The Waco Daily Examiner

MAKING A FARCE OF IT.

There would seem to be no end of the variety of ways in which the unwillingness of certain men to serve on juries can be demonstrated but it has been reserved for a Brooklyn Judge to furnish an instance of forcing a blind man to serve as a juryman. An item in New York papers of a case was called in Judge Kiehl's court last Monday, when it appeared that he of the myopia was absent. A constable was sent to bring in the delinquent juror, but the latter told the officer that he, the officer, wasn't big enough to take him into court, and defied the writ and the officer: then the latter procured the help of another officer, and the two, pulling together, did succeed in dragging the reluctant and indignant man into the presence of the court. The Judge imposed on the delinquent man a fine of twenty five dollars, which was paid and the juror was then compelled to take his seat along with the eleven other jurors and try the case. The imposition of the fine on the juror was right and richly deserved. but it may be questioned if the action of the court, in forcing or allowing such a man to sit and act as a juror, was right and wise. Any man who can defy the law could be fit to act as a Juror in any case. Such occurrences are fortunately very rare, but when they do happen they are talked of and not forgotten and their inevitable tendency is to bring the jury system into contempt.