The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1866-09-01

Monroe one of the defenders of Baltimore in 1914,
died at his residence Long Green, in this county,
on Saturday last, in the 18th year of his age.
Circuit Court for Baltimore County.
MAY TERM, 1866.
Before Hon. Daniel G. H. Emory, Judge; John
T. Ensor ESQ.,, States Attorney.
August %.
The Court sat in equity to day, and was en-
gagged in hearing the arguments in the case of
Josephine Chatterton VS.. John Chatterton.
August "a.
The argument in the case of Josephine Chatter
ton VS.. John Chatterton was concluded Held
sub curia.
AUGUST TERM.
The August term of the Court was called on
Monday morning last. Sheriff Harvey returned
to the clerk list of names of forty-eight gentle
men summoned as jurors, and from those sum-
moned the following were drawn to constitute
the grand jury, viz Jesse Garrett, foreman;
Cardiff Tagart Thomas G. Bosley, Josiah P Mat
thews, Richard Hutchins, Absaom Rinehart,
Daniel w. Cameron, Stephen Gorsuch, William
Chapman, Daniel Wilhelm, John Armacost Con-
rad Seipp, Edward Seefel, Adam G.. Erdman,
Wesley B. Coursey, Joshua Mackin, Thomas j.
Pearce, Benjamin M. Davis, Henry Hilkerd, John
S. Curtis, William Peddicord, Daniel Lee, John
zey Gore.
The petit jury is as follows ALEXANDER
Mccormick John S. Morrison, Eli, Ritter, Will
liam Parker John Fl. Butler, Benjamin Nichols,
John Gross, Edward G.. Freeland, Nathaniel Spi-
cer Francis Rinehart, Thomas E. Ensor George
Kelly, Louis Bonsal, Robert B. Walter, jeremiah
Levi A. Sade. G. Parkinson, Joseph Hellman,
Joshua Melor, Richard Baker, James R. Thomp-
son, Thomas Wright, Elias Ford.
Before sending them to their ROOM Judge Eme-
ry charged the grand jurors as follows:
Geaatlenaen-You have been summoned, selected
and sworn, and now constitute the Grand In
quest of the State of Maryland for the Body of
Baltimore county. AS such, you have devolved
upon you most important, responsible and deli
cate duties, requiring the utmost care attention
and circumspection. Upon you, in measure, de-
pend the good order, Quiet and happiness of this
community, and to you, SO far as relates to Bal
| timore county, is committed the peace, govern
ment and dignity of the State.
Of the Judiciary department of the govern
| fnent you form a most material and necessary
component part. Without your action, this de-
partment is powerless for the suppression ofcrime,
the preservation of the public tranquility, and
the punishment of offenders. The Petit Jury has
no power to convict and the Judge has au-
| thority to punish until the violators of the law
and the disturbers of the public peace shall have
L
go UNPUBLISHED, public wrongs remain unredress-
ed, and the strong and vicious prey upon the
weak and the innocent with IMMUNITY, unless
proceedings be originated by you. You form
| the handspring Of action, or original motive
power in the whole machinery, in the punish
met Of crime, and the preservation o. the public
peace.
In all governments it is of the highest impor-
| lance to have the laws respected and obeyed.-
/ TInda how 10 for nj
respect or regard for the laws. We are our own
legislators, executives and judges. We are at
the same time sovereigns and subjects-govern-
| ors and governed. We make the laws by which
we are governed-we execute and judge them
There is, therefore, no excuse for dsooedence to
| laws which we ourselves have made and which
we can at any time modify or repeal. Nor is
there any reason why we shonld allow such laws
to be disregarded or abused by the disorderly
| and the vicious.
Under the benign principles of our Constitu-
ton and Laws, every one is presumed to be inno-
cent until he is proved to be guilty, and the
| courts have adopted the humane principle 'that
| it is better for ninety and nine guilty per-
sons to escape than that one innocent person
should suffer-" Whilst our forefathers in their
wisdom provided for the punishment of crime,
the enforcement of the law, and the preservation
of the public peace, they were not unmindful OF
L
around the prosecution of offenders all necessary
safeguards No one is allowed to be subjected to
| the inconvenience, expense, or annoyance OF a
/ trial for any violation of law or breach of the
public peace, until the charge has been first in
vestigated by select body of twenty-three Of
his peers and proved to the satisfaction of atleast
twelve of that body. Nor can any one be con-
victed and punished until the charge so satisfac-
| torily proved to that body, be confirmed by the
Il 1flo Of h
unprecedented and unobjectionable.. So that there
is no necessity for apprehension of false accusers
since no one can be convicted or punished until
his guilt is established to the satisfaction of a.
least twenty-four of his neighbors and fellow
| citizens, beyound all reasonable doubt.
In view of the many guards thrown around
| the prosecution of offenders there is much more
danger of the escape of the guilty than the pun
| ishment of the innocent. And so it should be,
for the State is interested in the protection
| of virtue than the punishment of vice.
The course of crime is onward. tits ever pro-
gressive 1t seldom if ever happens that the
highest crimes are committed until after repeated
minor offences. Innocence is appalled, by the
Nervousness of the higher crimes, and only
be reached by temptations 10 the lesser and al
most imperceptible offences. The path of virtue
| is the only way of safety-within its bounds is
perfect safety. Go a hairs breadth beyond and
nor is there any system by which you can com.
pute the extent to which you may be driven
To prevent crime, it is therefore of the first i'm
portance to meet it at the Threshold and punish
the earliest and slightest evasons or violations oil
law. 1t is not only impolitic to overlook often.
ces because they are SMALL but it is false sympa-
thy to do so, if it be true that the more heinous
crimes are always or usually preceded by null
tituGe oflesser offences. Forbearance to punish,
1 then 10 not 0n1v uniuct the injured but nOSI-
lively cruel to the offender himself. 1t behooves
you, gentlemen, to look after and investigate all
| violations of law, attacks upon the public NOR
| ais and disturbances of the peace and to bring
| the offenders to trial.
You will perceive then the high and exalted
position you occupy-what important and deli
cate duties you have been called to perform and
the necessity of full fair and faithful discharge
of those duties, and you will even keep in mind,
gentlemen, the golden rule "to do unto others
what you would have them to do to.you."
The oath which your foreman has taken, and
which each of you has sworn or affirmed to OBJ
serve and keep, fully and plainly informs you
| of your duties, and the manner in which those
duties should be performed. A copy of the oath
will be furnished to your foreman.
You are "to diligently inquire and true pre-
sentiment make of all such matters and things as
shall be given you in charge or shall otherwise
come to your knowledge touching this present
service" You are to be diligent-not slothful
or negligent; you are not to sit quietly in your
chamber and wait for violations of the law and
disturbances of the public peace to be brought to
your notice, or for injured parties to come with
their grievances. But you are to seek after and
find out all offences against the criminal law of
the State, and to ascertain all the facts and cir
cumstances connected Herewith by all the means
in your power. You are then to make true pre-
sentiment of all such matters and things, so that
the party charged the petit jury and the Court
may be informed fully for what offense the accu-
sed is to be tried and punished.
"The counses of the State Of Maryland, your
fellows and your own you are well and truly to
keep secret" This is necessary to prevent the