Vicksburg weekly herald., 1877-10-19
Report Of the Grand Jury,

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Report of the Grand Jury.
The following is the report OF the Grand
Jury read In the Circuit Court this morn.
ing previous TO adjournment:
To the Hon. Upton II. Young, Judge Of tie
Circuit and Chancery Courts OF Warren
county, State OF Mississippi:
Having concluded our LAHORE as Grand
Jurors for the October term, 1877, Of the
Criminal Court, we respectfully present
the following as report OF our proceed.
lngs:
With your able aud earnest appeal fresh
In our minds, as addressed TO us In your
charge, we have assembled promptly each
day, every man determined to let no one
escape whose conduct required criticism,
or who had outraged the majesty Of the
law. The cOuut:y members have shown
cOmmendable zeal in this behalf, having
come many miles each day and remained
as long as a witness could be found.
Your advice on our tirst day OF meeting
has been our guide during the session, and
by that we have been governed in AL our
deliberations. The counsel OG the District
Attorney has frequently been solicited,
and everything we have done has been
done intelllgently and deliberately. Where
instances OF gross violation Of law have
come before Us, We have disposed Of them
promptly by submitting them to your
Court for thorough and speedy investiga.
tlun. On the other hand, such as have
been brought TO US, In themselves mani.
testify weak, sometimes, we are sorry 70
say, prompted by malice, and Of such ma.
turc that TO attcmpta prosecution in the
Courts would be waste OF time-these we
have not hesitated to ignore at once. In
word, our time has been devoted rather
TO the consideration OF the gre ater crimes
ui murder, prOmiscuOus shooting and cut.
tinV, and larceny, and have handled Of.
tenders vigorously, though, We believe,
Justly,
There have been many reports O.. mnJI
oiienses, but through the reiuctInce 0l
TreVari cation of witnesses, wo did absO
lutely nothing. We have not permitted
oppression, nor have we screened any MI
have been treated alike.
Our first bus'n was TO ;Ak. up Jail
cases, which we disposed Of as rapidly as
possible, tnding true bills In some, ign0
ring others, and recommending the dis
charge Of prisoners held on the judgment
of the lower courts contrary to the verdict
Of the jury.
Tine bail cases reXt received attention
and we were ready and anxious at all
times 10 hear new Information. Our dock
ct was completed in fifteen days, showing
that 23i witnesses had been examined and
lOrty-seven true bills found.
/ During our session we visited the county
jail and city prison, at both OF which To-
stitutlons we found everything in good or
der. There were thirty-three prisoners IL
Jail and awaiting sentence, and at tht
! wOrk.hOuse we found nearly as many.
1 The guards are vigilant and trustworthy
and our citizens may rest assured thai
there will be no escapes.
; The transcript dOckets have come TO u,
/ from the Justices, and we tnd that these
gentlemen, too, had had their share ~ tht
trial Of criminals. Some, We thought, hat
been entirely too goOd.natured In their de
! cisions, and IN cas-. OF that Kind We navt
/ given the law an opportunity in YOU
Court.
The transcripts were neatly arranged
and the fines reported were accompanies
By the County Treasurer's receipts. w
were pleased to see the systematic man
ner in which papers In State cases wer
arranged, and OIr business was wonder
fully facilitated on that account, VI
thank the Magistrates for their assist
ance, and trust that other grand juIie
may be equally as fortunate.
Our country members report the road
In as good condition as can be expected
the Overseers apparently doing their dut
well. We heard no complaint In this rC
gard.
We requested, and received yer
promptly, from the Coroner Of the count
a record VI the inquests held by him zinc
January /, 1877, The following Is a synOI
sis: Number Of deaths by violence, II;
natural causes, II; by drowning, 1; by az
. cidental shooting, /; by burning, /;
! strangulation, /; by suicide, /; total, %.
} We visited the Circuit Clerks Office an
! found it conducted in an able manner
The books and papers are systematicall
arranged, and everything presents nel
= and clean appearance. The Clerk II
formed us that some OF the record book
b such as dOckets and marriage license
, have been very lmperlectly indeXed du
ing the interval from 1861 TO 1870, and ais
] that final papers in cases which have bee
disposed 0f from 1861 to 1870, are filed {
i unfortunately that 1t Is almost impose
;, BILE to find them. We suggest some Rctio
on the part OF the Board Of Supervisors,
s this matter,
= The Chancery Clerks office is also
l. good order and the records, etc, are nea
" arranged. The Sherlirs Office Is in Il
j. midst OF tax collecting and Court bushes
i but a glimpse at that Office convinced
Il that the interests OF the county and sta
r, are being we'll attended to,
II The most pr asiny duty we had n pc
d form was that Of visiting the Publ
Il schools 9f the city, BY invitation Of :
:, perintendent Charles +, Bent, and in b
4 company we went to the Main Sire
l. School for white children, and spent
! most agreeable hour listening t) the voc
II music aud witnessing the exercises. !
IS attendance this session Is unparalleled
= the history Of this old school, aud this IA
2 plainly indicative OF tt lor In whl
the excellent teachers are held, The :
1t pits manifest great love for tbeit teaehe
|, and ere unaer the, moat thorough dis
g. pllne: The building is q gBod repair, a
q. ie wei ventilated. M Bent has prov