Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1872-01-06
fReportcd by A. N. BRrcE, Esqsl
COnrf Proceedings.
suvguRr, January

nicely ana geo. W Welker on the bench. Alter
the commissions were read and Constable returns
made, Judge Rockefeller made the following
most excellent charge. IN reporting 1t omit
that part which was published 10 the charge to
the grand jury of Montour county,
Gentlemen Of the Grand Jury The statute law
Of Pennsylvania directs that each year number
of sober, intelligent and judicious persons shall
be selected from the whole qualified electors of
each county at large to serve as Jurors in tho
| several courts OF such county, and at each ses-
sons the names of twenty -four persons are drawn
and summoned to serve as Grand Jurors. AL
though the act of Assembly directing the mode
and manner of drawing and summoning Jurors
Is comparatively but of recent date, yet the in
stituton of Grand Juries Is very ancient one.
In almost all civilized countries 1t, or something
similar to 1t, exists. 1t Is part of the common
law of England, the history of which we can
trace back to about the eleventh century, and
from which country we derive our laws. This
institution is at this day considered one of the
wisest regulations for the administration of pub
lie justice devised by man.
The principal and most important business of
Grand Jury is to make presentments of all
matters, known to them, of criminal nature,
committed within the county, and to have the
Commonwealth's testimony In regard to all ac
cusatons of n like character against their fellow
men, and, after hearing, to determine whether
the accused is probably gully, SO as to put him
on public trial.
| Whilst it is n very serious and solemn matter
! for person to be put on trial at the bar of
court of justice, it is also of vital Importance to
the public safety that every offender should be
brought to light and punished in accordance with
the law. 1T Is part of your duty to guard your
| fellow citizens against triiling vindictve and
unfounded charges, and you will, in all such
| cases, be supporting your own dignity and the
dignity of the laws, by rejecting all bills that
| are not well founded, and where the prosecutor
| has no public good in view, but only seeks to
make you the instruments of his private malice; ;
and on the other hand you must consider how
serious is the evil If the laws are suffered to be
| violated with impunity and offenders permitted
| to escape unpunished. II is Indeed criminal to
suppress prosecution in which the interests aud
well being of society are involved.
| The interests of the community are in a great
measure in your hands You are to say by your
returns whether this man or that man shall be
prosecuted before the Court, or not. If you say,
J by your return that you have no reasonable evil
dence of the facts alleged in the bills of indict-
ments sent out, or fail to present any person
whom you know to be guilty OF an offence against
| the laws under which you live, then the Court is
| powerless. So that you see how important it is
that it should be deeply impressed upon your
minds that this is public office of the utmost
concern to the fortunes good name and lives Of
your fellow citizens, and to the peace and govern
ment of the State.
1t lies with Grand Jures to suffer the public
| laws to be violated with impunity or to support
| them with dignity aud reverence. 1t lies with
them to protect and justify the innocent man
from false suspicious, or to yield him up to op-
preston and the prejudice and rage of the day.
Yes, very often the issues of life and death are
in their hands.
Before giving you more particular instructions
| in regard to your duties and the mode of your
proceedings, we think we may here properly in
dulge in n short digression and which may not
be altogether Improbable. In other or former
days, you who have attended our courts, ana
perhaps served as grand jurors, have listened to
another voice, and other instructions, perhaps
the same in substance. Previous to the year
| 1850 all the Judges of the several Courts Of this
State were appointed by the Governor; bat in
that year the Constitution of Pennsylvania was
amended, and from that time all the Judges OF
the Courts have been elected by the people. The
first election under the new amendment was held
in the fall of 1851, which resulted in the choice
uf Hon. Alexander Jordan, of SunbIry, Nor
thumberland county, ms President Judge of this
the Sth judicial district of Pennsylvania. He
was again elected in the fall of 1861, and served
until the first Monday in December last, just
twenty years in all.
How well we remember the first occasion, and
how short seems the time. A score of yes,s i,
but short time, and yet it is more than one
| fourth of that usually allotted to man. We
know that his labors have been great, and in
many instances extremely trying but the salts
faction of knowing that he retires beloved and
respected by all, and particularly by those with
whom the duties of his office brought him In IL
most daily contact must be great indeed. In.
dustrious, and always willing to attend to busi-
ness, whether In or out of Court, justly entities
him to the thanks and praise of all interested in
the judicial business of the county. lie has ac-
quired and justly merits the reputation of being
one Of the best Common Pleas Judges in the
state and blieving him to be honest aud true,
if his health had permitted, the people would
again have been willing to trust their best inter
cSts to his hands and now that lie has in q
manner retired, We can only bCstow upon him
our best wishes for his future happiness aud
prosperity in this life, and that in the end he
may gain an entrance in that better land, It
which he told us, few days since, he expected
soon to 90. At the last November term lie de
livered his last charge to Grand Jury of Nor
thumberland county, and he then said that the
next time they would be charged by another
Judge, and that the charge would be different
This truth is now realized in the fact that othe
faces are now seeu and othet voices heard, ad
, monishing us to the successive changes that ar
continually going on all around.
Looking back into our Courto within the brie
space OF time since we commenced the study o
the law what "reminiscences we could relate. Al
Anthony, Donncl, Greenough, Bellas,
Hepburn and Higgins, all senior members o
the bar, alike distinguished for their lcarnin!
and ability, and many younger members, hav
; all passed away from the scenes on earth, ant
whilst their voices will never again be heard II
any human tribunal, our recollections of then
, are as vivid as ever. When we were admitted t.
l the bar something over tweuty-one years ago
, We commenced the practice of the law in Schuyl
kill county. The Courts were then held a,
Orwigsburg, and the Hon. Luther Kdder pre-
sided. The bar was composed of about forty
seven members. A few months since we had oc
q casion to be in the same Court, now held Il
v Pottsyille, and you may well imagine our sur
prise and amazement in finding but two famiiit
faces in all that large array of Judges and law
yers. All seemed changed.
S We are fully impressed with the great respOn
r sibiiity that deyovcs upon US in assuming tn
judicial functions. Our aim aud highest ambi
> tion will be to administer the laws of Pennsylya
MIA with strict impartalty, and to the best O
our judgment meet out even handed justice {
c all. / speak for every member of this Court
q | We all owe our position here, as all Judge
should, to the people, strictly to the people, an
not to any party either political orregous.
I We live in an age of crime. Murder stalk
throughout the land, and crimes of every grad
are fearfully on the increase. The time hu
j come when the Courts must rigidly enforce III
c criminal laws of the and. The euI and objeC
n of all human punishment is the prevention c
!. future Offences of thesame kind. We have sci
y tied in our minds what the policy Of the Court
!, should be on this important subject, and We fun
) enunciated our intentions and determination i
! our charge 10 the Grand Jury of Montour count
Il few days since, and which was fully carrie
e out in all our judgment and sentences and I'll
announcement aWu rdph us the hpttpr n