The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-09-13
THE SWORD OF JUSTICE.

THE SWORD OF JUSTICE.
JUDGE REED REvIvEs IT'S USE, LITERAL
LIZ AS WELL AS FIGURATIvELY.
Correspondence Of the Netus and Courier.
AIKEN, S. c., September 8.
The Court of General Sessions con-
vened this morning, bis Honor Judge J:
P. Reed presiding. A large number OF
citizens were in attendance. Since the
retirement of the able and accomplished
Maher from the bench little business has
been transacted, and as a necessary con-
sequence the docket is heavily crowded.
Judge Reed exhibits such wonderful
capacity for the dispatch of business that
there is every possibility that he will
make clean sweep of this immense ac-
cumulation of cases. The Judges charge
to the grand jury was very forcible and
clear, and meets the cordial approval of
all good citizens. He directed special
attention to the statutes against vagran-
cy, gambling and liquor selling without
license. If this matter of vagrancy was
oftener looked into by grand juries, the
peace and order of every community in
the State would be promoted.
The juries, as they originally stood,
having been enlisted by the Chamber.
lain officials, were composed of very much
the same material with which we have
been cursed for the last ten years. But
to-day it became necessary to draw fifteen
additional names for the petit juries, and
three for the grand jury, from extra lists
prepared by Jury Commissioner b. D.
Buckhalter, and the other Hampton Off
cials, in accordance with an act passed
by the last Legislature, and the difference
in the status of jurymen selected was 80
very perceptible as to be almost startling.
The good citizens of this community
were very much gratifed to hear the
opinion expressed by his Honor from the
bench that no man was fit to act as q
juryman who could neither read nor
write. 1t is sincerely to be hoped that
in the future jury commissioners will call
upon no citizen to discharge this impor-
tant duty unless possessed of these simple
but indispensable qualifications.
Judge Reed reflected in terms of just
severity upon the fact that an important
county like Aiken should be virtually
without court house, although SIG, 600
of the peoples money had been squan.
dered in the purchase of the Gregg man.
sion.
He also alluded to the miserable little
building used as a Jail, which is INSULT
cient and unsafe as place of con6ne-
ment.
he called for the chairman ofthe board
of county commissioners, and inquired
whether provision had been made for
the expenses of the court7 Upon being
answered in the negative, be expressed
himself as decidedly opposed to the prac-
tice which has existed under q corrupt
state OF things, of issuing tickets to jury
men and the other attendants on the
court, for which they could realize no
money except by disposing of them at
twenty-five or fifty cents on the dollar.
He thought the expenses of the court was
the first matter that should be provided
for, and that it was due to the present
Reform Government that the expenses of
this court should be promptly met, if the
money could be found in Aiken County.
Since the adjournment of court, I am
informed that the money will be OBJ
tanned.
Not only were the juries organized,
which was q matter of time in conse-
quence of numerous absentees, but on
this, the first day of the term, two i'm
portant cases have been tried. Henry
| Sparnick, the heartless thief who stole
from the widows and orphans while oc-
cupying the honorable position of Judge
of probate, was tried and convicted OF
official misconduct, although absent from
the State. This case was tried during
Judge Maher's administration, but owing
60 the fact that one of the jurymen was
bribed it resulted in a mistrial. The
State was represented by o. O. Jordan,
Esq, who acted by appointment of the
Court in the former trial, and Sparnick
was defended by Samuel J. Lee, ex-
Speaker and ex-Solicitor, and now under
indictment himself for matters with
which all your readers are familiar.
The next case was Hampton Erwin, col.
ored, for murder. Col. Frederick CAN'T,
the new Solicitor, prosecuted this case,
which has been standing on the docke!
| for three terms. The verdict was guilty
of manslaughter.
There is considerable improvement in
the order preserved in and about the hall
used as court house. The precaution
taken by the Commissioners at the sug-
gestion of our worthy sheriff of covering
the floor with cotton bagging adds ma.
terially to the comfort of the court.
also notice a marked improvement in the
department of the constables. have
often seen the time when I regarded
them as the greatest nuisances about the
court, in consequence of their noisy and
insolent calls for order, when actually
they were making more noise than any
body else. This has all been stopped.
I was pleased to observe that Judge
Reed has re.established one of the old
landmarks of our fathers, by requiring
| the sheriff to wear sword when escort
! ing him to and from the court. Our
people are so much gratified by his vigo-
rous dispatch of business and courteous
bearing that they would be glad to re.
| tain him as a permanent institution in
this circuit; but as this cannot be under
the new order of things, we can at least
hope that it will be long ere We see the
incompetent Judge Wiggin again.
The crops around Aiken of both cotton
and corn are good. Two bales only OF
new cotton have been sold so far, as the
crop is backward by at least two or three
weeks as compared with last year.
Twas informed by Thomas Hayne, the
young colored man who has been au.
thorized by Adjt.-Gen. Noise to collect
State arms, that he has gathered seventy
eight rifles, forty of which have been
turned over to the Montmorenci com.
pany. He states that there are still
many more to be collected.