The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1918-02-09
NEVER AGAIN"
GIRL SAYS after
SERVING ON JURY:
One Of Panel Made Fun Of the
Other MemberS-BangI

OAklAND. Cal Never again"
declares Mis-, Ruth Edna ncrkwith. the
lone dlsScntcr m the WOman's Jury
which ,lt m the case NJ Dell Cutting
charged with selling lottery urkcis and
freed m police court after q disagree.
ment, eleven women voting for Cpnyic.
ton and Mis-, Ic,kWth alone holding
out after three hours oi stormy session
Miss licCkwllh is an attorney herself.
and after sitting ~ the jury, she insist,
Carnegie medal 3, due her
Here's Her Account.
Here is her account of the iury room
proceedings. written for The San Fran
cisco Bulletin:
"lhe jury retired. The first thing 10
cause any decided cnmmuion was
statement by one juror that ballot
should he taken before entering upon
discussion To get the standing ui the
Jurors.
Zone Of the Jurors rose io her feet in
a hurry and made motion to strike
The ballot carried. however. ten to two.
Different members Struye violently
for decision until one sweet lady. A Low.
able lady-'aid We can't come to
decision this way Let u, have sc,.
sion ~ prayer and ask for divine guild
ancc
"And all was calm and still
why Wolry2
"One enthusiastic lady said that q
rich concern and not the defendant
would bear the judgment and that hc
sat there and chcwcl gum all the time
and he wasn't worrying so why should
We
Yes said 'hc other dcian'lv and
his attorney tried 10 get us all mixed
mp ~ start with
zone dear lady stood ont with mc nm
almost the last Then someone looked
at her and said win YOU dare 10 let
your name 60 out from here As not
guilty" and ! lost my last friend
Again ! seemed 10 be the center of
attraction | viewed her seriously and
firmly and said Are YOU willing a.
stand mp before your God and say that
that man was proved guilty"
"She dclibcratcd
You are trying 10 influence her rN
rang out q chorus oi dcaicning cars.
What's the TTouble2
The balliii entered and asked Ms 10
return 10 the courtroom The Judge
asked us il We had come to a decision
We had not lie asked US It we could
come 10 a decision
ASK herr was the reply as eyes
and thumbs were pointed in my direc.
tion.
What seems to he the troublc' ?
asked the Judge kindly.
"'She is guided by techncalties = in
SSltcd the forelady -
The jury is discharged.
"And the kind. motherly women ali
evaporatcd, and the kind, mothcrly men
gathered around me 10 console mc ard
revive my spirits, which were about 90
degrees below zero.
That is why | say never againp"
Other JuroJs Irhte.
or course Miss Beckwith was flaycd
by the other jurors when her story was
published.
Mrs. Jennie F. Grasscr forcwoman
OF the jury, said
"All the other women on the Jury
have long been interested in women's
activities and public welfare worI, in
Oakland and served on the jury merely
as a civic duty. We were vcty much
disappointed when we found that a
woman like Miss Bcckwith could use
man, even man in Dell Cuttings po-
Sitlon merely to gain notoricty"
Miss Beckwith plainly is cndcavor-
ing to earn publicity" said Mrs Agnes
c Evans another Juror.
Mrs Rose A. Bohn, another juror,
declared
I'VE did not like Miss RcckwitHs at
titude We knew, too, that we would
be written up to make a Roman holi-
day During the luncheon hour Miss
Beckwlth gave us rather lengthy story
Of her life, and said
" I've got chance TO go the Or
pheum circuit As | sat there during
the impancling Of the jury | thought
how clcverly the whole proceedings
could be written up and how it would
please my audiences Finally she said
l can't miss my lecture and lose S2S'"
A fourth Juror made much Of the point
that Miss Bcckwith'S statements in re-
gard to previous jury service were
slightly conflicting "She told us that
She had never being a lawyer. served |
on a jury before; and vet when we
asked her If she had any scrupIcs about
conyicting a man, she said emphat.
calIy Indeed mott once voted to send
a man to San Quentin for lifer"