The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-11-08
AN OLD-FASHIONED OATH
Req uired of Grand Juries at Bur.
lingion Two Centuries Ago.


Special to the Jersey city Ne,ps
BURLINGTON. Nov. z. 1891--The
earliest court OF law for the prov
ince OF West New Jersey, which Western
Division included all the southern coun-
ties OF the State except Ocean. as well as
q goodly portion Of Mercer, Hunterdon
and Warren, convened In this city in
March, 1861. This was established, BY
virtue of certain priyil eyes granted by
the proprietors. a court of most unlim-
tied jurisdiction both civil and criminal,
and which formed one Of the channels
tending toward the common centre
OF Supreme Court, later organized ny
Lord Cornbury Ia 1702 Among the
records Of this colonial tribunal, u
certain entry has been preserved which
may be OF passing interest inasmuch Us q
similar occasion today occupies public at
tention. Mercer county's Grand Jury Is
now in session. a period OF two hundred
and ten years having elapsed since the
first body of it's kind net in Burling-
too. Trenton was then known as
the old records have 1t, I've falls.n aud
was, with Nottingham. the township or
constabulary north OF Crosswicks creek.
under the Jurisdiction Of burlington
Court Thus the Grand Juries which
met for Burlington could find bills and
perform other duties for nearly all Of
Mercer county.
Under the caption darlington, at va
Quarterly Co'rt held We Goth, 18Th Mo;
failing BY reason of We 1st day, 2lst 1885,"
1t is stated that upon the bench were
John Skene, Deputy Governor OF the
Province for BylliDge, Proprietor aud Gov
ernor-whose claims caused such conten-
| tion-together with Justices George
Hutcheson, William Riddle. Thomas
Gardner. James Budd and Richard Guy,
names yet preserved Ia this section.
with probably the exception of Skene
and Guy. both of which families are
quite extinct.
AT this session OF Conrt the "forme
of ye Grand Jury's Attestatio "A" was adj
minstrel. being the first instance Of its
formal recording In the annals OF the
Court. II was as followss-
'You shall diligently enquire, 81 true
p'sent'm't make. of ali such Articles mat
ters q things as shall be given you in
charge, And OF all other matters & things
as shall come to your owne knowledge,
touching this p'sent service. The
Kings Council. your fellow & your owne
you shall Keep secret, you shall
p'sent noe p'son for hatred or malice
| neither shall you have any unp'sented
for favour or Election, for Looe or Game
or any hopes thereof. But in all things
you snail p'sent ye truth. We whole truth
81 nothing but We truth to ye best OF Your
knowledge or otherwise bee accounted &
p'senreu AS p'jured Ia Lawen
In time when the courts of law were
not SO crowded as at present. when the
trials were brief aud the ends OF justice
were secured often without the interview
tion OF attorneys--each man pleading his
own Cause.-The Grand Jury oath seems
quite elaborate. 1t must be remem-
bered, however, that the body In
oldeu days. particularly in West
jersey. had almost unlimited power, even
finding bills againss the justices for not
attending TO the buiIaingNof the Bnriinq-
ton County Sail! Every matter from the
slightest quarrel TO murder or treason
came before the BURLINGTON jury, which
ex plains the seemingly wide scope Of the
above form Of attestation
FRANCIS b. LEE.