The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1886-09-18
Report Of the Grand Jury.

~ "S S""~ Wi ASoP0Se'olt)
submit the following report as the
result Of our Investigations, viz:
In accordance with special instruc
tions from your Honor We have in
vestigated the condition OF the pub
lie roads in our parish, and beg to
report that the law relative to work
ing same is rigidly enforced in the
second, third and seventh wards,
and is seemingly ignored in the
other wards. This latter state OF
affairs We feel compelled to condemn.
We find that the road from Abbe
vile to New Iberia, after leaving
store of Jean Pene is, and has been
for a number of months, impassa BILE.
PheIician Primeaux, outgoing road
overseer for that road district, in
his last report to the Police Jury,
says that he had done no work on
that road, and assigns as reason
that the land on which the road
runs, is in dispute between two par.
ties. We have examined the records
Of the Police jury aud fail to find
mention of any action being taken by
that body tending to settling said dis
pute. so that ,Lis disgrace to the
parish of Vermiion may be remedied,
Theroad from Abbeville to the line Of
Lafayette parish, on the east side of
Bayou Vermilion is, or has been, in
as bad condition as the road to
New iberia. 1t is impossible for the
Grand Jury to say. positively upon
whom the blame lies for this condi.
tion of the road; but, it having come
to tho knowledge of the Grand
Jury that the Police Jury had com.
promised charges found by the last
Grand Jury against road overseers,
we feel that the blame is with the
Police jury. and we earnestly re
commend that body to take such
action as will secure the travelling
public at least passable roads in the
localities mentioned.
We have examined the parish Jail
and fnd the prisoners, eleven in
number, we'll cared for and fed The
Jail itself is in AL nnelean condition,
which the jaier explained, is owing
to the Jail pump being out of order,
thus preventing hun from obtaining
a sufficient quantity of water for
washing or cleaning purposes. The
.iailer is compelled to carry water in
buckets a long distance. We espe.
cialIy call attention of the Police
Jury to this fact, aud state that we
consider it imperative this evil be
immediately remedied.
We have examined the Office and
books Of the clerk Of court aud find
same in perfect condition, the
books and records being we'll aud
cleanIy kept. We felt it incumbent
upon ourselves to compliment the
clerk of court and his clerks upon
such an Office, which we feel reflect
au honor not only upon him and his
clerks, but upon the parish at large.
We find that q large number Of
documents in his Office, notably the
burnt records saved from the 6re of
April I, 1885, are in a very exposed
Enquiry revealed the
fact that the safes in the Office are
insufficient to hold all these import.
ant documents, and we recommend
that the Police Jury provide some
means Of protecting these papers. :
After diligently and impartially
investigating the proceedings of the
Police Jury, BY examining the re.
cords and witnesses, We feel con.
strained to report that that honor.
able body, in its settlement with the
the parish tax collector and parish
treasurer have not complied with
the laws governing such settlements;
that in the case of tax collector it
had time and again allowed him to
retain monies collected longer
than laws, both OF the State and
parish. allow it to do. In case
of parish treasurer it has accepted,
as reports, simple statements of
balances in his hands, in place of
detailed reports of amounts received
and expended as prescribed by law.
We have examined books Of par