Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-09-12
THE BIG TWELVE.
The Grand Jury Impaneled al
Charged by Judge Beckham.
The Subject of Trusts DweIt 0n-Gambling and
and DisOrderly Houses-FOrt
WOFth's Plague Spot

Judge Beckham opened the Septehbsf
term of district court yesterday mornfzSs
The term will expire by Limitation on
January l.
The judge qsased the non-jury dteAssss
and severaf orders were entered by a
number Of the lawyers pTesent.H.t
In the afternoon fhe grapd jury eR4n-
posed of the following citizens OF Tarrapt
county was impaneled: T. II. Roe, Z6b
Jenkins. C. NJ. CraneJ William Thomas,
L. A. Trimble, J. A. Thornton. n. c.:
Stoweh, N Harding, j NJ. Benbrook +,
r.. B Merrill, j. b. Lfttleiohn and j.
T. Nichols.
Judge Beckham delivered his charge
at some length. He charged on murder
and nanslaughter and the criminal
statues generally.
He dWelt with emphasis upon the i'm
portance of suppressing gambling and
closing gambling houses, not alone the
establishment which finds its existence in
some obscure quarter of the city, but as
well those places where wealth and
affluenee were evidenced by palatial
magniticence and luxurious surroundings.
These it were that were enticing away
from parental restraint and the whole
some influences of home the young men
of the country.
Judge Beckham especially called the
attention of the grand jury to chapter 80
of the laws of the last legislature
amending the penal code and
more fully defining a "disorderly
house. - He stated there was a
popular impression that "'disorderly
house, was one alone where there oc-
Cured some unusual disturbance or dem
onstratiOn. This was a mistake. He eX-
planned fully what constituted tkis offense
and read from the statute giving the
penalty for keeping or knowingly per-
hitting such houses to be kept as well as
penalty for the owner, lessee, etc, of
theaters, etc, where liquors are sold
employing leWd women etc. which is a
fine of 5000 for each day such offenssc
was committed, the concluding articls6f
this chapter enjoining extraordinary Oil
igence on sheriffs, judges etc. The Judge
was in evident earnest upon this subjecs8
He stated that it was not q surprising
fact that a city so populous as Fort
Worth, and one that had grown with
such marvellous rapidly, should at some
time and somewhere have upon it a
plague spot. No attempt was made to
disguise this. The press and people now
demanded its removal. and the remedy
was now presented to the hands of the
sworn officers of the law in
the form of the statute he had
just read, which if properly
enforced would at least largely suppress,
if not altogether wipe out of existence,
that portion of the city which had for
some time been as a nightmare over the
people. The jury were also instructed TO
look closely into the conduct of those to
whom had been intrusted the dearest in
terest of the people, all public officials,
and to let no man escape be-
oauseef of high social or financial
standing. The conduct of all should
pass through the crucible of an enIight-
ened criticism and all from the highest
tQthe lowest be held to a strict account
aSility before the law. 1t was often the
Ease that the poor wretch after a night IS
.aebauch, was hurried before the
magistrate and fined, when those
whose influence was regarded as i'm
portanksabout the time of election were
passed unobserved in the violation of
law. 1t must have been evident to those
present that upon all these things the
judge was deeply in earnest. His ami
mated face yet tempered with benignity,
his city, and that in so far as he was
concerned he was determined to admin
lister the law as he found it upon the
statute books of the state.
Many other questions of moment were
elaborated and explained, among them
that of "trust'' which the Judge be-
lieyed had reference alone to the pur-
chase or sale of articles of commerce,
and that he should so charge 1t had
come to pretty pass, he said, when a
man could not buy pound Of Ice with
out paying the price fixed by an ice COM
bine or trust.
Judge Beckham said he differed with
Attorney General Hogg i'll regard to con-
struction of the trust law; he did not be-
lieve it applied to insurance companies.
The grand jury organized by electing
T. H Roe foreman and will begin work
to-day in earnest.