Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-02-17
COOPER JURY is NOW FULL.
Each Juror Kissed tho Book--It was
a Solemn Cerenlony.


Nashville, Tenn, Feb. 13. With
out further charges. the jury was
sworn at 9.15 this morning in the
case against Col. Duncan B. Cooper,
Robin j. Cooper and John ID. Sharp,
charged with the Staying of former
Senator E. w. Carmack.
When court adjourned yesterday,
the prosecution asked that the jury
be not. sworn until the State had a
chance to investigate charges against
two OF the Jurors. When court con-
vened this morning Attorney General
McCarn made no reference to these
charges, but simply said:
eve are ready for the jury to be
sworn, your honor"
The clerk took three jurors at a
time, mad them place their hands
upon small, well-worn Bible. which
has served in the court for years, and
repeat after him the oath:
ITO well and truly try the issue
Joined between the State Of Tennes-
see and the defendants" Then each
juror kissed the Book in turn. It
was a solemn ceremony, solemnly
performed. VI
The State next asked several days
in which to gather its witnesses. The
court suggested that the taking OF
testimony begin at a. m. Tuesday
and counsel on both sides agreed
Then court adjourned to a. m
Tuesday. ....-
For twenty days the court, attor-
neys and officers nave been wearily
trying to get competent jurors. The
law madesthose Incompetent who had
talked With a witness to the murder
or talked with some one who had
talked with the witness. On the ap-
plication for bail, the local papers
printed stenographic reports of the
testimony OF witnesses.
The Supreme Court held that q
newspaper printing verbatim testi-
mony becomes a witness who has
talked to a witness. Therefore, every
one in the county who read the testi-
mony became incompetenut to sit in
the case as juror. This eliminated
at once the most intelligent citizens
of the county.
AS result it was necessary to
draw five venires Of 500 names each
and one OF 519, or a total OF 3,019,
before the jury was secured. AS 1t
is, four of the jurors can neither read
nor write and two others understand
English only indifferently.
Every one Of the twelve swore he
had not read newspaper since be-
fore the killing, and some had not
read one for ten years. Bierman,
the only exception, had been out Of
the State from the week before the
killing until the day he was sum-
moned. &
Hows, the last man chosen, was
foreman Sof the jury in the famous
Cox case.f Cox was charged with the
murder of a policeman The jury
first degree, but recommended
mercy. Judge Hart refused to heed
the recommendation and sentenced
Cox to death. Cox had powerful
friends, and the night before he was
to be executed, some one slipped
some poison into his cell, with which
he committed suicide. Judge Ander-
son, chief counsel for the defense in
the case, also defended Cox. The
fact that Anderson accepted Hows
created no little comment.
Complete Jury. ".
and occupations:
E. Nj. Burke, carpenter, age Al.
Eobt. Mcpherson, farmer, age 40.
G. A. Lane, farmer, age 90.
w. A. Adco.ck, farmer, age 2S.
Casper Schupp, farmer, age Al.
>. II. Vaughn, farmer, age 40.
S. Nj. Hyde, farmer, age So.
Gus Knipfer, farmer, age At.
IL. o. Bierman, real estate, age AZ.
j. A. Woodruff, farmer, age 55.
Jacob Frutiger, farmer, age 40.
William Hows, farmer, age 55.
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A Common Cold.