The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1865-10-18
ReuOrt Of the Grand Jury-Oci
tober Term, 1865.
II Tho, Honorable The judge of the

|the second dayJ oil Vctdpet' 'oo"' ''''A
respect Report: -
That after patient ard laborious session |
Of ten days during which we have earnestly
sought to discharge all the duties dsvolylng
ON US under both the general and special
charges of your Honor, Ito the best OF onr
ability, we have, with the efficient aid and
assistance CT the District Attorney, although
that officer has, during a great portion OF
the tine, been laboring under very severe
indisposition, found sixty-six Bills OF iadict-
ment. g8 ssh |
And although this il an apparently large
and UNUSUAL number yet it must be borne
in mind that our investigations have extend.
ed through period Of four years. which
gives but On average of sixteen cases to the
year; and also that in number OF the In
stances several persons are indicted for the
one ofence-and when we reflect that those
four years have been, for a great portion OF
them, years of the most deadly warfare In
our midst, much Of it Of an lnterneclne
character, during which an invading army
has twice desolated our Parish. it isa matter
of wonder and establishment to us that win
all the demoralizing influences and effects On
such condition of things SO little OF crime
has been committed. It is a great evidence
Of the depth and strength of the foundations
of moral rectitude on which the character
aud good name of the people Of this Parish,
as community, has been erected, in which
| the members of this Grand Jury, as a part
of that community, feel a just and honest
pride. In regard to the special charges:
Firstly, "'l'o enquire whether the overseers
OF tue Public Roads and Leyees have done
their duty. The Grand Jury finds that there
have been no appointments Of such Paro-
chial officers for upwards of three years uu-
| til the recent session of the Police jury in
September, at whi;h appointments of those
officers were made. At this season of the
year the roads of the Parish, both on its
| Alluyial and its Pinewoods soil, are usu-
tally good, but in the utter destruction OF
orr system of labor, and its removal, for the
most part, out of the Parish, leaving whole
neighborhoods Of plantations and farms ut
tterIy destitute Of it, the Grand Jury is en-
| tirely at q loss to see how the overscers Of
Roads, Ievees and Dykes can discharge
i their duties.
| Secondly, The Grand Jury has not learn
ed of any navigable streams having been i'm
peded by bagasse or other distractions, thu
I culture of the sugar cane, as g staple crop
, having almost entirely ceased in the Perish
] Thirdly, Ii there exist "any tipling OF
] grog shops or other places for the sale o
T spirituous liquors without the proper license
! from the Parochial authorities" the Crane
!, Jury has not been Informed ofthem.
), Fourthly, The same in regard to conceal
T ed weapons.
] Fifthly, The same in regard to cutting
timber on public lands.
i Sixthly, No vendors of lotteries exist il
the Parish.
Seventhly, In regard to the public schoc
fund, the Grand Jury is informed by th
present Parish Treasurer that nothing ha
been received into the Parish Treasury O
account of that fund for upwards Of thre
e years, and that the public schools in til
s Parish have ceased 10 exist, aud
Lastly, The members Of the Grand Jur
have visited and made personal inspectio
i of the Parish prison, which they found
i very bad condition. 1t consists Of two
. story brick building, containing a passas
! aud four rooms in the first story, three
g them appropriated to the Ise Of the Jai,t
D and his family, the fourth having a CRATE
,c door and windows, is denominated eth
II Debtors ROOM" In this room the Gran
Jury found a colored woman imprisoned b
= the military authority.
e. On the second floor is a passage and tW
% rooms, lined with iron plates, aud lighte
:. through the roof. These rooms have NJ
! proved impregnable to the ingenuity of
IL tenders confined in them, there being i
e. stances on record Of their burglarious e
t. cape from both Of these rooms, and from IL
!, tearing off Of the iron plates and breaches
" the wall, one Of them cannot now be ust
n for the confinement Of prisoners at all. III
e.. damages to this room were done, as Il
he Grand Jury was informed by Mr.. McKinne
!, the jailor, during the possession Of the bull
. ing by General Banks army in the Sprir
of 1864. This restricts the jailor to I
use of the passage and the other room +
the confinement of prisoners, of whom Il
Jury found therein ten men, six white al
ho four co0red.
all The only means Of access to this story
rs q flight Of wooden steps on the outside
he the building!
lie The whole Of the second story the Ora
y. Jury found in an uncleanly aud nausea
ds coudition-successful efforts having he,
Ct tofoTe been mode by prisoners to esca
is through the sky light of thearoom on Il
eff floor now in disable condition, it was fou
he necessary to close the mouth of this ST
Se- light with close and thick iron gratir
"a which renders the room almost perfec
,u: dark, the gloom of which is not even
So Iieved by white washed walls, And I
nld building being entirely unprovided with a
vel accommodation for the relief Of the calls
eat nature on the part Of the prisoners, q wo
en- tub is placed in this room for the gene
off accommodation Of all the prisoners, to
at emptied occasionally, perhaps once in tw
ing tty.four hours. The consequent stencil
ich this room is almost iusupportable, .pervad
,gs both rooms and the passage through
elr grated doors. The Grand Jury learl
to from the jaiior that he was having two wo
the EN- tubs made, with covers to them, VIII
YES would to some extent relieve the nuisau
ms, The Grand Jury would 1uggest that
rho less than t,co. and four would be better, ,
led sells of tin or iron, with covers to tn
uld should be provided, so that one, at lei
ion could be cleansing In the sunshine whilst
one Others we're in use. The Grand Jury wo
ant also suggest that the walls and CELL