Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-03-13
City Court.

drattan presiding, commenced on bno 'In IL
slant.
The Grand jury were in session two days
disposing of much business brought beioi'
that body for consideration.
Before concluding their labors. the jury PR
sented the following report to the Court rec
omm ending reformatory measures for tn
suppression of evils offensive to the good orde
of the city.
Judge Grattan remarked that he approved o
the industry aud judgment of the Grand jur,
and commended their proceed ngs, and that y
this or next term OF the Court he would issn
she orders within his discretion as provided 70
under the law.
1t is more than probable that the City Coun
Gil will find 1t necessary to adopt ordinances t.
carry into effect. through the Mayor and Polics
Of the City, the execution OF the orders o
Court, and for that purpose some time may b
required to give force to the recommendation
of the Grand Jury in which Judge Grattar
coucurs.
REPORT OF THE GRAND JURY.
To the Honorable Charles Grattan. Judge of The
H,tntings Court Of the City Of Staunton:-
The Grand Jurors now attending your hon
ora BILE Court respectfully submit the followin,
report
FTrst-We unanimously and most earnestl,
,ecommend that your honor. without delay
lied by section 1897 OF the Code OF 1857.
We think this city is to be congratulated OIL
the small mum Der OF felonies of serious CHAR
acter committed within its limits; but Will
escape this great evil, we are likely to bt
ov rwbelmed by the prevalence of those lesser
Offences known as misdemeanors. The mum
Der OF these lat er which are oaily COMMITTEE
in our midst is appalling, and is g reproach u
me good name as well as the material welfsr.
Il the city. Tne only punishment heret3iort
aleted out to these pests of society has beer
dne and imprisonment. These punishmentA.
experience has shown, have no terrors to thes.
offenders and are an utter failure in checkins
their crimes. The jail is kept full of sucn pei
ty offenders all OF the time; day after day are
hey convicted and Imprisoned, and yet the
offences go on 1ncreas ng. To large number OF
these criminals tue jail Is really desirable
r at any rate, by no means undesirable
place of abode, especially during the cold
weather. and this Is without excuse or pala
ton when we consider the ample arrange
ments of the city for the care of It's poor and
really needy IL is astounding to know tina
within the past twelve months there were 30s
convictions of misdemeanors in this city The
dread That these offenders have Of imprisop-
ment q jail may be judged Of from the fact
that in the past twelve months several of then
have been convicted and confined In the city
jail no less t an from 30 times Petty larce-
nios consequently, occur on an average Ofnot
less than once or twice q day, in the city, to
the great nuisance of the good citizens thereof.
Chain gangs were provided by law, we think
10 meet Jusb SUCH b sbdL6 III dAdils DIS Nc art
aow confronted with. Other and ordinary
remedies have failed. Our cityts thoroughly
infested with this plague, The undoubtsd
means of effscting It's cure is provided US, and
1t behooves us to adopt 1t at once. We can
40 valid objection to the establishment of a
chain gang. We think it would. without fail,
put stop to large amount of crime, and
would save the city great expense, and in
many ways prove an inestimabie benefit tn
the community. We, therefore, again! renew
our recommendation, aud urge the import
ance OF establishing a cuain .ang for this city
as soon as possible.
Second.-We recommend that the authorities
of the city execute fully aud vigiiantiy the
la WIS against Migrants as laid down In sections
SS4 and SS5 and seq, OF the code of 1887.
Idieness. as is well known, is one of the most
prolific sources OF vice. Most, II not ALL OF the
offenders referred to in the frat section of this
report, are persons VINO have no occupation
and no visible means of support. They are
must have victuals aud clothes, aud. as they
will not work for them, they steal or beg them
When reproached with their wO thlessness.
these creatures love to pose as laboring men
out of work. No one sympatnizes more thai.
we with the laborer when. by sickness o
want OF impoy ment, he is compelled to be
idle and suffer the wants SO FREQ uentiy attend
ant thereon. but 1t is insult 10 tn esq wo thy
and unfortunate citizens to con found them
with the wretches VINO come within Toe terms
OF the vagraut act and with whom our city
teens. The interests of all good citizens re
quire that these drones should be compelled
to earn an honest living or else be put out OF
the hives. We fear that our officers have been
from enforcing the vagraut act by
an over cautiousness. lest they bring the
heavy hand of the law to bear on some deSerV
ing unfOrtunate; but We think this cautious
ness, though most commemorate on all occa-
sions. has, in this particular, been carried too
far. It can not be denied that our commuaity
Is infested with persons who are Migrants par
excellence. There is plain law for their ap-
prehension and punishment; 1t should, there
fore be vigorously enforced, and the city
would be rid OF great pest and common nui-
sance.
Third,-We recommend that the police reg
ulaiions of the city be more fully executed Ia
regard TO the appearance on the public streets
OF persons while Intoxicated, The pumber of
persons permitted to promenade the streets
and walks of the city while SO intoxicated as TO
reel about, use profane and indecent language.
and. at times. vomiting and behaving otner-
wise oisgustingly, is a reproach to th9 city.
There can be no excuse for this THE streets
and walks of tho city are for the use of the pub
lie. They are frequented by women and chill
dreu as well men, aud nothing should be
permitted thereon to render them either dan
gerous or otherwise unfit for any person to
pass along We thin That any person In the
con dition described should not be allowed on
the streets and the police should be required
TO remove them theretrom promptly. AMI not
walt Till they commit an assault, or other
breach o. the peace before arrestiug them.
Fourth I'm this connection we deem 1t our
duty to call attention to one of the most cry-
ing evils of this city-the constant aud bold
on our streets of women OF 10 iSe
cqar.cter. The existence in society of these
is Il great evil the practical rem
edy for which, nre aware 1T Is very diff
ficuIt to entorce. Bnt wn-ther we eau com
pisteiy suppress the flow of foul waters or not,
we can at least keep them within their proper
and not suffer our streets TO be
turned into sewers. The regulation of these
matters we believe to be properly in the prov
luce of the city ordinances aud police. II the
present ordinances are sufficient TO reach this
evil we recommend that they be r1gldly en-
forced; if they are insufficient. we recommend
that the council enact such ordinances as will
put an end to this public scandal and disgrace.
trvhN uunn an n n
bad character should be allowed to lounge
about the streets or stand on corners or in door
and alley ways and about the depots and
other public resorts, and we are sure that If
the mayor and police vera armed with the
amp @ authority 10 cases of this klGd that they
have in sorne of the larger cities. and would
exercise them, the evil would he
almost. il not entirely. remediet. We and
numerous preceding grand juries have used
our utmost powers to get at offences Of this
sort. but without effect. The loug periods
elapsing between the meetings of grand
juries-the cumbersome machinery of the
court-the great expense to the pubic attend
ing jury trials, and other causes. combine to
render our efforts in this behalf futile. The
law authorizes the municipal officers to regu-
late and punish this class of offences, and we
are decidedly of opinion that it is in the police
court alone that they can be dealt with effec-
lively.
as a censure of the municipal officers because
he cases herein referred to have been, here
tofore. uniformly left to the gland juries to at
tend to, and The officers n ave only been fol-
lowing an old aud established custom; but We
f. nd that this practice has proven very In
eff5ctual means of check ing vice of the char
acter here described. and has moreover en-
tailed great public expense. We have in this
report endeavored to suggest other means OF
accomplishing the ends desired than those
heretoft IRE adopted, and which. we believe, If
carried out, Will prcve 9u effectual remedy OF
the evils complained OF,
All OF which Is resp pee fully submitted.
W. L olivier, Fol eman.
Julius J.Prufer,