The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1858-07-01
From the rorrysburg Democrat.

! Mn. EDtroR :--ln your last issue ! Iud II COM
muuicatiun reporting the proceedings oi the Com
mon Pleas Court Ut It's laC session Tor this county,
in which are statements concerning the action OF
! the Grand Jury so utterly false aud unfair, that
as one o the Grand Jurors cannot allow them
! to pass uucontradlcted. The writer after noticing
! other matters says
! 81 have ,rdy space left 20 notice the number
! less indictments found by the Grand Jury Tor all
manner of little petty offences Ono hundred and
| fifty Indictments, involving n probable expense to
our poor, old, oycr-tuxcd county, oI ono thou.
sand dollars, now appear Oh the lilies OF the court,
and complaints without number Among those
reported TO court, aud complained of VIC find
Judge Ewing Mrs. Jarvis Spolord John Wooster
and numbcrlcss others. This is because they keep
n public house and have not complied with nn old
worn.caten statute requiring II license. IL VIII
involve them in somo trouble and expense. Out,
we saw upon Prosecuting Attorney aud Grand
jury who poke their noses into such trling mat
tcrs and root around like swine in the mrc, for
something to grunt about We mean no disrc-
spcct to the Grand Jury or to Mr.. Price person
ally, far from it. We think, however, that they
have acted under an exaggerated sense Of duty.
ConsccnliouNy acted, honestly acted, and acted
like asses We do not here refer to the indct-
mpnIs for liquor selling although this Of itself is
simply II huLc hoax. Not one in ten OF these
cases ever will come 10 trial. and probably not
one In twenty result in conviction. III most
cases the prosecutions, or perhaps prosecutions
will be strauglcd in the cradle.
"Public sentiment hardly supports the move
mcnt, few particular friends Of the prosecutor
will get their 81 ympithCs enlisted in behalf OF the
defendants, or some Of them, and tho string of
Noils ProscgiuS will soon reach the same length
as the string of Indictments Mr.. Price will not
be blamable for this he will be driven to II by
public sentiment. Thcn why commence crusade
in which the awful majesty of the law becomes
mere ridiculous pageant y
Now, sir, for the facts. Instead Of one hun
dred aud fifty indictments but scvcnty-two were
found by the Grand Jury ut their late sitting
number less than hall that stated by your report
Cr
or" the complaints without number" he speaks
Of, know nothing for surely none were made by
! the Grand Jury. II is untrue that Judge Ewing,
| Mrs Jarvis SpnlIOrd John Wooster aud number
| less others are complained Of. The history of
that matter is simply this. At the last term Of
the Court Judge SGucy called the attention Of the
Grand Jury then sworn, to the INct that the stat
ute requiring every person keeping tavern to
procure license, was generally disrcgarded, and
ntmntod that although it would not be eeXpcdicut
perhaps for them to take action upon the matter
yet the mentioning it in so public manner would
be a notice that all persons 50 engaged should
| comply with the statute, and If they did not 1t
would be the duty OF the next Grand Jury to no
ticc it, When our attention was called to this
matter, VIC found that but three persons had taken
ont license required by the law, aud we thought
best to ask instructions from the court Being
foreman | was requested to see Judge Whitley,
and when called upon him aud mentioned the
subject, he replied that he had intended in his
charge to have called our attention especially to
it, After talking with him he said we had better
report the names of tavern keepers in the coun-
ty without any further action, ns that was the
course ho had advised in other counties, until n
wrong impression which prevailed, that the statute
wns repealed, had been done away with, and par
ties had had full notice. In accordance with his
instructions the list was handed in by the Grand
Jury, but no complaint whatever was made. II
there was any error in the list, it was unuon-
tonal. As TO the expense created by the Grand
Jury, have been ut some pilns to ascertain the
truth and YOU will see that even if n Grand Jury
sworn to do their duty, are to be deferred there
from 10y leai of expense in this case there was nc
such cause,
Your reporter states the "probnblo expense tc
our poor old over taxed county nj one Thousand
dollars Let MS see what ground he has for sucl
u statement The whole number OF witnesses be
fore the Grand jury was scvGnty-two, MS shown by
the clerks return on file in the Auditors Office
The amount paid these witnesses in full by the
county is S0505, This number includes the Wit
ncsScS in the burglary cases, aud all Others before
the Grand Jury, The State has refunded to The
county the witness fees in the case of Ohio vs.
Tarr,, amoun;;&s to $97S5, and about one hal
of this is for the expenses before the Grand Jury
There were sixty nine indictments found for VIC
ation of the liquor law, eleven only of which
were disposed Of the rest having been continued
to the next term. Tnc fines assessed upon these
eleven indictments amount to two bundled ant
ninety dollars one hundred aud five dollars o
which is already paid into the county treasury
and the treaSurcrs receipt on file. A conSidera
r BILE portion OF the expenses have also been paid
aud the witness fees in some cases are now in The
hauds of the proper officer and will, presume
he paid over in due time. Now does this look II
though the county is to be such II heavy loser ?
1t seems to me that there is II large margin from
which to pay all expenses on the uncoectcd nn(
unsettled part of these indictments We certain
" did sit three days longer because Of the finding
OF these liquor indictments (as they are termed
than would otherwise have been necessary and
presume every Grand Juror is willing that fac
should be known to the people OF the county
have simply wished in this communication Il
5 correct the wrong impressions which must hay
been made in the minds of many by your reporter
article, and have no desire whatever TO notice th
, manner in which he speaks of the Grand Jury
Having long looked upon him us personal friend
c aud having the kinloSt feelings towards him,
trust and believe that he will regret having spoke
in such terms OF body of men who, he admits
acted conScientiously in all they did.
Very respectfully,
p MARSHALL KEY, JR,
ag~Thc impeached Court House correspond
cut Of the Democrat, has another characteriSti
f letter in the last number of that puper in whic