The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1873-02-19
OUR COURT.

Honor, Judge T. H. Cooke, pre-
siding. The Judge is gentleman
of fine personal appearance, and by
his courteous and atfable deport-
ment and prompt and efficient dis
charge of duty is making very
favorable impression upon our our peo
pie. .,.'-..' =, 11 -,.-.
The commissions of his Honor,
of Solicitor A. Blythe, and Of our
a:,, new Clerk, Mr.. Bowie, and of sher-
If ..Gufip, were read in open
Court: '.'. 49,. ..,'.
Owing to the absence Of. quo
runs of the Grand and etit Jurles'
new vensres were issued for six addl-
ttional Grand Jurors and sixteen
Petit Jurors, selected from.
the Sbystanders, and after some
delay the following juries were Or
.,ganized; : -: ~ T., 80 "a. - =
:. Grand J,uy.-L W White, Jas
H Perrin I P Quarles, John M
Cochran, J F Livingston, ] W
6 Fowler, E j Plowden, VIM McGill,
Jerry Bacon, .zed Ray, David
Brooks, James Jackson, Nimrod
NcGhee, John A Wier, Henry Ii
d. tus, & A Douglass, Jim Callahan,
w H Armstrong. ~.
b. 3nPetts Jury No. 1..-Bower. Nv
Barnwell, Harrison Brown, Oliver
.rBranyon, j j Bass, Tyler Boasman,
LEROY Brownlee, Jas Carlisle, r 5
Dickson, Mitchell Goggins, Vincent
Griffin, J L Hill, Geo Hunter:
-" Petit Jurv No. 2.-L II Russell
Samuel johnson, M P Kennedy
John Mitchell, J F Osborne, Gee
Richey, J S Robertson, Jake
Roundtree, j B Rogers, T G Seals
Henry Stevens, Cain Devlin:
Sapernumerar1es.-Alfred Ellison
Howard Strother, VIM Terrill, Wn
"A Limhecker, J A Crawford, Rob
Calhoun, T A Tolbert, W H Shives
Hugh Wilson, London Hill, Calyol
W ard, Lewis Parker. VIM McCaw
aWm Wilson, VI .:.....,..> .>s
,aa The charge of his Honor to tn
Grand Jury was an excellent effort
presenting ap elaborate and mlnut
review of their duties, general AM
special. Their special duties wer
to pass upon the bills submitted t.
their consideration; but as inciden
to their Office, it was made thei
duty to inquire into the condition
Of the public Offices, the conduct Q
public officials; into the existenc
of any public abuses in the County
or any dereliction Of duty on tn
part of any of the County officers
He approved the change in tn
law by which their Office was tt
continue for twelve months, as j
would enable them the better tx
loarn their duties and to perform
them. In giving out bills for grane
and petit larceny, be defined thu
difference between them-the one
being the felonious taking of goods
over the value of $40, and the othe
of less value, and instructed then
that twelve of their number mus
agree in the finding: He directed
them, to visit the county Offices
the Clerks. the Sherif's, the Au
.ditor's, the Treasurer's, the Judge
of Probate's- examine their books
and general condition-the Jail
especially, and the condition, die
and geneaal, treatment of the in
mates. into the Office Of the County
Commissioners they were instructed
to make q minute and earnest scru
tiny, on account of the enlarged
powers Of these officials, and thei'
Ieapability Of entailing fraudulent
expenditures and serious loss apor
the county: In some of the cnup:
ties, bridges had been let out tc
builders at enormous prices, and
che profits shared by the Commits
,siopers,, He knew nothing of the
conduct of the Commissioners i'll
-;Abbeviile, nbut:it waste the interest
Of every land owner and taxpayer
that they Be heldto strict account:
ability in the management Of the
county funds. Bad management
did! d!preYail generally, and it was
the duty of the Grand Jury to cor,
rect the evil, They should see also
that the County Commissioners so
levy the taxes that the County scrip
should not sell at a sacrifice Of SO
per per cent, and that the .juries them
selves should not be forced to such
an abatement Of their sl,5OI per
dsesa.' They, should also inquire
into the performance of duty on
the part of the new and important