Weekly Trinity journal., 1870-07-09
County Court July Term,


A. Bowler, j. F. DolliFe, J. Blakemore, A. G..
Price, Peter Weise, B. S. Guptil, NJ w. Person
ette, VIM. Todd, J. II: OsthoG, Wm Condon
The court appointed W. J. Tinnin foreman, and
charged the jurymen as follows:
Gentleman Of tie Grand Jury You have been
called from your homes and daily avocation by
order of this court by and under the constitution
and statutory laws of the State of California, to
inquire concerning ofenses against the people of
the State of California trable within the county
of Trinity. To be grand juryman is not a
privilege, but. 1T is duty you owe to the COM
munity in which you live, and when you faith
fully discharge that duty you reflect honor not
only upon yourselves but the laws and court
under which you act. The oath which you have
just taken binds you under the most solemn OBJ
legations to present no person through malice
hatred or ill-will, nor leave any unpresented
through fear, favor or affection, or for any re-
ward or the promise or hope thereof The same
oath binds you to dilgent inquiry as well as
true presentment You will not acquit your
selves OF these obligations by slight careless
Investigations In respect to the mode and ex-
tent of your inquiries your own good sense will
be your best guide. In your Investigations of a
charge for the purpose of presentment or indict-
ment, yoa shall receive no other evidence than
such as is given by witnesses produced and
sworn before you, or furnished legal document
airy evidence, or the deposition of witnesses
taken in accordance with law. You ought to
lind an indictment when all the evidence before
you taken together is such as in your Judgment
would, if unexplained or uncontradicled, war
rant conviction by trial jury. 1t is your
duty, gentlemen, to inquire into the case of every
person imprisoned in the public prison of the
county criminal charge and not indicted ;
into the condition and management of the public
prison. The humanity of Sheriff jackson and
his deputies has prompted them to call the at
tention of this court frequently since the sitting
of the last grand jury to the unhealthy condition
of the new prison and the cells therein there
fore, now direct your especial attention to this
matter. You will investigate and inquire into
the willfu and corrupt misconduct in Office of
public officers, of every description, within the
county. You are entitled to free access, at all
reasonable times, to the public prison and to ex-
animation without charge of all public records
within the county. If any of you, gentlemen,
know or have reason to believe that "a public Of
tense has been committed which is triable within
the county, you must declare the same to your
fellow jurors, who shall thereupon investigate
the same. Except the District-Attorney no per-
son shall be permitted to be before you besides the
witnesses actually under examination, and no
person shall be permitted to be present during
the expression of your opinions or the giving of
your votes upon any matter before you. 1t is
the duty OF each of you to keep secret whatever
he himself or any other grand juror may have
said, or in what manner he or any other grand
juror may have voted on a matter before you.
You are not bound to hear evidence for the de-
fendant. But it is your duty to weigh all the
evidence submitted to you, and when you have
reason to believe that other evidence within your
reach will explain away the charge, you should
order such evidence to be produced, and for that
purpose may require the District-Attorney to is
for hn uitn Tba hoc
the pleasure to report to you, gentlemen, of the
grand jury, that the finances of the county
are in prosperous cOndiditOn at the present
time the revenues exceed the expenses and the
balance is honestly applied to the payment of the
old debt. The county hospital, under the su-
pervision and. control of Dr. H. NJ. Chauncey, is
conducted on an economical basis, and gives
general satisfaction TO his patients and the COM
munity. The court deems it not necessary at
this time to make further observations. Mr..
Lovejoy, the District-AttOrney of the county, be-
ing your legal adviser, will always be ready to
aid you with information on matters of law, aid
the court also will respond to any inquiries you
may fit to make. You will retire to your
rooms, gentlemen, for deliberation, not forget
ting the serious obligations resting upon you.
The grand jury remained in session until three
o'clock P. NJ. Wednesday, at which time they
requested the attendance of the county court,
and presented the following report
To the honorable County Court of Trinity County:
The grand jury assembled at the july term of
1870 have diligently inquired into all matters
brought before them, and have found one in
dictment, which we herewith present. We have
also examined the county Jail, county hospital
and financial condition of the county. We find
the county Jail, as at present located, to be a
place totally unfit to confne any human being
it being in cellar impregnated with stagnant
water and foul air so impure that nothing could
live in it any great length of time. From its
location its defects cannot be remedied, and we
recommend to the honorable Board of Supervi-
sors to build new Jail on some more healthy
and suitable site. We consider the sums that
have been expended in building the present Jail
a total loss to the county, or, at least that the
interests of humanity require that it should never
be used for the purposes for which it was in
tended. We have examined the county hospital
and find it in a clean and good condition the
provisions are all of the best kind beds all in
good order, and, as far as we could learn, the
sick of the county are well cared for. 1t would
require more time than feel justified in de-
voting to the subject to find out the exact con-
dition and amount of the Indebtedness of the
county. careful examination of the Auditors
and Treasurers books - particularly the old
ones-would require weeks of labor and con-
siderable skill. We have made hasty examin-
alton, with the assistance of the County Auditor
and Clerk, and find the total Indebtedness to be
about fhy-eght thousand, one hundred and
ftty-one (58, l5l) dollars. We have also found,
from all the evidence which we could collect on
the subject that there has been custom among
some of the county officers to bestow all the pat
ronage of the county on favorities without open
ing bids or allowing others to compete, either
in the price of labor or material. We do earn
estly protest against member of the Board of
Supervisors, any county official, being inter-
ested, either directly or indirectly, in furnishing
labor material to the county-such being "A
clear violation of the law, and establishes bad
precedent. We cannot concur in the system of
the patronage of the county being managed in
the interest of a ring or body of men who assume
to themselves the ownership of the county pat
ronge. We recommend to the honorable Board