Evening star., 1928-12-18
D. c. Jury SYSTEM
IN NEED Of CHANGE,
GIBSON GROUP TOLD
Subcommittee Hears Severe
Arraignment by Citizens
Service Secretary.
COURT PROCEDURE HERE
ALSO DRAWS CRITICISM
Witness Declares Four Known
Bootleggers Served on a Jury in
Trial of a Liquor Case.

Severe criticism of the jury system
in the District, under which it was re-
ported four known bootleggers served
on a jury in a liquor case, was made
before the Gibson subcommittee of the
House District committee today at an
other hearing on the prohibition en-
forcement situation in Washington.
The most ardent advocate of a new
jury system was T. B. Jarvis, executive
secretary of the Citizens Service Asso-
ciations who declared that the best class
of citizens are now excused from jury
service. "The system of obtaining
juries should be changed materially, de-
clared Jarvis. II was told recently
that four men who served on a jury
here in bootleg trial had themselves
been convicted of bootlegging." Jarvis
also was critical of court procedure in
the District. under which he said every
legal technicality is raised for protec-
ton of the law yiolator.
-Four witnesses Heard.
Jarvis. Frank Sebring, chief clerk of
the Police Court; Frank E. Cunning
ham, chief clerk of the District Supreme
Court, and Harry N. Douthitt, owner
and editor of newspaper in Clarendon,
Va, and former worker for the Citi-
zenS' Service League, were the only wit
neSSes called by the committee. All of
them, with the exception of Douthitt,
aYnPQcCQH hQlinf that a cnonna in no
jury system probably would bring about
an improvement in the liquor situation
in Washington, which had been pic
tured to the committee by previous wit
neSSeS as paradise for bOotleggerS.
The consensus was that the length of
jury service should, first of all, be ex-
tended from two weeks to at least a
month.
Chairman Gibson explained at the
outset of the hearing that he had re-
ceived q number OF complaints about
the jury system as well as complaints
the Police Court had been too lenient
with liquor law yiolatorS and in
structed Sebring and Cunningham to
draw up recommendations for changes
they think should be made.
1. Gibson also specifically asked for a
list of the names of the jurors who
served In the Fall. Doheny and Stewar'
cases. together with a copy of tn
docket entries in each of those cases,
which were based on the Senate oil
probe. u am frequently disturbed
about the jury system in the District"
he said.
Building Probe Due.
The hearing today virtually brought
to close the committees investigation
OF the liquor situation, although Chair
man Gibson announced that one more
hearing likely would be necessary as he
desired to obtain information from Mrs
Mabel Walker Willebrandt. Assistant
United States Attorney General, re-
gardlng liquor eases in the District.
The committee, he said. will now turn
its attention to the District Building
inspectors Office.
Investigators of the Bureau of Eff
cheney, he revealed, have made a quiet
investigation of this Office in the last
several weeks, and the report is being
prepared by them for the committee.
This report, Mr.. Gibson said, lie ex-
pected within few days. The COM
mite, he said asked the bureau to
make the investigation because of COM
plants that "sliphod" methods were
being used in the Office.
In connection with the committees
study of prohibition enforcement condi-
tions Gibson declared that it is not the
disposition of the committee ito arbl-
trarily force legislation on the people
Of the District We want to find out
what the faults are and to find some
way to bring about better enforcement,
not only of the prohibition law. bur
every other law. We want to know
whether the trouble is due to the law.
the police, the prosecuting branch or
the courts"
"FOur Good Judges"
Sebring, the first witness, was greet
ed with statement from Chairman
Gibson that the complaint had come
to his attention that the Police Court
had been too lenient with liquor law
violators.
II don't think that is So" Sebring
replied. I'VE have four good judges
down there
When Jarvis took the stand however.
he took exception to Sebring's state
ment Perhaps we have four good
courts" he said, "but it seems to me
that they lean backward to help the
bootleggers instead Of leaning forward
to help the good citizens of the Dis
trict."
Sebring submitted to the committee
q record of liquor cases handled in
Police Court since 1927. 1t showed that
on December Is last 437 ,aseS were still
pending. az of which were filed in 1927.
Gibson asked Sebring what the
court did with second and third Offend
ers, pointing out that one case involved
a notorious bootlegger who had 80
charges pending against him when he
last looked at his record Sebring re-
piled that second and third offenders
are usually held for the grand jury.
Reads Citizens Complaint.
Then Gibson read into the record a
letter he received he said, from a
reputable citizen living near the Dis
trict Supreme Court Building and a
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