The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-10-13
Strictly Business

II HE twelve good men and true, and the two sub
l. varsity jurors sit by the day and listen to the
reading Of old business letters and contracts. The
prosecutor, Leslie E. Salter will put a witness
the stand and then read a document as long
year in bed and just as dull. He then calls the
witness to say whether or not certain person signed
that.
He did" says the witness, and Mr.. Salter sticks
it in the record and pulls out another one. The
quantity of the letters and records which he has 10
draw upon for these exhibits is appalling. There is
a row of selves about eight feet high and twenty
feet long side Of the courtroom, all loaded
with account books, letters and reports.
1t would be less stuffy if there a few pink
notes among the correspondence addressed to Sweet
Old Daddy" and signed "Toots" Baby" But
there is time and place for everything and the boys
who ran the insult empire Kept only business papers
in their business files 1t is an interesting COM
menary on the shrewdness of these shrewd business
men, however. that they lacked the intelligence to
get rid of some of their papers before the government
stepped in and grabbed the files.
They had similar case in Washington a few
weeks ago VIII N Senator Nye investigating the
munitions industry. One correspondent in the South
American field repeatedly lad cautioned the home
Office to comb out the letter files and throw away
anything which might have an unconventional sound
if read aloud at public inquiry But your business
man hates to throw away old letters. He hangs on
to them as a mother saves baby shoes and old re-
port cards. Then the first thing he knows some one
like Mr. Salter is reading letter out loud in which
the boys agree to create $10O00000 by writing down
some numbers in 81 ledger.
THE insult jury is said to be extra good. The
Il members are citizens of good reputation among
their neghborS and have the look of men who would
be safe at home nights if they weren't on the jury
But they are neither professors market experts
and they will be better men than most if they are
able to keep things in exact order in their minds and
decide just how guilty each defendant is, if any.
Some of the twelve and two close their eyes oc-
caSionaly and see INTO be catching upon their fall
sleeping You couldn't blame them. Judges often
do the same thing in trials which offer no love in
terest but only documents beginning Your favor Of
the tenth ult Received and contents noted"
1t was shocking to hear from an old-time federal
court man that the Chicago federal court uries of
years ago were quite low grade. The big trials took
place IN the late fall and winter when there wasn't
much that farmer could do to make a dollar ex-
cept sit on the jury But the prosecutors wanted YER
diets and II a man wouldn't convict he was stricken
OH the list. The od-time federal court man said
the list IN those days pretty we'll purged of kind
hearted men. 1t must have been good joke to file
away an innocent mans in Leavenworth merely be-
cause certain fellow-citizens wished to make little
winter money. Your correspondent will bet that
some of them were pretty well burned up about it.
Copyright 1894 by United Feature Syndicate Inc)