New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-12-25
The Report of the Grand Jury.

The grand jury for the expiring term of
the Superior Criminal Court has presented
the judge with the quarterly report. This
farce has been gone through with 10 invari.
ably unappre o;ative audiences for many
years-almost time whereof the memory of
man runneth not to the contrary-and no
good was ever accomplished by it. Three
times il the year sixteen gentlemen are Sc
lected by the judge of the Superior Criminal
Court to inaugurate the important proceed.
ings of his tribunal At all times, nnder
the old system by the First District Court,
when the master of criminal jurisprudence,
Atocha, presided over the court ne created,
under his worthy successor, Braughn, or
the present eminent iurist who so worthily
Carries the mantle bequeathed him, these
gentlemen have been selected from the
very best material at their command. For
more than year the character of the grand
juries of the parish of Orleans has been a
credit and pride. For the real work they
have done, nothing can be said that is not
praise earned and deserved. But at the end
of their work they do succeed in making
themselves ridiculous. Sometimes their re-
port shows division Of labor, and is IN a
combination of handwritings and diverse
opinions that make the fortunates who
| never were in that bad box wonder what
manner of men these be.
In character, position, respectab!lity and
intelligence, the retiring grand Jury is more
| than equal to most of its predecessors. Its
report is as nearly asslmilated to theirs as
peas in pod. 1t begins by telling Judge
| Steele they entered on their duties October
| 4, 1873. Since then they have examined a
| little over fifty cases-a little over a day
| and half for each case. This is their Off
eial record; Murder, 9; manslaughter, 8:
| burglary, 3; arson, 4; rape, ,; carrying con-
eealed weapons, .; conspiracy, 4; kdnap-
| ping, 3; shooting, etc, /; false imprson-
! ment, 2; assault, ETC., %. After this the re-
port very properly denounces the gambling
houses, and hopes the General Assembly
| vii, ''relieve us from the odium of fostering
| them" OF course, this ia confession that
they have neglected to enforce the laws
| already in existence, which have remained
dead letter, as much through the con-
nivance Of grand uries as anybody else.
After denouncing the lottery as worse than
gambling, the grand jury, finding no other
wrongs to complain OF, goes on TO talk of
the Charity Hospital, which it praises, as is
| right, and makes some very proper sug.
gestions. Only one-ftth of the patients are
natives of Louisiana. They could not dis
| cover any work il progress, nor any signs
of any having been performed in the
| WCrkhouse. They concur in the belief that
the recipients of sustenance from the soup
house are genuine objects of charity"
The present condition of the Insane
Asylum is greatly improved, but the
grand jury found there Isaac Chandler,
confined by order of DR.. Schumacher. DR..
Cooper released him, but DR.. Schumacher
got him in again. The doctors disagreeing,
the grand Jury settle the question by de-
claring, "We have conversed with this
prisoner, as well as with one of the physi.
clans who examined him, and we are of the
opinion that he is improperly confined =
But ne effort to get HIM out is shown in the
report. The asylums, the private ones, are
well praised, and they deserve it, The
Parish Prison is brought in to suggest to
the Attorney General to try everybody in
it as soon as he can. The Boys House OF
Refuge, Convent of Good Shepherd, Little
Sisters of the Poor, Mount Carmel Female
Orphan Asylum, St. Mary's Asylum for
Boys, St. AIMS Asylum and others are re
ferred to in the usual style, but not quite
so well as in some documents OF the sams
character on file in the court. The other
institutions are treated in the same manner
1t is due to the members of this grand
Jury to say that it is evident from their
report that every institution has been cor.
scentiously visited, and that the report has
been honestly and zsalously written-even
the abuse Of the police stations at the tail
end. But it is just like all the rest has
been read, is filed away, will be abused by
those wLo are hurt, treated with inditfer
ence by those who have got of scot free
and tomorrow will be forgotten. 1t is toe
hard, but it is too true. |. may be added
that the court, the prosecuting officers, CLERK
and sheriff are complimented and thanked