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A hundred years ago you probably would have gone by train to Media to serve on the jury. |
HOW THE GRAND AND PETIT JURORS FOR COURT ARE DRAWN
Historic Wheel from Which the Names are Selected Was First Used in This City When Chester Was the County Seat in the Early Days
There are
few people in this county who know how citizens are selected as jurors. Since the county has been a county it has
been a lottery as to who would become a member of the Grand Jury or a member of
the Petit Jury.
The
wheel presented in this picture looks like a crude instrument, but yet for
nearly a century hands have been going in and coming out of this wheel making
the selection of the jurors by lottery.
But few
persons have had the opportunity of watching the operation of drawing the jury
in the past century. The jury wheel now
in use was first used in the city of Chester, which was then the county
seat. When the courthouse was removed in
Media, the old wheel or a “Cheese box,” as many call it, was some of the relics
taken from Chester to Media. It has done
duty ever since.
For the
benefit of those who are not acquainted with the manner in which jurors are
selected this article is written.
In the
first instance, the judge of judges upon the bench designate the number of
names that are to be placed therein.
The
Sheriff then, under the authority of law, is directed to draw from the historic
wheel the number of names designated by the Court within 35 days of the session
of the Court.
On the
day set by the Sheriff and the two jury commissioners meet to fulfill this
order of the Court. The old wheel is
then taken from the safe, the names of the Sheriff, the Jury-Commissioners and
Judge, which were written at the previous drawing, are taken from the wheel by
one of the above named in authority.
Books,
which are used in the Sheriff’s office, are placed under the wheel so as to
hold it in position. The Sheriff takes
the first draw and is then followed by the Jury Commissioners in order of their
party. These men alternate in drawing
from the wheel until the close of the drawing.
At the
close, the names of the Judge and the Jury Commissioners and the Sheriff are
written upon a slip of paper, secured by sealing wax and then the wheel is
replaced in the safe in the Sheriff’s office.
Many
persons have the idea that they can be drawn as jurors on the Grand Jury or on the Petit Jury just as the officers in charge of
the work desire, but this is not the case.
They are drawn in accordance with the law. The first 34 names drawn from the wheel are
known as members of the Grand Jury. Then
the names of the citizens which come out of the wheel are placed in order in
accordance with the direction of the Court, whether it be 55, 63, or 75 for
each week.
The
drawing of the Jury is a feature of the political conditions that few have any
knowledge of, but which is one of the most important characteristics of our
civil government.
A few
years ago it was claimed in this county, as well as other counties of the
State, that the men who had the authority of drawing the names from the jury
wheel took them from their pockets instead of drawing them from the wheel. This, however, is impossible now under the
present regime of drawing jurors for the reason that the law prescribes that
the name of every person drawn as a juror shall be placed on file in the office
of the Prothonotary.
Persons
often complain because their names do not come out of the wheel and criticize
the Judge, the Sheriff and the Judy Commissioners for not putting them in. The wheel being a lottery it is impossible
for any officer connected with the drawing of the jury to tell in advance whose
name will be brought out.
The
names are placed in the wheel upon small pieces of paper tightly rolled and
concealed by rubber bands, being the selection of the Judge, the Sheriff, and
the two Jury Commissioners, making it utterly impossible for anyone to know whose
name will be first or last to come from the historic wheel.
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