Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-07-28
A JURY REPORT.
A Search into County Affairs. win
Some Comments Attached.

n Schreu INTO COunty Affairs, Will
some Comments Attached.
The Criminal Court Grand Jury pre-.
scented a report yesterday previous ia
adjournment for the term. The Grand
Jury found the station.house, county
work-house and poor.house in excellent
order. but the jurors condemned the
condition Of the county Jail and that
sweat-box for prisoners attached 10 the
Criminal Courtroom. They found both
of these institutions in quite a filthy
condition:
THE PEST HOUSE.
From said report it appears that, dur.
ing the past quarter, this institution has
had four patients-three males and one
female, all colored-all of whom have
been discharged, the average time of
each being about thirty-fve days. The
expense Of the institution for the quar-.
ter, as per bill TO our Quarterly Court
for supplies, is 1857; to this must BE-
added $500 salary Of Superintendent
and Physician, making q total Of 1881
for the quarter, or 1921 70 for each pa.
tlent admitted that this establishment
has cost the taxpayers of this county.
Among the items comprising said bill
we find 232 pounds bacon, 1888 pounds
beef, Ia chickens at s. per dozen, 5 gal
Ions whisky at 81 per gallon, $50 pounds
sugar, 90 pounds rice, so pounds coffee,
3 barrels -four, 3 barrels meal, butter,
eggs aud milk, bought from W. II. Hoe
gel, Sl4; 5 cords of wood at 81 so per
cord, bought from W. Il. Hoegel; | fe-
male nurse at $50 per month for 2
months, | male nurse at $45 per month
for II MONTHS. cook at $35 per month
for 3 months. The Grand Jury, real
izing the great demand Of all our citi-
zsns for reform, think it useless to make
further comments on this subject.
The ju. ors examined into the dockets
of magistrates, and object to the style of
dockets kept by Esquirea Quigley, Miller
and Spelman. The jurors add as fol.
lows:
The Grand Jury would also report that
Figures Miller and Spelman are in de-
fault as to their reports and settlements
With the State for revenues collected BY
them. They would also report that,
from an examination of the magistrates
.dockets, they find the county is com.
PEELED to pay large amounts to the mag
lstrstes' and special constables as costs
on cases brought under the small offense
laws. For example: the allowances on
this score at the September term, 1875,
and January term, 1876, were S2ll2. 10,
while the receipts from the same source
and time we're S529 Is, showing a clear
loss to the county Of 1883 So.
The jurors found. the Presidents
Island work.housei in good condition and
well kept, and found the actual saving to
the county by the contract with General
Forrest for the lease of convicts to be
Sl7,l5S 80 for the year ending July, 1876.
After complimenting the officers of the
Criminal Court, the Grand Jury wound
up the report by signing the names Of its
members.
lin justice to Esquire Spelman we
would state hat he holds the receipt Of
the County Court Clerk for sixteen dol.
lars collected by him for the
quarter ending the LIST Of July, and that
the Grand Jury was not officially aware
Of the fact when the above report was
made.
In addition the Grand Jury presented
q memorial to Governor Porter with ref
erence to the necessity of establishing a
lunatic asylum in West Tennessee. The
jury found two insane persons at the
county Jail and t~hirty-two at the county
%poor.house, in consequence of the al
legged fact that there is no room for them
at the State Asylum at Nashville. The
jury Is of opinion that the county Jail
and poor.house are not the places for the
insane. They should be taken charge of
by the State and be placed under proper
medical treatment with q view to their
recovery, and the Governor is invoked to
recommend the erection of an insane
asylum in West Tennessee to the next
General Assembly Of the State.
The Grand Jury closed its report by
recommending that the following bonds
be strengthened; j. E billiard, notary
public, be strengthened $4,000; B. P.
Murphy, notary public, be strengthened
$4,000; |. E. Douglass, magistrate, $500;
Thomas Giles, magistrate, $500; R, B.
Miller, public guardian, $4,000.