St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1878-04-27
District Court.

The April term OF our District Court
began last Monday morning at 10 o'clock
A. NJ.
The Judge, District Attorney and
Sheriff were all on hand, looking in
thorough trim for business and with
the evident intention to make the term
short and effective one. Capt. L. S.
Havard of Big Cane, was appointed
foreman, and most excellent Grand
Jury impaunelled. After being thor
oughly charged as to their duties and
mode and manner of transacting busi
ness, the Grand Jury, accompanied by
the District Attorney, retired to their
room and went Immediately to work.
The Court then discharged the re-
mainder of the panel drawn for the
first week of the term, and after an
nonncing that all criminal cases in
which indictments had been found or
iuformations filed at previous terms of
Court. were fixed for the following M"n-
dav morning at 81 o'clock, at which
time the accused and their witnesses,
IA we'll An witnesses for the State, must
he present, proceeded to call the civil
docket and disposed of several cases by
continuing or dead d"cketing them.
The Grand Jury, which we regard as
one of the best we have seen in long
time, adjourned on Friday. Every
subject given in charge by the Judge,
we have no doubt was thoroughly ell
quired into. They found Is true bills
and ignored Is charges.
Nearly all the cases presented We're of
trivial and unimportant character.
This is due alike to the course of our
officers and the action of the last Jury
impanDelled for our Court. who showed
no mercy to evil doers, but in nearly
every case presented, gave them the full
benefit of the law. That term demon
str,ted to thieves, rngues, r0boers, bur
glals and rnwdies that but one of tw"
alternatives was presented, either to
quit their evil ways or prepare to have
the full penalty of the law meted out II"
them. The effect has been most salu-
tary and beneficial, and considering tlc
fact that our great parish contains owe,
10000 Inhabitants, we can we'll boast o!
the slender criminal docket we will have
after the adjournment OF the present
term of the Court. What a contrast it
presents, when compared to its condi-
tiop q few years since, when a single
Grand Jury presented twelve men for
murder, majority of whom were ar
rested, tried and convicted at that or
the following term of Court.
Whilst neighboring parishes have re-
sorted to vigilance committees to punish
offenders, St. Landry, be it said to her
honor, has proceeded in strict accor-
dance with law, The consequences to-
day, the prevalence of healthy public
sentiment in her vast territory, which
not only brings evil dOers to the bar of
public justice and metes out to them
the punishment the law affixes, but At
the same time makes every citizen feel
secure in his life and property, instead
Of bringing about that morbid feeling
of dread and fear, which mnst even
tually overtake any community, which
takes the law into it's own hands and
often commits murder to punish or
avenge case of petty larceny. There
was time and that not long since,
when not only good citizens, but officers
of the Court, were cramped in their
efforts to enforce the law and establish
order by the constant interpositiOn of
the pardonirg power of the executive.
Many OF the worst mep ever convicted
in this parish were immediately t1rned
loose by Warmoth and Kellogg, to re-
turn amongst us. This uuder ordinary
circumstances would have justified a
resort to vigilance committees but still
it was not done. Those entrusted with
the execution of the law and the good
citizens WHO eo.operated with them
still continued to enforce it. They felt
this state of things could not endure
always. They were right. The acces-
sion of Gov, Niellnlls put an end to it,
and now when thief or murderer il
tried and convicted, he feels assured
that he must take the consequences,
unless circumstances of an exceptional
nature exist. Gov. Nichols We know
has granted partlons, but in doing so he
bias not been led astray by false state
narnts, made by the masses who petit
toned to him, but ON the contrary has
resorted to the officers Of the Courts,
before whom the parties were tried for
the information on which he acted. In
acting, thus instead Of tl,warting the
enforcement of the law he has made
himself by well directed instances of
executive clemeney, Its most powerful
auxiliary.
In ether words there he has used, but
not abused this high prerogatiye of the
Executive.
Cotton Factories Inn the South.
<e