On This Date in Minnesota History: November 18

*November 18, 1902 – While peacefully sleeping off the effects of last night’s bender, Joseph Moran, a juror in the case of the state against Charley Riley, who is being tried in district court for grand larceny in the first degree, was arrested in bed at the St. James Hotel about 10:30 this morning on an attachment issued by Judge Dibell. Moran was held in contempt of court at his 11 a.m. hearing, and was sentenced to three days in the county jail and to pay a fine of $25. In default of the fine he will have to stay 25 days in jail. A stay of execution of judgment was ordered by the court until after the case now on trial is disposed of.

When the Riley case was called in Judge Dibell’s room this morning at 9:30, 11 jurors responded to the roll call. The trial could not proceed without the full quota and after waiting an hour for Juror Moran to appear, the court finally issued the attachment for contempt of court.

St. Louis County Courthouse, Duluth, Minn.1

Deputy Sheriff H. N. Randall served the attachment and found the door to Moran’s room at the hotel locked from the inside. Efforts to arouse the inmate of the room from the outside did not work, and the officer finally gained entrance through a side window. When Moran was awakened he was still under the impression that it was night and the officer had hard work making him understand what was wanted.

When questioned by the court, Deputy Randall said Moran’s breath smelled strongly of liquor, and he was a little unsteady on his feet.

Juror Moran, who is a homesteader residing about ten miles north of Hibbing, pleaded in extenuation that he overslept this morning and the hotel clerk did not awaken him according to orders. Questioned further by the court he admitted that he had visited several saloons last evening.

Moran told the court that the only excuse that he had for drinking was the fact that he only came to the city at long intervals, his testimony showing that the strenuousness of city life was a little too much for him.

The Big City of Duluth in May 19022

He claimed that he was sober enough to sit with the rest of the jury and hear testimony, but this was demurred to by the county attorney and the counsel for the defense, and the court was not inclined to punish the rest of the jurors by bringing them in proximity with the erring juror’s breath, although the offender claimed it did not bother him any.

Court was adjourned until 2 p.m. when the trial of Riley was to be resumed providing Juror Moran was in proper condition.

Duluth Evening Herald; “A Juror Has a Jag. John Moran Is Given a Stiff Fine For Contempt. Failed to Show Up In the Riley Larceny Case. Court Was Adjourned to Allow Him to Sober Up.”; Nov. 18, 1902; p. 2.

¹http://zenithcity.com/archive/lost-architecture/st-louis-county-courthouse-1883/

²https://i.pinimg.com/736x/ef/4f/2b/ef4f2b91e1a76b142c87d53fbceb3031--duluth-minnesota-north-shore.jpg

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