The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1868-12-30
The Orange Presentment-A Card from
Judge TOurgee.

Geo. Laws, Clerk of the Superior Court OF
Orange County. to certify to me a copy of
all prcsentments made at the Fall Term
1868, in order that / might speak in re-
gard to the matter with the record before
me. The record was received last night. l
now improve the earliest moment in my
p. wer, to give to the public the true state of
facts in regard to the said paper writing"
No such presentnaent aoas mule to the Court,
nor to tile Judge thereof, during any term at
sohich haze presided, IN that County or an
any other. Had any such prescntment been
made to me, the Grand Jurors engaged in
making the same would have been instant
" accommodated with lodgings in the Coun-
ty Jail. and had it appeared that any
Attorney of the Court was also engaged in
the matter, he would have kept them com
pany.
OF course it is not to be supposed that any
Attorney, especially in bar of such bril-
iancy and earning MS that of North Caro-
lima, not though the most unlearned and
laundering, not even the Editor of the
Sentinel, could for Il moment, regard
prcsentment made other than TO the Judge IN
open Court as any aresentment at all, or any
part Of the proceedings ofthe term.
What presentment was made to the Editor
Of the Sentinel or to any other person, out of
cnurt, by the Grand Jury of the County of
Orange or by any body else, I do not know
but do know that if any such "prescnt-
ment t" was made in term time. by the Grand
Jurors under the name and style OF,
"Orange County Superior Court,
Fall Term, 1868.
"To tile Hon. A. w. ToURGEE Judge
presiding:
We, the Grand Jury of the County of
Orange" Sc, &C.
say the making Of any such presentment
by Grand Jury, to any but the Judge in
open Court is not only the publication of
false and spurious records of the court, but
n palpable violation of the Grand Jurors
oath-the States counsel, their fellows and
their own to keep secret and which they
had no right to disclose to any but by
persentment to the Judge in open Court, or
when required to do so, in the course of a
Judicial investigation, upon the witness
stand. E 1858
If it was made by the grand jurors after
the term had ended, and the Judge had left
the bench, when the court was not in
session. and when they were no longer
grand jurors, the act was usurpation of
the functions of Grand Jury, II mockery
ofjustice, and prostitution of the forms of
law, whose enormity far eclipses all the
offenses alleged, in the paper writing"
referred to, even granting its allegations to
lie true 1t is crime of the grossest
character. and of the most dangerous
tendency, for which every one of the per-
sons engaged in it are responsible before
court of Justice.
And now, sir, one word in personal eX-
PLANTATION. am not accustomed to pay any
attention to personal attacks coming from
such source as the above. but this hap
pened to be in such " a questionable shape"
that feared that some friend, some honest,
decent. we'll minded man, for whose good
opinion might care. might, perhaps. sup
pose the presentment genuine, and not as it
is, q torgery I feared that some evil one
might suppose that was capable of per.
uniting grand jury to make presentment
to me in open court, in which they insulted
myself, the court in which / sat, my brethren
on the bench. the government of the State
and oft United States, common decency
and common sense, and that / lacked the
nerve to punish such high handed con-
tempt as it deserves. Not while live and
have power to speak or write will that be
the case - s'7ar i-.ii...g 'e5st Da
But there is another view of this matter
This false and libelous report of the pro-
ceedngs Of the court has been published in
every county of the State. 1t has been pro-
claimed through the Sentinelthat the Grand
Jury of Orange County, did make regular
presentment, at the Fall Term, A. D 1868,
of the Government of the United States, as
tyrannieal and usnrping, the Acts of Con-
gress of the United States as unconstitution-
al and oppressive, the Governor of this
State as . liar and scnundrel :; the Chief
Justice of the State 1.-THE venerable and
venerated Pearson) as designing rogue and
lying hypocrite; oncof the Justices OF the
Supreme Court. as the author of paper
which is tlenominated "infamous - eighty
eight members of the, General Assembly of
the State, as guilty of melting to rape,
rapine, plumber. murder and arson by the
wholesale; and finally of giving their APP
| probation and countenance to an organiza-
ton formed expressly and declaredly, to re-
| sist the execution of law, 10y force. = This
document falsely purports to be part oi
| the proceedings of court. No such pre-
sentiment was ever made to the court. Will
the grand juries of the State permit sucl
higl,-landed crime to so unpublished
| Quien sdbe .i..s '.1..l ~ ~ s.t.sT. n7I &
| While "have my hand in 4" Mr. Editor
l may as well 60 a little farther and refer tt
another matter in which the same journa
has seen, fit to misrepresent and befoul m,
as an officer of the Judiciary. In my open
ing charge to the Grand Jury of Guilfere
county, it was reported that l declared tina
"eycry confederate soldier was thief,
"all the pilfering attributable to them,'
&C., &c. Two weeks afterwards, at tn
court in Rockingham, / alluded to thi
statement, and denominated it properl,
and repeated my language in respect to it
After the close of my charge. Col.:.Thoma
Ruffin, jr., rose and said that he was one o
those who had misapprehended the purpor
of my previous: charge and from over
constituencies, he doubted not had given +
my language construction it would no
properly bear. He was willing to make an
retraction or explanation might desire
This manly and hearty retraction was pull
licly made in open court, and have waite
to see if the journals who were so eager t
carp at my conduct would be equally anx
Gus to make the anaende honorable 1t la
not been done. 3.s .sl ssf.l,., - b. 5fss.j.,
In conclusion, sir, 1 take this opportunit
of rendering my hearty thanks, in a NOR
public manner than2I otherwise could. t
the bar of the Seventh Judicial Distrie
(soith one erception) for the uniform kind
ness, and courteous difference with whic
they have aided me iniathe performance {