The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-04-16
Still Puzzling

Citizens will be glad to be treasured that the
jury commissioners for this county are most honest
and efficient although they did not really need that
assurance.
No one CT course suspected any one of dishon-
esty or lack of integrity when clerks in the once
of the assessor and county treasurer failed TO ma
the name Of the grand juror who made the sensa-
tiona charge that he had been offered slzaole
sum of money to refrain from indictments no mat
ter what evidence was presented
But the public was puzzled to just now a
man whose name so hard to ind IN the TAX
lists ever got on the jury at all,
The law says, or perhaps it only seems to say
since in these days words in laws and the Consti-
tuition apparently have lost their usual meanings,
that the names of jurors shall be taken from the
tax duplicates of the current year.
Now it is explained that years ago this
particular juror paid some taxes FOR his name was
on the tax duplicate
There is the contention that he is what the law
terms a freebooter because he is purchasing real
estate on a contract for which he has not yet
title
While this explanation of his status is given, it
still leaves the whole matter in state which is
puzzling to the mind of the ordinary citizen.
If the name was not the tax duplicate for
the current year, and no seems to contend that
it u.s. and the jury commissioners honest,
the public believes them TO be, just how did this
particular name happen to be listed for the grand
jury?
On the face of things it leaves the public only
with the chance guess that the name did not
from a jury box at ALL if the jury commissioners
placed in that box only names which the
tax duplicate for the current year.
That would be serious sort of situation to con-
ten1plate and much more serious condition il
does exist
The whole matter is more than peculiar. The
address of the juror when he paid taxes was given
as Eleventh ST. When his address handed out
member of the grand jury, it listed
Twenty.Second St. but when he himself told the
sheriff that he ready to he lived Thirty
Third st, There still FortyFourth and Fifty
Fifth and SixtySixth Ss which have not been heard
from.
In tangle that requires so much explaining
whenever crisis and certainly an open
charge of attempted bribery by grand juror may
be considered critical even in indianapolis, why
not make clear and clean start?
Citizens committees have been suggested. There
is a fine way to get one. The jury commissioners
could arrange for one if they would examine care
fully the box from which jurors names are drawn
that it contains leftovers, and then fill it
with the names of such outstanding citizens that
no matter what six were drawn there would be
question to their eligibility and whose report on
political matters which the last grand jury said
shrould be probed would be accepted final and con-
elusive.
1t is all very puzzng.
But the big puzzle is to just how names can
be taken from tax duplicates for the current year
and which are not for this year, but may have
been for other year.
Here is matter which can not be brushed
aside casually and with euloges for officials who
never suspected.