, 1864-10-21
Report Of the Grand Jury.
OCTOBER TERM, A. D. 1864

OCTOBER TERM, a. D. 1864.
To the Honorablo District Court 1st J-
dicial District Of Washington Territory:-
We, the Grand Jury, in and for said Dis
trict, having concluded our abors, beg leave
to submit the following report
We have found and submitted to the
Court eleven indictments, for various crimes;
two of which we regret to say, are for the
highest crimes known to the law.
We have examined the County Jail, and
find it in bad condition for the safe keeping
Of prisoners. We find that the County Com
missioners have not complied with the re-
port of the former grand jury. We find that
the Jail has not been repaired since the es-
cape Of prisoners, of last spring. We also
find, from careful enquiry, that the Jail can
be made amp y sufficient and secure, if the
County Commissioners will use diligence and
energy, in carrying out the plan of this
Grand Jury, hereinafter stated We have
found, by careful calculations, that one or
two iron cells can be made of good boiler
iron, at a cost of six or seven hundred dol
lars for each cell; that said cells should be
as follows: 63 feet high, 7 feet long, feet
wide,-riveted together every four inches
with good rivets. The top of said cells
should be of hardened boiler iron, the door
should be made of boiler iron, with wicket
door in the top Of good bar iron, with cross
bars We would recommend that the com
mon Jail, be fenced in with good and sub
stantial fence, as follows: TO be of good inch
boards, set upand down, twelve feet high;
tight fence-posts of red fur, II feet long
feet set into the ground with three rails
from one post to the other, to nail the boards
to; and on the top strip with sharp spikes,
set one inch apart, nailed with good nails, to
each board. The size of the jail yard should
be fifty feet front by one hundred deep This
we think would give ample room inside; and
we earnestly hope the County Commissioners
will pay attention to this Immediately, as it
is of vast Importance, for the safe keeping of
those persons charged with crime
We also find the room where the court is
now being held, is not such a room as Should
be provided for the holding of Court The
room is too small, too noisy. and not fit
place for court to convene at; and, in fact.
the entire arrangement Of both Court and
jury rooms are entirel y unfit, and we hope
in future, to see better rooms provided, and
more attention paid to matters of this kind
We have also examined the records of the
County, kept by the County Auditor, Mr..
j. j. Rector, and find them correct and kept
neatly and entirely satisfactory to this Grand
Jury.
We have also examined the books of the
County Treasurer, kept by the Treasurer, Mr..
James McAulif, and find them kept correct
ly and neatly, and entirely satisfactory to this
Grand Jury.
We have also examined the books of the
Probate Court and find the following books
kept in said Court: A Record or Order book
of the Court, Record of Bonds, Record of
Marriages, and Fee book, all of which are
kept by the Clerk of said Court, Mr. B. N.
Sexton, and kept clean and neatly, and entire
ly satisfactory to this Grand Jury.
We also found confined in the common
Jail of said county two prisoners and an in
sane person, by the name of Fitz Patrick
Russell, of which insane person, we the
Grand Jury, complained to the proper au-
thorities, and he has since been removed to
Vancouver, (the place prepared by the Gov
ernor,J by His Honor Judge Bluett Probate
Judge of Walla Walla County w. r., there
by saving the county the expense of keeping
said insane person.
For the kind treatment we have received