Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-05

which grows and grows until 1t reaches
such proportions that nothing but tr1ai
would satisfy the disgruntled parties
Yet" the man shrugged his shoulders,
Il. is this same 'cussedness of old Moth
er Nature in all her children that ere
ates the demand for lawyers, courts ana
juries!'
One of the bright spots in the juror
experience is the little check which ne
receives from the marshal for his ssrv-
ices on the first of each month At 80
day the figures mount up, and by the
end of two months one mas taken IN
quite a tidy sum from the District FUNDS:
81 would have been mighty glad 10
have been drawn on the jury a re"
months ago" remarked one man Il was
out of a position and as my funds nau
reached very low ebb IS day w haua
have put me on Easy street and nave
made me feel like regular John u. or
Andrew c. But when l was summoned.
/ had just accepted new position SO
that the greater part OF my check was
turned over to the substitute whom
felt called upon to employ to hold my
position for me-.
In the District of Columbia the selec-
ton of prospective jurors is assigned 70
a commission. composed or the coiiector
of taxes, the marshal and the clerk Oh
court The names of number of men
are written on slips OF paper ana droppea
into the jury box. This Is kept scared q
until a Jury is desired when the seal
is broken and the names of a s'ufhclent
number drawn and summons issued. Ere
quently the deputy marshal, whose duts
it is to personally serve the summons Is
unable to locate certain parties whose
names have been dra wn. 1t is then neces-
sary to extract additional names ana
issue new summons, in order to complete
the panel of twenty-siX men Tor each OF
the several local courts.
!.
time but
as long as the entire twenty-six are on
the panel they must report. in order to
ascertain whether or not they are needed
in the Jury box They are paid for each
time they answer - roll call. When q
long case is up for a hearing often the
Judge excuses the fourteen men who have
not been drawn on that particular jury
until a specified day when he thinks new
business will be the calendar. FOR
this intervening period they are not
paid.
1t occasionally happens that out OF
twenty-six men it is impossible to get
twelve disnterested, unbiased jurors to
act in certain case. Then hurry call,
as it were. is sent out in the highway
and byways'' in order to get men eligible
to serve on such a case. During the last
spring much trouble was experienced IN
getting a satisfactory jury for the trial
of two men. both of whom were accused
of endorsement ana 1rduQ. lHelT WTOHS
doing having covered a very wide field,
both in time and scope. it was difficult
to find twelve men who had not either
known them personally or who had not
had friends who were losers through their
business relations with the defendants.
1t was not until after comparatively
large number of talesmen had been ques-
toned that juries were actually made up
satisfactory to both the district attorney
and the lawyers on the other side.
When it comes to rendering a verdict
the average jury endeavors to be just
and to take into consideration every bit
of the evidence Rather than condemn an
innocent party Il is inclined to give the
prisoner the benefit of a doubt. Often
the decision of the jury is held up by
one obstinate juror-that Is. he is. OF
course, considered obstinate by the eleven
others. who bring all their native wit
intelligence and persuasive powers tc
bear on him. in order to get him to sec
with their eyes. Along this line many
amusing anecdotes are related.
Once an old Irishman out OF the twelve
Jurors was the only dissenting voice. Tt
no avail the others argued, teased
cajoled and pleaded. Like the Sphinx, ht
sat unmoyed--a yeritable Stoic-an Irish