Page:Race distinctions in American Law (IA racedistinctions00stepiala).pdf/286

 sheriff has exhausted his best efforts to get white men. Those called are very apt to be good, reliable men, and with a majority of white men in the jury-box are not disposed or able to do wrong. My experience as clerk for 20 years is that they make good jurors, and are apt to be disposed, in criminal actions, to execute the law even against their own race. Judge says that white men on the jury are everywhere disposed to lean toward a Negro litigant, especially if the Negro is of the old-class, before-the-war Negro gentleman and the white man is of these later days 'common trash.' I am told by the judges that in some counties the sheriffs would not dare to call a Negro as a talisman even, but, as I have said, we have them not very frequently and without complaint. I notice that the opposing lawyers are slow in challenging them when so called"

County No. 4, 12,600 white people, 13,100 Negroes: " Negroes do not serve on juries in our County, nor are they allowed to vote or take any part in county or municipal affairs"

County No. 5, 5,700 white people, 6,700 Negroes: "A colored man has never served on the jury in this county, neither has a colored man ever voted in this county."

County No. 6, 6,000 white people, 13,000 Negroes: " We still have some Negro jurors at every term of our courts, but not near so many as in former years. Our County Commissioners are very careful in putting the names of only good, respectable Negroes in the jury box. The consequence is we have very few Negroes on our juries, but those we have are well disposed and the most intelligent Negroes of the county, and make very