The Portland daily press., 1871-04-06
DAILY PRESS,
FoRTLAND.
THURSDAY, APRIL 0, 1871.

/
THURSDAY, APRIL @, 1871.
| Business Of the Superior Court s,m.. B.
Organization.
| At the opening of the April Term on Tues
day, Judge Goddard read the following pape
| to the bar:
The Superior Court OF this county ha
now been in active operation for three years
Organized March /, 1868, the first civil tern
was opened April 7, 1868, although the Grim.
inal business of the county was not transfere'
to it until January, 1869. During the thre
years 27 civil terms have been held, at Z o
which criminal business has also been trans
acted.
l56 cases were at once transferred from the
Supreme Judicial Conrt, so that this co6r1
has not suffered for want of occupation from
the beginning.
During the past year, court sat 1888 days. O,
winch lo6 were occupied by civil business.
During 81 Of these, one jury was in session
trying Al cases; the justice was occupied 9e
days in trying 1874 cases without jury; the
whole number of civil trials the past year be-
ing It's. At the January term 1869, criminal
business consumed III days, during which by
the aid of two juries 81 criminal trials were
had, resulting in % convictions, II acquittals
and two disagreements. 43 sentences were
imposed, one of which was capital, 1s to State
Prison, 16 to Jail, and the remainder were
nnes amounting to $12s0 and costs.
The criminal docket transferred from the
supreme Judicial Court was 6S and the new
criminal entries at the January term, 1859,
were 70.
The whole number of civil entries during
the first year was 1901, which with the Su-
preme Judicial Court transfers made 1457.
During the second. year, court sat 197 DAYS
OF which 144we occupied with civil bust
ness. One jury was in attendance 73 days
trying 45 cases; CT urt without jury sat 7.
days, trying 101 cases, the whole number o
civil trials for the second year being 148. The
whole number Of civil entries dnring the yea
was 1417.
At the three criminal terms, two jurie,
were occupied SO days, trying 81 indictments
resulting in SO convictions, % acquittals, and
II disagreements. IS sentences were passed
OF which 21 were to State Prison (one fol
iife,) % tojall, and the remainder were fines
amounting to $2,100 and costs.
Number of criminal entries for the year
121.
During the year iet closed ,cour: has sat 1871
days, exactly the same>number as the. year
preceding, of whibh Isl have been employed
In civil business. One jury has been in attend
ance IS days, trying 4s cas}s; the judge with.
out jury in So days has tried 1O5 cases; the
whole number of civil trials for the past year
has been 14S.
Civil entries during the year have been
1878. Criminal business has consumed "a
days with two juries, during which there have
been "a criminal trials, with Is convictions, Is
acquittals, disagreements. 70 sentences
have been passed, of which IA have been to
State Prison, 26 to jail and the rest have been
fined $2,SS5.O1.
The number of criminal entries during the
past year has been 118.
The largest civil entry Except at the Sep
tember terms after the long vacation) was 1877
in January 1869, and the smallest, so, in Oc.
tober, 1870; average entry (except in Septem-
ber) 11s; average entry in September, 421.
The shortest term latter the first) was the
term just closed, 13 days, the longest, May
1870, (civil and criminal), 80 days; average
length ofterms, 21 days.
During the three years. ,252 civil suits have
been instituted in and transferred to this
court, of which $685. have been finally dis
posed of, leaving 317 sti.l on the docket
most Of which are continued for judgment, OF
on account of bankruptcy proceedings in the
o. S. Cpurt,or law,or for other causes which in
most cases will probably never involve further
trial. There remains but 2S actions for Jury
trial and 81 for trial by the judge.
During the three years, 129 civil suits have
been tried by Jury in 22s days, being a trifle
over s'4day to a case; $40 other civill suits
have been heard ana determined by the court
without the aid ofa jury in 2s5 uays,vceupyins
little more than 2-3 of day in each case in.
cluding all the other civil business of the
towns such as calling the docket, disposing
of motions, disclosures bills of Perceptions hear
ing OF naturalization cases, &C., of which
there have been 1862 cases; 1922 have been
granted. The whole number of actual civil
trials have been 469 ;civil and criminal, GOT.
The percentage Of civil actions actually
tried is little under - per cent. and the per.
sentage of jury trials, about 1,S per cent.
Thus far, the percentage of trials where a
jury is waived by both parties has been 72 1-2
out Of 100, abont 3-11 of the whole number
tried.
During the last two years the criminal bus
mess has consumed 90 days, which is more
than quarter part of the whole period Of oul
sessions
For the three years, the jury has been il
attendance ON civil business nearly as many
days as the court has sat without iury-22S
to 2S3. 1t will be observed that the numbe,
of criminal trials and of sentences has stead
lily and rapidly diminished, there being more
criminal trials at the first criminal term, July
1869, than during the whole of last year.
There are only 13 cases left on the criminal
docket of this county, none of which are fol
trial. At every term the court has been able
to dispose Of all the business bafole it, SO thai
no suitor who desired trial at the first term
after entry has failed to have his case dispos
cd Of unless for good legal cause shown By
the opposite party.
At the last term of the Supreme Judicial
Court in this county preceding the organiza.
tion of this Court, the number of actions on
the civil docket had reached 1927, Of which
1928 was continued to the April term, 1868
being an accumulation of 156 continued ac-
tions within one year, fact accounted for
by the entry of no less thej 1889 new cases
during 1867 in the Supreme Judicial Court.
In 1868 the new entries dwindled to 1872, in
1869 they had shrunk to 1917, while in 1870
they were PA, so that at the adjournment oi
the April term 1870, there were left but 325
actions on the docket of the Supreme Judicial
Court for this county, reduction of 99S in a
little over two years. The present number oil
contested actions in that Court is 329, 100
of which originated before this Court went
into operation, and it is not supposed that it
will be further reduced. On the contrary
the docket Of that Court is now in 50 good a
condition that trial can be had as readily as
in any county in the State, so that it may be
expected that hereafter somewhat larger
6 a. ~