St. Landry democrat., 1888-09-29
PART OF JUDGE LEwIs' CHARGE
TO TIE GRAND JURY.

and for the body of the pa,issi," your i'm
perative duty is. to make dlligant inves-
tigation into all such matters and things
az may and do concern the peace and
good order of society. The right of
every citizen, without regard to race or
condition. to le projected in his rights
Of person and property ia sacred. and
the laws enacted for hat purpose should
he rigjdly and impaitially enforced In
no other way can safety and peace, in
the fields. ON the highways, or around
the freside ha guaranteed to our people.
The law makes no distinction between
indlviiuals-the higf. aud the low, the
rich and the poor, the white and the
hlack-are all equally bound to it's OBJ
sprvance.
No license is given by the law, to the
strong or the influential, to take the pro-
perty or the life of the weak and the
lOwly. Nor can anyone lawfully claim
exemption from it because of his con-
diiiou or Influence among men.
But. while the law il impartial in ita
provisions. ii is rarely enforced with RI
gid impartiality. 1t makes no distinc
tlnns but men do. and SD often has wealth,
or social and political Influence secnrpd
the arqnitral of violatnrs Of the law hat
il has come to he a common saying, that
the law is made for The. poor man
not for the rich man. Neither life nor
property is safe, 40 long as distinctions
Of this or other kind are allowed to in
fiuenc- .nries or Officers OF the law in
the discharge of their duties.
have been led to these preliminary
remarks. Gentlemen of the Grand Jury.
because of recent occurrences in nnr par
i>h To liich feel it my duty to call your
attention.
There seems TO be nm epidemic IF crime
in the parish. The Court is flooded with
prosecutions for carrying concealed
weapons. for disturbing the peace. for
all manner af cutting and shooting, for
wicked assaults and for murder. M
hess than six citizens of the parish have
been slain within the last three months
and four If these within month. One
shot and killed " bile under arrest. nne
with bis horse wavlaid and ridilad with
buck shot on bridge and two taken ont
nf their hnnsps and shot TO death ins
family, all being done in the darkness of
night.
Snch deeds as these call for nremrt
and yigOnrons action. Tn regard to
the two last mentioned. 1t occurred at
a time vt great excitement growing ont
of rnmOrs of IN insurrectlDn or revolt
Of the colored people against the whites.
Whether there was any ground for such
innfnrs ar not ia not for me to cay. Int
this I nsay that no man or body. ct
man life in this way. IF the parties kill
ed had violated the Law. II was an aaav
matter to bring them to Justice Inv legal
metheds. and if they had committed no
nff-nse against the law to slay thrm in
this manner was uothine less than mur-
der, afrorinus and utterly inexcHsahle
IT il none he leas murder whether done
by one or many.
A sense Of fear and Insecurity nrevaila
in many sections of the parish. because
of these crimes aud others not necessary
to mention.
There are mapv who will net inform
IN guilty parties for fear that If they do
40 they vii, he shot or killed. there are
afhers who will conceal crime in the in
terpst of friend and there is a large
ciass of Deonlp who content themselves
bv saving .sit is no affair of msna.n mr.
matter how grave may he the crime
against ti,e society of which they are
mpmhefa, and in fIie geod order of which
they are vitality Interested. There ran
he neither law nor order in surh con
disian IF things. and van vii, have
neither ttn one nor the other in 0ur par
isl, until the people. not only come to
have reverence for the law Int active
w and theoretically aid in its enforce
ment
Az vour Judge I mnst hold myself
alonf from participation in the nrosecn
ton of any ease. for it is not my duty hn'
nv wis', tn be entirely impartial in all
matters coming before me. All Grim,
nal prosecutions are under the exclusive
direction and control of the District At
tnrney. He can prosecute as he sees b
and the indge cannot control him. Bnt
won have the mower and it is ynur dntv
nntsnply To investigate these matters bnt
to intlict alI against whnm the evidence
will Justify II.