Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-01-23
THE GRAND JURY.
This Body Closes a LabOrious Session and
Submits its Report--A Variety of Recon-
DAFT

IHc SidAu jury CdIne lHCO Tie ulStrICl
court yesterday and submitted it's final
report, as follows:
To the Honorable H. r. Brill, Judge of the
district court, for the Second Judicial dis
trict, for Ramsey county, and State Of Min
nesota.
SIR: The grand jury empanneled for the
January term, commencing January II, 1881,
beg leave to respectfully present the following
report:
First-The grand jury has investigated, and
heard the evidence with patience, of all the
criminal cases which have been brought to its
notice by the county attorney, and have made
due returns upon the same from time to time
to this court, according to the usual custom.
1t would appear to this grand jury, that many
OF the cases which have come before it for in
yestigatiOn, should have been disposed of by
the municipal courts. But if in consequence
of insufficient jurisdiction by said municipal
courts, this could not be done, this jury would
respectfully recommend that such constitu-
| tional amendments be made as will place SUI
ficient jurisdiction and power in the said
municipal courts, where large number of
these petty cases might be more properly dis
posed of, and with much less expense to the
county, and without injury to the cause of
justice.
Seeond-The usual committees were ap-
county and city buildings; into the condition
| and management Of the public prisons; into
the condition of every person imprisoned on q
criminal charge, triable in the county, and not
indicted; into the condition and mana cement
OF the city hospital and board OF control; into
the condition and management OF the county
poor house and farm; into the condition and
| management of the Offices of county auditor,
county treasurer, register Of deeds, judge of
probate, city comptroller and city treasurer.
The reports of the several committees are
herewith attached, and marked A, B, G, d and
e, and to which especial attention is called.
Ihird-In the course of our Investigations
evidence has been submitted to US of the exist
ence OF gambling rooms in this city, which
are being kept and run almost openly and in
notorious and fragrant violation of law. Al
though we have found bills of indictment
against the alleged proprietors of some of
these rooms, we consider the continued exist
enLe of places of this character in our midst
an evil of such magnitude as to call for the
| most earnest efforts, both of the city as
well as of the county and State authorities,
for their immediate and continued suppression.
1t is well understood that convictions in cases
of this kind under the common law, are ex-
tremely difficult, in consequence of the diff
Guilty OF obtaining admissible effective evil
dence. But we are informed that prosecutions
before the municipal court, for violations of
| the city ordinance No. 26, approved July IL,
1858; and No. 81, approved May "A, 1878;
| which prohibit gambling or the keeping of
rooms for gambling purposes, can be made
| more effectively; and that as a matter of fact,
| if the city authorities choose to exercise the
power lodged in their hands and enforce the
| plain provisions of the ordinances above re-
ferred to, that our city could soon be cleared
| of these dangerous and demorallzing places.
Our attention has been particularly called to
| the dangerous temptations to which large
| number of the young men of this city are
| being exposed, by the open and almost public
| manner in which gambling is being carried on
| in this community; and in view of all the cir
cumstances which have come to our knOwl-
edge, and in accordance with what we believe
| to be our duty as explained to us by your
honor, at the commencement OF our session,
| we take this method of calling the courts and
public attention to the existence of this evil;
| and of expressing the hope that the proper
city authorities will take such immediate ac-
ton in the premises, as will lead to the strict
| enforcement of the ordinances which prohibit
| gambling, or the keeping of gambling houses
within the limits of the city of st. Paul.
| All of which is respectfully submitted.
II. G. BURBANK,
Foreman of Grand Jury.
st. Paul, MINI Jan. %, 1881.
| To Hon. H. c. Burbank, foreman of the grand
| jury.
| DEAR SIR: The committee appointed to in
quire into the condition and management of
the county auditors office, county treasurer
and register of deeds offices, would respect
| fully report that they have made as careful an
examination of the above named offices as the
| limited time at their disposal would permit,
| and that they found the books in all three Of
| fees apparently well and methodically kept,
| and the current business being properly trans
acted.
| They examined the bank balances as shown
| by the books of the treasurer and found them
| to correspond with the statements of the banks
| themselves and that the cash on hand agreed
with the amount called for by the treasurer
| cash book.
Other grand juries having reported upon the
matters connected with the administration of
| the affairs of these offices during former years
and up to recent date, your committee con-
fined their examinations almost exclusively to
their present condition, which they found to
be as satisfactory as could be reason
ably expected under the laws as they now
exist.
We desire to call the attention of those hav-
ing charge of the public property to the wood
doorway , leading from the register
of deeds office to the vault, and recommend
that the same be replaced with cement, SO that
no fire can communicate with the contents of
the vault Respectfully submitted
G. H. BIGELOw,
D. A. MONFoRT,
c. GOTHAM,
Committee
ST. PAUL, Jan. 10, 1881.
To II. c.. Burbank, Esq, Foreman of Grand
Jury:
Your committee appointed to inquire into
the condition and management of the county
poor house, beg leave to make the following
report:
We visited the poor house on Tuesday, the
18th inst, and made very thorough examina-
ton of the premises.
We found the house clean, the rooms tidy
and orderly, and all the departments in such
satisfactory condition as evinces good, careful
management, and thrifty housekeeping.
There are at present forty inmates, mostly
persons of advanced age-in comparatively
good health-whose comfort seems to be well
cared for.
The present manager, Mr.. Poulton, we be-
lieye to be peculiarly well adapted for the ardu-
Gus position which he has so satisfactorily
filed for the past eight years, and we regret to
learn that he has decided to resign his charge
at an early day.
To successfully manage farm of 200 acres,
and to conduct an institution of such magni-
tude in a manner to meet the requirements of
the county officials, and at the same time to
give no just cause for complaint to the inmates,
demands the faithful services of man of no
ordinary ability and capacity.
The county will be fortunate indeed If the