County No. 2, 11,000 white people, 19,000 Negroes: “I will say that Negroes do not serve on the jury in this county and have not since we, the white people, got the government in our hands. When the Republican party was in power Negroes were drawn, both regular and talis jurors, and not one out of one hundred was a competent juror, but, strange to say, when a Negro was on trial, he would always prefer the white men to try his case.”
County No. 3, 5,800 white people, 8,300 Negroes: “Negroes occasionally serve on juries in ... county, but not to as great extent as they did before the passage of the Amendment [the suffrage amendment in 1900]. The County Commissioners have been more particular about the names that are left in the box from which jurors are drawn. Only the best, most reliable and most intelligent Negroes are left in the box. Sometimes it happens that a few are called as talismen, but not then until the 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 acceptable jurors. I have been struck with the fact that our lawyers in selecting the jury for both criminal and civil cases, seldom ever object to the Negroes who are on the regular panel. If this is always kept up, with only the best and most intelligent Negroes in the county in the jury-box, all will be well and our people will not object. But in former years, when sometimes the majority of the jury would be Negroes, there was great dissatisfaction.”
Oklahoma.—County No. 1, 15,000 white people, 2,400 Negroes: “Negroes have served on both grand and petit juries nearly every term of court with the exception of the last two terms of the district court. There are some Negro names in the box, but they did not happen to be drawn by the Sheriff or myself. The men who have sat have given satisfaction to the litigants, but have been objectionable to the other jurors. Where it has come to a locked-up jury, and where they have to eat and be closely confined with the white man, I have heard some complaint. The court and officials who are all white Republicans—except the sheriff—treat Negroes with utmost fairness.”
South Carolina.—County No. 1, 9,000 white people, 19,000 Negroes: “... I have only been in office for [the] last four years, but since I have been in office I have had a good many Negroes on juries. Year before last I had Negroes on juries three consecutive courts, and every year I have several of them. We always put the names of those qualified to act in our jury-box, but it is a bad condition of affairs when you go over the Negroes of the county, and find how few are qualified to act. The Negro jurors have increased in our section.”
County No. 2, 5,000 white people, 17,000 Negroes: “... The number of Negro jurors has decreased in late years. I do not think that a great number of Negro jurors would impress very favorably the court and the people at large.”
County No. 3, 10,000 white people, 19,000 Negroes: “... I do not remember ever to have seen a Negro on the jury in this county. I am told, however, that one served occasionally for only awhile after 1876.”
County No. 4, 18,000 white people, 41,000 Negroes: “In my experience covering ten years or more, I find it difficult to get a large array of competent jurors. We are careful and painstaking in making our lists; therefore, we never allow a Negro to serve for the reason of the general moral unfitness, and general depravity.”