The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-06-07
THE OoURr or sEssrONs.

--Cases Trled.
The summer term Of tho Court O
General Sessions for Fairfield opened
Oh Monday morning, his Honor A. P
Aldrich, judge of tho second circuit
presiding. The roll Of the grand jury
was called, and seventeen member.
answered to their names. Tho pre-
siding judge then delivered his charge
to the grand jury, substantially as fol
lows:
1t gives me great pleasure to, meet
you, on my return to your county, af
ter All absence Of two Years and d balf
and to congratulate you upon the i'm.
proved condition of our affairs. The
State government has been conducted
with economy and with O Just regard
to all the interests of our people,
Commerce las revived, labor Is con.
tent, crime has decreased, factories are
springing up, railroads arc extending
their lines, and there arc everywhere
signs Of a general improvement. I see
no reason why, with her great and va.
ricd resources, with government
that will at once develop those re.
sources and give protcctiou to all our
people, and with the help of bene-
ticent Providence, our State may not
rise to the highest r"-ospority.
l have said that Crime has diminish
ed. While this is happily true of most
| offences, yet such is not the case with
the crime of homicide. In the past
ycar-from the first of February, 1880,
to the first of January, 1851 have
tried thirteen cases ofhomicide, out of
which there were ten convictions.
The crime of homicide thus appears
dreadfully prevalent. Why is this SO ?
My experience convinces me that the
reason why it is SO rs to be found in
the practice Of whiskey-drinking and
the carrying of concealed weapons.
These evils became so great that the
Legislature was forced to pass laws to
check them-the statutes against carry
ing concealed weapons anu forbiddinp.
the sale of Intoxicating liquors outside
Of incorporated towns and villages.
Your duty is to present all violations
of these statutes that may come to your
knowledge.
The crime Of homicide is not confin-
ed to our 1and-as some partisans pre-
tend. 1t spreads over the whole world,
All kinds of homicide are prevalent-in
Ireland suffering under chronic fam
lnc-in imperial Russia and in pros-
porous Germany, waging a constant
and cruel crusade against the Jews.
These people-a people who have been
good citizens and who have furnished
TO literature some ofits brightest orna-
ments, and to politics some of the
greatest statcsmen-thcse people are
driven from their homes by the mali
dates of tyrannical government.
And all this in enlightened Europe.
We cannot say how this state of affairs
has come about. For our part, all
that we can do is to enforce the law.
Let it be understood that all that
come to our shores shall be strictly
answerable to the law, and siiall like
wise enjoy the full protection of the
law.
Our State is doing all she can to ell
courage immigration. Our Commits
sioner of Immigration is a Jealous and
capable gentleman, and is using his
best efforts to make his department
successful and beneficial to the people.
immigration is Of vast importance to
our State. We want capital-and
with population will come capital.
Mr. Butler, our Commissioner of
Agriculture, asks me to bring TO the
attention ofthe grand jurics the law
passed tor the protection of ftish-a sub
Ject very much neglected. Though
the Commissioner has been inClefatiga-
Die III stocking our rivers with fish,
though traps have been put in proper
places, yet the law has been SO fire.
quently violated that the efforts of the
commissioner almost come to nought.
Ii the landed proprictors will help him,
and II the law be enforced, we shall
soon have all our rivers stocked with
al ample supply Of fish for all. It is
your duty to see, as far as you are able,
that the fish laws are properly respect
cd.
1t is not necessary for mo to charge
you as to yonr different duties, as the
painstaking judge who proceeded me
has doubtless done so as fully as is
necessary. 1t is your right and duty
TO inspect evey department of the pub
lie administration.
There is one subject of great impor-
tance h tho courts and the people. I
allude to the drawing Of juries. The
law requires that i'll making up the
Jury-list The commissioners shall TAX O
one in ten or at least one III twenty of
the whole number of persons fit and
liable to jury duty. Yet in one county
within my knowledge, where there are
are over six thousand voters, there
were but 2S0 names put on the Jury
list. There is certainly something
wrong in, this. T do not know of any
Irregularities in the drawing OF iuries
In this county, but still it is q par. of
your duty to look after the matter.
You will now retire for the consid-
Grafton of such bills as tho Solicitor
shall submit to yon.
The grand jury accordingly retired.
The State vs.. Nelson Savage, indict-
ed forlarceny from the field-stcaling a
hundred ears Of corn from the field of
the prosecutor, Mr.. w. b. Boyle. Mr..
j. e. Mcdonald appeared for the de-
fence. At the close Of the States tes.
timony, he announced that he had no
evidence to offer, and would submit
the case without argument. After a
brief charge from the Judge, the iury