PROHIBITIONISTS ON JURIES

Evening Star, Issue 9582, 31 December 1894, Page 2

PROHIBITIONISTS ON JURIES

At the inquest on the woman Pike, found drowned in the Avon on Saturday, W. H. Wake (one of the jurymen) said he wished to refer to a personal matter. It had been stated to him that the constable who had summoned that jury had got. into trouble for having put him (Mr Wake) on the jury, and he wished to ask Inspector Broham, who was conducting the inquiry, whether this was the fact. Mr Broharn said he was not aware that that was an inquiry into the conduct of the Police Department. ije might say* however, that instructions had been issued ,by Colonel Hume that no person interested in the liquor business should be allowed to serve on juries in which question,of drink was involved. Mr Wake was well jinown,to be an extremist on the othe,r side, therefore no more, eligible to give an unbiased opinion on such inquiries. It was quite true that the constable had been reprimanded on this occasion. He might say that Mr Wake, had in a manner forced, himself on this jury, and it.had bsen- the case, several times lately that prominent Prohibitionists had, come to the police, and .asked, to be. put pn coroners' juries. Mr Bishop, the coroner, pointed put ,that if Mr Wake had any complaiut to .oiake his proper course was to communicate with the,, head of the department. Mr Wake would like an expression of opinion from Mr Bishop as to whether his extreme views on the temperance question made hjm ineligible as a juryman. Mr Bishop was sorry to see that hi many cases of death that had occurred lately the conclusion was at once jumped to that drink must have had something to do with the cause of dcathj and every effort was made to prove that suph was the casci He saw no practical object in .bringing out the fact prominently that a person was in liquor at the time of the death unless it was,to Bheet home the blame for a person being in that condition to someone connected with the drink trade. He wished also to remark that, having consulted with Mr Beetham on the point, no coroner or jury had any power to refuse to hear any evidence that anyone might wish to givo.