The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1876-02-09
REPORT OF THE GRAND JURY

Tho Grand .Jurv of this Judicial District
&c Uipds county sIionrnei 1T q clock. ON
Monday, and submitted the following re-
p0- JACKSON. MISS. Feb. 9TH, 1876.
uon Gen p Bro,en. .Judqs Circuit Court,
Isl District Kinds county;
The undersigned, Grand Jurors, beg leave
respectfully to submit this report, ana, nav
ing finished their labors, ask TO De as
charged. The duties devolved upon the
Jury at this term have been tedlous, uellGale
and com licated; but they believe they
have nerformed thea conscientiously.
While some persons have escaped lndict-
Ypent in cases that were thoroughly lnVes6i-
Gated it was because of an honest difference
of Opinion among them, and not suilclenV
number favoring indictment 10 enaole the
Jury TO find a bill.
The riot at Clinton has been thoroughly
investigated, and while it is evident that
many persons were killed, both white ana
colored, the jury have been unable TO nna
any single witness who saw any man kliI
another, or to identify any person engaged
/ in the continuation of hoStiiities, resulting
in the death of any individual on the day
/ following More than one hundred wit
| nesses have been before the jury ana sue
| iected to the most scrutinlZlng eSamina-
tions Although, there were among thls
number many VINO were preseh5 on
tbe ground the day the riot occurred, no
one has been able TO tell just how this sad
| affair began. or by whom the first breach
was committed. BY every witness we gath
cred the fact that no hostility was contem-
! plated, or any preparation made In anticl-
nation of such an event. The necessary
arrangements for the barbecue and speak
ing were being made for some weeks prior
TO the day OF this occurrence, but on the
part of the white people or black people, we
have failed to discover any plan or Intention
to bring on trouble or precipltate COLLISION.
81, NIa l1nh
ipated such fight. from the limited num-
Der present, the lack of arms among them.
and the inferiority of the arms they had
and it is equally true of colored people.
Though their numbers were as all hundred
10 one, they had but few arms, and present
on the occasion were their women aud
children. We are satisfied that the results
of that day were not anticipated, and that
the bloody beginning and ending, which
! brought sorrow and affiction TO so many
} families, was not the work of tOrethought
and preparation. The few arms that were
: present on the occasion We're there be-
cause of habit so common in this country OF
, carrying arms with or without the
necessity for doing so, and the or
igin of the difficulty will, perhaps, forev-
F. err remain unknown. 1t time OF
great political excitement and party feel
5 ing, which no doubt intensified the feelings
of men when the fight began but in the in
ception played no part Politics had moth
ing to do, in our opinion, with the origina-
ton of the disasters of that day. There wa;
no purpose or generalization on the part o
either party to bring on any trouble. How
ever, after the fight began, men run mac
a with passion. committed deeds most revolt
ing in atrocity and brutality, pursuing and
, Staying wounded men who were unarmed
and the killing of men away from the scene
of troubles, and killing some men on the
Sunday morning following. Who these
| nctin hot INN "A nj
gagged. we have not been able to ascertain
/ Some men on both sides were seen with pis
tolls. and seen to shoot, but whether theS
: killed any one or not could not be proven
No witness testified directly as to the kill
, ing of any particular man, by another who
was seen and known by the witness.
, The Jury also investigated most thor
oughly the killing of Charles Caldwell ant
Samuel Caldwell in Clinton on the Both O
/ December, 1875. We have been unable Il
. find the party or parties engaged il
, this deed. The whole affair is shroudec
in mystery and though nearly every
man. white and colored. who lives II
or near Clinton, has been before the Jury
we have no proof sufficient to attach gull
to any man. There is theory of this case
but its solution fastens guilt upon no par
\ ticular individual or individuals. We hay,
had every witness that could be heard of
who was likely to know anything of tn,
affair, but utterly failed to elicit any evil
dence upon which we could take any action
We have examined the Jail, and find ev
n erything clean, and believe the wants anC
q health OF the prisoners are strictly careC
. for. We recommend that the Sheriff be au
. thorlzed and instructed to have the grating
. in the windows re-fastened and secured
Some of the iron bars have been tamDeref
f.: with to such an extent as to render theil
, removal matter of easy accomplishment
and the aperture thus made would give am
RI
. his escape into the jailyard, from which
+: hnal escape could be made without diff
Guilty The jail-yard fence needs new
posts and railing in some places, and should
be repaired at once,
; JONES S. HAMILTON,
Foreman;
p. HART,
g. WILLIAMS,
,iNO. G. CARRAwAY,
b. F. HARDY,
e. BLOOM
JNo. @. PATRICK,
e. w. FUNCHERs.
JACOB HUGHES,
JAS. PEACHY
JOHN WALKER,
CHAs. CLIFroN
MAJOR EpBANks,
Is. SPRIGGS,
HANDY MILES,
s-E PAT WINDFREY
LEWIS ROBINSON
JAMES II Bowman.
---~sp---ss~ - : y
IN the Committee of the Whole the
House on the Salary Bill-Mr, Leigh, Of
Lowndes county, introduced the following
substitute for the bill:
Whereas, The impoverished condition
or our people demands that thew sbonId
be relieved of all unnecessary tova
ton; and,
whereas, The honor incident to official
POSITIONS should be sufficient induce
ment to the ambitions to nnnor4 49,