The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-10-18
Judge Paul's Charge to the Grand
Jury.


Grand Jury at Harrisonburg, by Judge
Paul, we take from the Harrisonburg Old
Commonwealth of last week. We repro
duce it not only as a source of instruction
to the people at large and to guard them
from inadvertently violating the law it
enumerates, but as an expressive evidence
of the high judicial character Of the paper.
It is clear. concise. pointed with nothing
redundant about it, showing the Judge in
every line and sentence. The charge was
as follows
Gentlemen OF Grand Jury
You have been selected from the body of your
fellow citizens to inquire to violations of the
criminal laws of the United States. The oath
which you have just taken suggests to you the
extenta and character of your duties.
The offences of which you can take cognizance
are classed as follows
ment, such -as treason, misprison of treason,
criminal correspondence with foreign govern
ment, melting or engaging in rebellion or insur-
rection, enlsting soldiers sailors to serve
against the United States enlistment to serve
against the United Statee-Rev. Statutes, Secs.
H. Crimes arising within the maritime or ter
ritorial jurisdiction of the United States, such
as murder, piracy, arson, larceny, circulation of
obscene literature, &c. AS you will probably
not be called upon to investigate any of the Of
enumerate them in detail-Rev. Statutes, Secs
$3.50 to 1891.
III. Crimes against justice, such as perjury
subornation of perjury, stealing or altering pro-
cess, procuring false bail, &C.. taking false oath
in naturalization, obstructing process, or as
saulting officer: intimidation or corruption of
witness or officer, rescuring prisoner, destroy
ing public records, corruption or intimidation
of jurors &C.. /; attempt to influence juror
conspiring to intimidate party to a cause, or
witness or juror; conspiring to defeat the en-
Iorcement of the law destroying records by an
1 officer ph1Ppl allowing prison.
ers to escape, &c.-Rev. Statutes, Sec 5,392 to
SAP.
eminent, such as forging or counterfeiting Uni
ted States securities, counterfeiting national
mutlating coinage, &C.; forgery of letters pa
tent certificate of entry, bid, proposal, guaran-
ture of q Judge or other officer Of any court in
the United States forging deed, power of at
torney, order, certificate, or other writing, or
of obtaining any sum of money from the United
States its agents or officers, or knowingly hav-
ing such papers in possession, with intent to de-
fraud the Government; false perSonation in
procuring naturalization; using false rcertifi-
cate of citizenship; using the same evil
dence of a right to vote passing, selling or
concealing forged obligations of the United
States circulating bills of expired corporations
&C, embeZzling arms, stores, money, or other
property of the United States; taking seized
property from custody of revenue or custom Of
ticer, resisting revenue or custom officer in
the execution of his duties; bribery of United
States officers, &c. offences against the postal
terfeiting postage stamps, injuring mail matter,
ENLIGHTENMENT of letters containing Enclosures,
stealing or fraudulently obtaining mail, open
ing valuable letters, &C.; receiving articles sto-
len from the mail; stealing, OBTAINING or de-
stroying newspapers; robbery OF, or attempt to
rob the mail ; deserving the mail stealing post
office property injuring mail bags, &C.: steal
ing or forging mail locks or keys; breaking and
entering pOstoffice with intent to commit lar
ceny or other depreciation sending letters
through the mail, with intent to defraud, &c.
" Oficial misconduct &c. such as officers of
q pUiItV q
ing for larger sums of money than are paid ex-
tortion by internal revenue informers attor-
ney for pensions demanding more than the le-
gal fee Judge, member of Congress, any Off
Ger of the United States accepting bride; Off
GERS of United States Courts failing to deposit
money, &c.; receiving loan or deposit from an
officer of the court.
VI. Crimes against the elective franchise and
civil rights of citizens such as preventing citi-
zens from voting; intimidating voters by bribe-
~, Or threats of conspiracy to injure or intimi-
date citizens in the exercise of their civil rights
fraudulent voting at election for representative
in Congress, or fraudulent registration of voters
for such election; violation of duty by officers
of such election interfering with supervisors
of election, marshals or deputies,
VII. Under the internal revenue laws: Prob
ably the largest number of cases you will have
under consideration arise under these laws
They embrace such offences as carrying ON the
business of manufacturer or dealer in liquors
without having paid the special tax required by
law defrauding or attempting to detraud the
Government in the payment OF tax improper
ly removing spirits on which tax is not paid
neglecting TO affix cancel stamps required by
are such offences as removing tobacco, snuff,
&c. from mandatory without stamps unlaw
full selling, &C.; failing to destroy stamps on
empty cigar boxes and packages, or for selling
or giving away, accepting or using the same
fraudulently; having property in possession,
with intent to sell the same in fraud of the in
ternal revenue laws, or to evade the tax.
The offences designated and the penalties pre-
scribed under the laws are numerous and have
called your attention to but few OF an extern
sive class.
The fact that these offences and penalties are
t1nvr An nj q
Gated system of internal revenue laws, JuSt1heS
the court in charging you that in the investiga-
ton of these, as we'll as all other cases Drought
to your attention, you proceed cautiously and
carefully in their consideration, to the end that
your 81 when may pc Dasea on
cution and the infection OF the prescribed pun
ishment.
These offences being numerous, and not infre
quently arising from a lack OF knowledge on the
part OF the offender to the requirements of
the law q wide field is open for trivial and ma
licious prosecutions and it is by no means unu-
sual that bad men avail themselves OF the pro-
visions of these laws to prosecute their neigh
bors and to crafty their personal animoSities
and malice. Against prosecutions OF this char
acter you will strictly guard remembering that
it is as much your duty to protect the innocent
from prosecution it is to vindicate the laws
of the sGovernment by bringing the violators
thereof to justice.
This WISE prudent, and inf1exible course, on
your part, will go very far to inculcate in the
minds of all citizens that confidence in their
wisdom, and that respect for the laws which are
born OF sense of justice, security and protec-
ton in their administration for without this
feeling justice and security on the part OF law
abiding and yirtuous citizens, our criminal laws
are little better than dead letters on our statute
books, and their enforcement well nigh impos-
sible.
But once convinced of the violation of the law
it will be your imperative duty-a duty which
have no doubt you will faithfully and honestly
perform-to find an indictment against the OF
tending party, no matter what the penalty OF
The law may be, and no matter what the social
or political status of the offender.
The concurrence of twelve of your number is
necessary in order that you find an indictment.
Many London ladies crop their hair short
and wear an almost entire wig, and con-
sequently catch cold more frequently than
their American cousins, but of course they