The Detroit times., 1911-05-04
CORONER COURT
JUR|ES D. K D BY
VAN zlLE
Wayne County's Prosecutor, Shown
That the Law Has Been Flagrantly
Violated, Refuses To Take
Action for the People.
Another Reason for Verdicts Like the
One Rendered in the Killing Of
Emma Gibson.

Philip T. Van Zile, chosen by the
people OF Wayne county TO protect
them against persons and things cal
culated to menace their safety and
welfare, refuses TO bulge an inch to-
wards taking the initiative In the
matter OF correcting abuses, which, as
The Times has pointed out, obtain
in the office OF the coroners. He
wasn't even courteous to The Times
Representative who called at his Of
iice, Wednesday afternoon, TO talk
with him about the conditions reveal
| cd In the coroners' court by The
Times.
do you plan TO take any official
action towards having the coroners
stick to the law in the matter OF
drawing their juries?" Mr.. Van Zile
was politely asked. .....
II am not going TO do thing" he
CURLY replied. Il don't intend to mix
|up in the controversy at all"
But there is no controversy" the
reporter protested,
We'll, anyway, | am not going to
act in the case, one way or another,
| the peoples protector answered. Il
don't try my cases in the newspapers.
| If The Times wants TO take action
against the coroners' office, let 1t do
80. II a prosecution is started, then
| I'll prosecute il. But I'm not going
| to make any complaint myself; I'm
not here for that purpose
But you are the prosecutor" was
m m tho pna rdian nf the Dan-
| pies rights and morals.
We'll. now" the peoples advocate
retorted angrily, I'm not going to be
Anything, you'll publish It, and
don't want that at all. There Is no
use in your putting the matter up to
me in different ways, because l have
told you that / am not going to do
anything. That ought to be enough.
I was kind enough to allow you to
come In here. and then you 60 and
try to insist on my getting into this
affair. I don't think that is fair"
The reporter apologized for annoy.
ing the peoples friend and thanked
him for the treatment he had ne
ceived.
AS the reporter was leaving, he
espied David Belyea behind the pub
lie counter In Mr.. Van Zile's office.
Ii was the first opportunity The
Times had of seeing Mr.. 1Belyea since
il began 10 expose the coroners' jury
weFkyaHd the reporter Hndertook=to
question him about the many times
be sat as a juror in the coroners'
court.
How does it happen that you serv-
ed as a juror so often?" was asked
OF Mr.. Belyea.
"It was a case of compulsion with
me-" he replied. Il was in the habit
of sitting in the coroners' office, wait
Ing for orders from this office or
some other place to serve papers In
the capacity of deputy sheriff, and
was called on by the coroners to sit
on juries. | told them that | didn't
want to sit, because of expecting to
be called away any minute, but they
insisted that | serve.
Il don't like the way The Times
has referred to me as a sitter 1t
doesn't sound very nice and l think
they ought to correct that"
But you did sit many times, didn't
you?" was suggested to Mr.. Belyea.
Yes" he replied, but | was COM
PEELED to do so, as ! told you, and
have statements from the coroners'
Office to that effect"
The cases and the juries which Of
fciated in them up to the present
time In 1911, are as follows:
Jan. 8--Case, Felix Glinski; coroner,
Rothacher--jurors: Otto r. Schmidt.
Anthony Skelnick, +. Quandt A.
ouandt. Ed. Alfred, VIM. Wentworth
No inquest.
Jan. 11-Case. Jos. Caruso: coroner
Burgess-jurors: David Belyea, Fred
Layercomb, Henry Leib, VIM. Witt, u.
J. Peters. ]. Holihan.
Jan. l2--Case, Frank Bradley: cor
oner, Burgess-jurors: Judson DeLau-
Iier, Henry Neitzer, Jos. kolter, c.