Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1920-01-02
DISTRICT COURT ROOM
FURNITURE DAMAGED

TT is NDT the policy of the NEWS
L to urjustly criticise anybody, but
the conduct Of the audience attending
the preliminary hearing of Frank Saw
yer in the district court room last Tues
day deserves more than passing notice
our criminal Jurisprudence provides
that all trails shall u" public. ANA We
would not have IL otherwise, but III"
result of this hearing ConNinr"S uS thai
Justices trials should not b" allowed in
the court house. bryan county went
to considerable expense in "quipinr
its new court house with furniture
which should have been u credit to the
building and the county fOr years to
come. but today tn" seats back # the
bar railing in TIA" district court room
are in far worse condition thtu ten
years of legitimate S"rNic" WON'T htN"
placed them in, in fact, aSid" from "a
few seats in IN" front row n"Nt ." liz"
jury box. thcr" ar" not a dozen t"aiN III
the whole room which ruuld q" s'i' IS
n second hand Stor" without rciuUCIuhr
tn" finish on them. t'roIi tho stand
point of looks. they hay" hc"u u;t,fly
ruined ana are nov a disgrace" o." IN"
court room. TN" same, may I' SAT- Of
the window castings al armand ir
room.
I'll" trouble bcEan Icy ulluWiu IA ih'
spectators to stand up Ius' hciliIl "a.
biT EhliIllE u Wv aunt F''''F. ''
space was filled in lik" sIrdin .s in 20
box. and. naturally, th"s" who cam" IN
time and obtained seats. findiu. NAT
their view was cut off, ais" stood NJ.
and within an hour after the trial he
gan thcr" was at least on" person, II
not more standing III each seat. and in
the window castings. Unfortunately.
the floor had never received a first
class cememt finish and every shoe.
whether it had rubber soles and heels.
or just leather. picked up more or less
fine particles of ""mcnt and sand, and
in the hours of twisting and Squirm-
ing IL certainly put tn" fixing" as the
saying goes. to the finish. Hours he
fore the case was called, men. women
and children, or AS one cNp''..vd II.
"the halt. the lam" and the blind" he.
gan pouring into the court room, and
long before the actual irial commence
ed, standing room Was an unknown
quantity.
We are unwilling TO undertake. =" ti>
the blam" for this. but If tn" siGtC" back
OF III" railing had moi been T. "Ip't,rl
10 become tillcd with stIudIur i,r"ri"
Il Is hardly likely that those in the r"ar
of the room would hav" stood up ~ til"
seats. ThuS" who CIlnr in first I'D
obtained seats were certainly entitled
go see and hear. and If they scr" ui.-
vented from doing So 10y others stand
ing up in front of Them. you could
hardly expect them to remain seated
True, we have a statute prescribing
Il penalty for any one lrftCinG or
damagiuI public property, iIt to fin
the individual liability for amy of TINS
damage would u" as much Of a task as
the finding of IA" provrrhial nrrdl" in
II hay stack. During sessions of the
district court II special hailiff IL in at
tendance whose duty II is to hook after
.,-t. ...
turned oNCr to II Justice of tn" peace
it seems to he oNcryhody's business and
nohody's business. OF course. 1t is too
late To cry over spilled milk. but as
stated above. this matter deserves NOR.
than "A passing comment.