NOVEL FRAUD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11872, 25 January 1902, Page 2 (Supplement)

NOVEL FRAUD.

HOW ABSENT SPECIAL JURYMEN ARE PERSONATED. A new form of fraud has recently come to light in the precincts of the Law Courts. "I have often noticed," said a wellknown barrister, " that when the names of the special jurymen are called at the beginning of a case, one or two of them fail to respond. Then when the names have been repeated two or three times in a tone of voice that ought to be audible on the Embankment, the apparently reluctant jurymen arise from a seat quite close to tlio jury-box and take their places. "I took the trouble to inquire into the matter, for it struck me that men who took so long to hear their own names must be quite too deaf to : attend to their duties as jurymen. "I found that acting as special juryman has almost become a profession. Those: men had simply been ; waiting ;in Court to earn the special juryman's fee of a' guinea. As soon as they find that a special juryman is late they step into the box, answer to his name, and take his place. When the real Simon ' Pure arrives he sees that the Court has opened, and shuddering at the pains and penalties he may have incurred goes away and says as little about it as possible. I find that there are quite a number , of men earning a living in this way..' 4 '