The daily gazette., 1878-12-04
FIFTH EDITION.
OUR COUNTY COURT.
Special to the Gazette.

Hc NltlltSSto III Lilt lJTdItl- w liSOU
murder case We're called, but as there
were several absent whose testimony was
highly important, the trial was postponed
unril afternoon.
The application for a new trial in the
case of William Z. Karr VS.. Robt. Flanni-
gan, garnishee OF Robert Lee made by
Chas. b. Lore, Esq, was discharged by
the Court.
Alfred McCracken was arraigned for
the larceny OF five stencil brands from
VIM. g. Pennypacker. lie plead ''not
guilty"
A jury was sworn and the case went to
trial. The evidence taken went to es-
tablish the fact that the stencils had been
stolen from the mill Of Mr.. Pennypacker
by some one, but nothing was adduced
To fix the guilt directly upon the prisoner.
McCrackin had been seen stamping
something back of the mill upon the day
the articles were stolen, and the possess
sion of the stencils was Traced to him by
the evidence of Charles Lamb who pur-
chased them at his junk-shop for twenty
five cents, of McCrackin. The jury re-
turned a verdict of not guilty.
Owing to a flaw in the indictment
against Harley G. Brown, the witnesses
on the part of the State were all re-
summoned and are in attendance this
morning. The flaw referred to is this
The Indictment reads "No. G7" when
Il should be No. IL" The paper will
be corrected and Harley G.. Brown was
re-arranged.
Applica ions for a divorce between
Georgana and Jacob A. Muhl and Olive
and Elwood G.. Hill were granted.
The Grand Jury having flashed its
business ii came into Court about Il o.
clock and was discharged.
The report OF the Grand Inquest is as
follows:
To The Honorable, The Judges Of The
Court Of oyer and Terminer and
the Court Of General Sessions Of the
Pedce and jail Delivery Of the
state Of Deid,odre, sitting in aud
for Ne,c Castle County.
The grand Jury of New Castle county.
for the present year (lS7S) respectfully
report that as the May term, we had be
fore us tifty-two bills of indictments, out
.. of which we returned As true bills, ignor-
| ing the remal ming seven, and at the pres
eut term we have had before us 122 cases,
| ltluiulHE lut liu UlllN, anu lDHOTlIlR lO,
| During the interval between terms, we
made an Off visit to the County
Alnshouse, and upon the most careful
| eXaminat on OF the grounds and build
lngs of the AlmshOuse proper. the Asy-
lum for the insaue, and the Hospital for
persons sufierii < with infectious diseas, I
talI uUder the care ~ the Trustees of the
Poor of this County, we have no hesita.
ton in expressing our entire approval OF
the manner in which that institution is
conducted, we were impressed with
the nat and cleanly appearance
# The Interior as well as the exterior OF
all these buildings and the apparent com.
fort of the inmates, and while some of us
have had experience in the management
ofinsiltutious of this kind and are fami.
liar with the condition of similar insti.
tutioIs OF other States we do not hesitate
IL say that the almshUuse of New Castle
county stands second TO none either in
this or adjoining States aud we congtatu
late th-::qW,cted ard unfortunate poor oi
the county upon the ample provision,
viii ch has been made for their comfort
we have also visited the county PRISON and
upon careful inquiry as TO the condition
OF the prisoner as well as TO the genera
management 3fthe prison, we are pleased
TO be able TO state that the evident atteu
ton to the p oper comfort Of the inmates
the clean and tidy appearance of tn,
prison deserve our highest commenda
tioD.
During the administration of some oi
our former Sheriffs it was the custom to
give To certain cOuUictS who are servinL
out the sentence of the court. the liberty
not only of the prison and It's enclo. .ures
but of the town. and in some eases, lib
erty without any restraint whatever
thus practically annulllng the penalt,
V...t tNav t..
crime, and dlndirectly exercising preoga
tive belonging 10 the executive, and no
TO the Sheriff, cannot be too Sc
riously considered. We are please,
To learn, how yer. from the pre,eif
Sheriff that he discentined this nractic,
and that in every case cOnvlcts commit
ted to his custody will be- required to en-
dure the stnteuce Of the Court whateve
| il may be. How much aid these con
vlcts, who have not been prisoners ma,
J have rendered u other COnvicts in lhcl
efforts - escape IS an interesting ques
tion,
The habit of allowing the friends an,
: acu ugintanCes OF prisoners to visit then
. ind crimi nately aud AT all times, was o,
a tanned 10 an improper extent, we are u
:, tho opinion that such visits should br IA
d lowed only at specified times, and nnde
VI the ltnMtdlatr survei lance of the ptoBr
Court witnesses in criminal eases hay
= been allowed 10 have frequent and Britfd
q intercourse with PERSONS ch irged VIII
he highest grade of crime aud I
lie whose cases they were witness,
~ and 10 say the least the similar
n ty of the testimony of witnesses e ilii
ing that privilege is "a suggestive fac
and We deem il To be our ,iutv 10 20,
demn the practice in the most emphatl
manner, and advise that such means ma
: be used as will prevent its I, currtnce /
the future. We were panied To lean
that for reasons deemed sufficient by n
Jail Commissioners, the work sho,
heretofore existing in the prison.
means of which mauy of the prisone
IT. had been made to cOntri butte to the
own support, have b en discontinue
Were commend that they be put in on
ID ramon again As soon ~ the state of II
cells will permit, whether the labor
these persons is emlnently profitable
otherwise, it is certainly better to ke
them employed.
a Tue apparent ease with which priso
80 ers have sometimes made their esca
!. and the frequency of such oCcurren,
led ms TO look closely at the condition
the jail and we are not able TO detect a
deficit IN the construction of the buIldi
\ , except it be in the manner in which !
. iron bars are placed in the windo,
4 we think that at cOmuaratiyelv tri III