Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1908-06-07
TRANSCRIPT FROM A
 W0i4N'S DIARY.
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[ VI ss.'.4

nIGlt Tor HIS answer. l Told nm that l wished my husband to be interested with me i'll the anciordtion of the con dition of wolucn. We had Il long dis cur<iou oh inc subject, during which he asked me if l believed in women serving on iuries I told him that believed in woman performing any and every duty a man performs except certain manual labor and the duties of a soldier Then he said that women had been tried on q jury and he had been present at a trial before such q jury l asked him where, but he cut me short by telling me the following story:
 The prisoner, Thomas AdolphuS Swectword, was |: mild hammered, OK eyed individual with a red head and freckled skin. l thought him the home Hest man 1 had ever seen and, since he was 10 be tried for higamy. wonder ed how be had ever persuaded one wo- man to marry him. not to speak of two when heard a woman behind me say. Isn't he handsome!' 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 look ing at them. Six jury women felt ! of their back hair. evidently expecting to find it loose and rea(~ to come down. while the other six Hd insted f,lcir hats. They listened attcntivcly to the indictment accusing the prison CT of marrying five women. l saw ill the face of every woman on the jury tci'ih,c premonition of the wrath To come ;,nd thought how hard it was on man to be tried for such an cfcnsc hcfrre women.
 "Wifo No. 1 gave her testimony first. It was simply a form to establish he: position. She looked Iilyingly upon 1hc prisoner. while he looked at her Wilh no expression at a!l. The "thcr wives We're present. and he stood be fcfc :he:A like a tame hull before the torcadors in a Spanish arena.
 Wife No. told the story of ho" SC i had Teen deceived. Betrayed, ruined 1 l glanced at the jury as they listened | to Ter Their cyes were flashing. ,hcir ! facial muscles were work ilG. but they were rcs."Gt.?;nG ,hcir wrath nuhiy Wife No :; Was al a disadvantage. Ter appearance being against her She was surely very un1astefullE dressed.
 "An,, SO the rc"itai of betrayal vert on till the five wN!ncn bad told their 1 narrowing tales. Tle othcr two did n9t appear. l wGs very much inter estcd in watching the expression of tEe jury women. The prisoner might l better have been subject to the claws of twelve hungry lionesses, Being the l first time they had sat ou a jury. all were. of course. ignorant of the forms. .ts soon as wife Nc. ! had given her oXpelieuce-ehe was tbe 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 heal any more of this case. We are ready to trd verdict without leaving the box
 "Ih" judge bowed politely to her and ! t0,I l.l':' that q verdict would not be in order till evidence for the defense was in and the case summed up, where 1 min. herself violently and mutterng: ".l!c can put in any defense he likes. He can't change ntu opinion
 Some of the men in the room Uttered, but the .iudgc gIared at them. and the prisoners attorney arose. He sum- moacd but d few witnesses to prove that Mir SweetWord's home with his first wife had been a pandcmonum that this had driven the poor man to seek another and another till he had tried five without getting that connu- ] bial comfort that any man has right to expect. When the advocate came to sum up Ec skillfully contrivcd to throw all the blame on the women in the case. making no mention of the va riouS iufractionS of the law of the land. He drew a picture of the hor- TOTS of married life with wife No. 1 and insinuated that wife No. had been no letter than she should have been hcrnre her marriage with Sweet wurN. Wife No g, he claimed, was tee vulgar for any man to live with. Wife No. 1, who had anGlcd for him. had s!l@mcfully Ec>,Icttcd him. while No ! was { hs,rJ thinker.
 "'Here is a case. ladies. he conclud- l e', where a man comes to Grlef through his desire to have d happy home. Unlike the pampered clubman who sclfishly decries marriage. spend ing all his :nto ne on himself instead of supporti.G some good woman, the accuScd believing in the sanctity of connuhal life makes five intellectual attempts to build a nest for the dear innocentS that arc to come He then pictured the dreadful punishment the law inficts on this poor hunter for happiness while the selfish bachelor gees free. His last card, a glimpse of prison life. was very effectual ,,e closed by saying that lie left his eli ents ease in the hands of those he was sure were good. merciful Christian women.
 'The jury retired after definite in- structions from the judge. which none