. l gave her testimony first.
1t was simply form to establish her
position. She looked pityingly upon
the prisoner, while he looked at her
with no expression at all. The other
wives were present, and he stood be-
fore them like a tame bull before the
toreadors in a Spanish arena.
"Wife No. 2 told the story of how she
had been deceived, betrayed, ruined.
l glanced at the jury as they listened
to her. Their eyes were flashing, their
were restraining their wrath nobly.
Wife No. was at a disadvantage, her
appearance being against her. She
was surely very untastefully dressed.
And so the recital of betrayal went
on till the five women had told their
narrowing tales. The other two did
not appear. I was very much inter-
ested in watching the expression Of
the jury women. The prisoner might
better have been subject to the claws
Of twelve hungry lionesses. Being the
first time they had sat on jury, all
were, of course, ignorant of the forms.
AS soon as wife No. 5 had given her
experience-she was the most attrac-
tive and her case was the most heart
rending Of all-up jumps the forewo-
man and says, or, rather screams:
"'Your honor, we don't need to hear
any more of this case. We are ready
to find a verdict without leaving the
box
"The judge bowed politely to her and
told her that a verdict would not be in
order till evidence for the defense was
in and the case summed up, where
upon she sank back into her seat, fan
ming herself violently and muttering:
"'He can put in any defense he likes
He can't change my opinion
"Some of the men in the room Uttered,
but the judge glared at them, and the
prisoners attorney arose. He sum-
moned but few witnesses to prove
that Mr.. Sweetword's home with his
first wife had been pandemonium;
that this had driven the poor man to
seek another and another till he had
tried FIVE without getting that connu-
bal comfort that any man has right
to expect. When the advocate came to
sum up he skillfully contrived to throw
all the blame on the women in the
case, making no mention of the va
rious attractions of the law of the
land. He drew picture Of the hor-
rors of married life with wife No.
and insinuated that wife No. 2 had
been no better than she should have
been before her marriage with Sweet
word. Wife No. 3, he claimed, was too
vulgar for any man to live with. Wife
No. T. who had angled for him, had
shamefully neglected him, while No.
was hard drinker.
"'Here is a case, ladies' he conclud-
ed, where a man comes to grief
through his desire to have a happy
home. Unlike the pampered clubman
who selfishly decries marriage, spend
ing all his income on himself instead
Of supporting some good woman, the
accused, believing in the sanctity of
connubial life, makes five Intellectual
attempts to build nest for the
dear innocents that are to come He
then pictured the dreadful punishment
the law inficts on this poor hunter for
happiness, while the selfish bachelor
goes free. His last card, glimpse of
prison life, was very effectual He
closed by saying that he left his eli
ent's case In the hands of those he
was sure were good, merciful Christian
women.