Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1866-04-14
REPORT OF THE GRAND jTRvV

REPoRFoF The GRAND JURY
-
To The Fifth Judicial District CONF
ing ID and for The parish Of West Re-
Rouge, the Grand Jury of said n.,; .a
having completed the business com;..
before them, beg leave to submit the 81
lowing report, and respectfully ask th.;.
final discharge tor the term.
They have examined the Court Ho-.
and find it in a very dilapidated apd'n.
safe condition /; the plastcrine And III.
are cracked, and, during a heavy MA
one is impressed with the fear that H.
building may be RACED to the ground
They therefore recommend to the Pol;c:
Jury it's immediate and thorough ren.;,
and state that prompt action 10 the ~.
may, and in their opinion, will relieve n:
parish from the expense Of erecting !.
new building. lQ-ff41g9ssss
It is within the knowledge Of III.
Grand Jury that many Of the piautations
Of the parish are nov swarmibr With
unemployed and yagrant colored g..
pie, who, from the, change in their statns
believe themselves liceDced to com,.;s
misdemeanors and crime almost ad ib;.
tum. Esr,sf#
They have c~oDgregated in quarters nm.
cleansed and unventilated, from everv
quarter and section Of the State aaBBioaedd
with disease, or otherwise, until Tia
smallpox has broken out among them
and is a terror to the surrounding COM
munity. The Grand Jury believes that
unless some effectual means is adopted to
check this tendency to. c~ooceutrsts vic.
and disease within the wallis Of these m.
clean tenements, . more terrific mal,dv
than ever swept over this country viii
be engendered in the form Of Asi.tic
cholera, which is now. rapidly drifting u.
wards q shores. They would. there.
fore, earnestly advise the Police Jury 10
adopt . system by which the parish shall
be relieved Of all filth and decaying vee.
citation by which disease of any KIND
may be reduced, and to establish a pest
house, or hospital, for the reception ii ali
persons afflicted with contagious OF cpl
demic disease,
The Grand Jury would further report
that up to the commencement of the
present session Of this honorable Court.
they had hoped to be projected from an
overflow from the giving way Of The
~Ievees Of the Mississippi river, but only .
day or two since, they were startled With
the unpleasant news that the CHM levee
had given way, and the waters were
madly rushing over the cultivated fields
of the planters Of the parish /; for the
past three years these levees have been
broken, and the bosbandman. the tiller
Of the soil, has been struggling between
life and actual starvation. This year lie
hoped through the eforts4of the e~onstitiu
ted authorities of the State aud Govern.
ment. whose duty 1t was to construct
the levees SUBSTANTIALLY and durably, to to
relieved by his efforts, upon his planta.
ton thus protected, from t 9 terrible
~pecuniary condition into which lie had
been thrown by the unfortunate over
flows Of the past three years. and be
had entered with spirit upon the ~cultiva-
ton. Of the soil under thess circumstances.
Now the whole parish is disheartened,
gloomy, ruined.
The Grand Jury believes that the break.
ing Of the leyee this year, attended By
its deplorable results, is the fault Of those
having it ia, charge for construction, and
they know Of no other means Of letting the
public, and those interested, understand
their Misrepresentation Of the policy pur'
sued than embracing tin this their re.
port. za.,s I.
The Grand Jury have witnessed with
pleasure the impartiality and ability
which have characterised the conduct d
your Honor in the discharge Of the i'm
portant duties Of Judge Of this Court
and the thanks, Of the Grand Jury on
due to the District Attorney, the Sheriff
Of the parish, the Clerk And TIE Other
officers Of the Court. for the promptnesl
with which they sided the Jury 10 TIL
performance Of their duties to the public
81 (signed) THOMP'N W.B1RD,
lls5a a,hgo ariasss s-Foremsn.
West Baton Rouge, April I, 1885,
TIE NAnoEAL Johnson CluB.-WAsH
1NeroN, April 2.-The officers Of the No
tional johnson Club are announced 70
davs Montgomery Blair il President