The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1924-04-12
Jurors Show Signs of
Criminal Stupidity"
Ought to Be Hanged Instead of Only
Hung" Sometimes, Says Justice

before the voting he decided
that the defendant was guilty.
lac would take a pencil and cross
out the mot" before dropping
ID la the hat.
And with that. I learned from
ono az hts follow jurors. that the
man had desire 20 vote right.
and most often did
met "a man who has recently
served on tho superior court jury
Tor 30 days this year. and I asked
him for an opinion On the usual
jury
Too many representative men
hes OF. was his first statement.
This leaves the jury made up
argcly of mediocre mon and
WOMEN
"liut htn d would not he 40 bad
u the iunou would weigh The cyt
icnco and decide accordingly. Many
q them disregard the judges charge
and the Witnesses evidence, and
vote their own opinions.
Sometimes they do not believe
Ia the law. This I. often the
case la the trial Of boofc Of
Tenders. II j. not unusual 10
hear Juror declare that he
would not believe prohibition
enforcement officer or drD
squad man under any rirCum
stances.
And on a recent trial OF q road.
house proprietor there we're two
jurors who would not vote for
conviction because they had under
stood that the Rainier club and
other clubs OF the city dispensed
| liquors They could see no reason
for conVicting a roadhousc keeper
for doing tho same thing over
looking the fact that In one case
Il was heanay ana IN the other
evidence. And the further fact that
q Was the ruadhouao and not the
Rainier club that was on trial
And another funny thing l dis
covered while serving ON tho jury.
often tho jurors try tho attorney
ON ono side or tho other. II a
lawyer happens 20 he of a rcrappy
turn and makes Il too hard for
The witnesses. there are suro TO he
I ono or two. maybe more. who
viii not give his side due consid.
Grafton In tho jury room
And have seen women
prcludiced because they did not
like the way "A witness or
lawyer was dressed. Or man
will sometimes disregard the
testimony Of a witness bccaus.
lac looked like man he knew
back In Kansas who was tho
biggest liar In town.
Women seem % decide by IN.
stinci, and men b. reasoning. Tie
woman will make up her mind
much quicker than the man. and
she IL harder 20 change. But she
l. just as apt 20 hit Il as II the
man. And l believe. a. rule. they
arc more conscientious than a
man"
Take II all IN ALL" said this
Juror in conclusion. Il guess /, Il
about the best we can do. Tho
average jury Is az least 50 per cent
honest and intelligent. And II jurors
would stick right 10 the evidence.
regardless OF what they think Of tho
law. or the lawyer. and Il they
would not allow sympathy to get
in. there should no, DO much room
/ for complaint
Another Juror gave Il as his
opinion that too often jurors forget
that they have taken a solemn cath.
And he advocated some means OF
prosecuting a Juror who diz-cgards
this oath.
/ This Juror says that Il Il b..
coming a moro common practice for
someone 10 report to the prosecutor
any juror who stands out against
the law and The evidence. simply
because he does not like the law.
He thinks this proper procedure
and says he has known Of such a
Juror being reformed in this way
He also tells OF an attorney Who
put IN no evidence for the defend.
ant ia n booze case. vut simply
got up when tho state was thru
and made a rcd.hot antI.prohibltion
speech and sat down. Tho result
was two jurors. who were wet In
sentiment. stood out for acquittal
until near midnight. Notwithstanding
the evidence was conclusive. and
tho judges charge was almost an
order TO convict.
All Of which would seem 10 ind.
cate that the Jury should be hung
more often than Il ia.