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Show "Old Bailey" Astonished as Woman Sits on Crime Jury She wee a toque of black straw with oh prey feathers and a fawn costume with a fur eoiltir. All through the case and the one following she watched the witnesses wit-nesses and the prisoner, and heard the evidence with the greatest attention and understanding. "Ay and gentlemen of the jury." said the Judge as he addresaed the jury, speaking With an easy familiarity, as though ten expression were not a revolutionary revo-lutionary one. In another court In the same building wo women were sitting on a Jury. One was a little, elderly figure In black with a aad face. She was a Hampstead boarding-house keeper of 60. and was obvious, iy Intently conr?ious of her position. Before Be-fore being called on to serve she confessed to her nervousness, but nevertheless she took her place without delay. Beside her sat another middleaged woman with a hat of blue silk and a ttyllsh pink blouse end a fur collar on her coat. She was aa uncomfortable as her neighbor. During the trial of the cases they sat Btlffly. with expres- 1 ion less faces, in marked contrast to the men on either aide of them, who 1 leaned forward on their elbows watch-fur watch-fur everv sten of the proceeding with absorbed inteerst. Thev agreed i to two verdicts of "not guilty," one In a 1 bigamv cae ad the other in a case of I altered theft. By Universal Service. LONDON, March &. A new epoch began be-gan in the administration of criminal Jettce In 1 -on don whent at the Old Bailey, women for the first time served on the Juries and a forewoman returned the verdict ver-dict In a case which was tried by a Jury -of herself and elrven men. The time-honored phras "Gentlemen "Gentle-men of the Jury" was altered to suit the occaeion to "Lady and gentlemen of the Jury." Since the Institution of tha Jury in far-off far-off Anglo-Saxon days, none but men have acted as Jurors. No little historic importance, therefore, there-fore, attachea to the event, though in j the Midlands woman Jurors have al-l al-l ready been seen and a forewoman haa given the verdict. In a clew and decisive voice a well-dressed well-dressed woman announced the verdict. She was the first forewoman of a Jurv that there has ever been In the most famous criminal court of the empire, and her short speech was an historical event The case was that of a Dnniah stoker named Harry Jor-gensen. Jor-gensen. charged with firing a pistol at a dock pnltcemnn with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The Jury was asked to consider the verdict. There was a rapid discussion discus-sion In the box. and the one woman smong the Jury, who sat at the end of When the common sergeant, a grave figure, had taken his place, an usher culled out the opening formula of the day. He necan: Tou good men and women ." Touching and humorous scenes followed fol-lowed with the calling up of the women. All were mkldleaged and many were elderly. Some were in mourning and few ! seemed pleased with the work before them. of the twenty-four women who were csHed ten made excuses, while one did rot appear. Of the ten who wished not to serve eight were granted releeje. the front bench nearest to the common : sergeant spoke with keen Interest to the Jurv men. The "lady and gentlemen of the turv" heard for the first time st the Old Bailey, were asked for the verdict. The woman stood up and gave the Jury's decision. de-cision. "There waa no intention of doing borltly harm." without hesitation or nervousness. nerv-ousness. The forewoman was Mrs. Helen Bum-stead Bum-stead of Adelaide nsd. Hampstead, a gund looking woman with a keen face and utert e ves watching behind pin ce-ne x . |