The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1878-12-16

What the Grand Jury Wanted
10 do.

EDITOR SILVER STATE:-The manner
| in which my name was mentioned in
your paper in connection with court
matters, makes it very desirable for
me to have matters explained mere
fully. in order TO mako outsiders under
stand the thing as well as those directly
interested. / refused to allow the
Grand Jury to Inspect my books, be.
cause they are not public books. but
my private property. / also declined
to answer cersain questions in regard
to the amount Of business doue by our
firm, because / did not conside. it any
OF their business, especially on such
trlf1Ins occasion as the case before
them offered. viz : Doing business with
au insufficient license. Aftes these
I questions were fully argued IN court
His Honor decided that tho Grand Jury
has no power whatever to ask any body
TO bring, for their Investigation. his
private books or papers. HIS Honor
also remarked that he doubts very
much that his court had that 20 yer, in
which remark he is perfec ly correct,
as | have since been informed by very
high authority. His Honor further
more ruled that ID is not the business
of the Grand Jury to hunt up cases nor
hunt up evidence. but take the cases
laid before them. weigh the evidence
and either ignore tine charge or find an
indictment. The case 10 question is
no criminal case at all. If the defend
ant had been doing business without
any license at ail, he would have been
gnilty of n mlsdemeanor, in which case
the Grand Jury nor the District Court
have any jurisdiction; but 1t "onId
have to come in shape of complaint
by the Sheriff before the Justice of the
Peace. Ii l have n license at all | Can
not be guilty of a misdemeanor. aud if
anybody does business with an in
sufficient license it is the fault of
the Sheriff whose duty it would
be to take sworn statement
as to the amount of business
done and issue license accordingly AS
therefore the case in Vestlon i. a mere
investigation of The Grand Jury. which
they can make if they feel so Iucliued,
and it would have been impossible for
me to eliminate myself 10 Case which
is no crime. His Honor ruled that in
the man nee the case was brought before
him, he must presume that we do busi-
mes without any licsose. aud that /
should answer the questions 10 regard
to the amount of business done by the
firm of Z. Reiohart u Co., which
ruin , Il of course abided by.
1t remained matter of second con-
sideration whether it was better for the
Grand Jury to spend week investiga-
ting this thing aud which has cost the
county more than the whole license
can amount to for several years. or
merely recommend in their report that
the Sheriff collect more license.
l am well aware that members of the
Grand Jury had too good Judgment
ard were too much gentlemen to
be in favor of this whole thug to
come up. and tried to b I'VE it dropped
Some again thought they were doing
their dnty. as the case was brought be-
fore them in very peculia- shape /; but
there we're also some back. biters there.
who gladly seized the opportunity to bit
at a gentleman. who despises them as
we'll as the originator of the complaint.
Respectfully yours.
N. DELBANCo.