The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-13
PRESENTMENTS
OF the Grand Jury of the City Court OF
Savannah.

SAVANNAH, Aug. Il, 1888.
To the Honorable City Court, SGuannGh,
Ga:
The grand jury of the city court Of Sa-
vannah for the present term respectfully
submit the following presentments:
We have by committees carefully ex-
amined the offices, books and papers of the
clerk and sheriff of this court. also the con-
vict camps. 1t has always been a pleasure
to the grand jury to examine the offices,
books and papers OF the clerk of the city
court, and we can but report what has been
stated by other grand juries from year to
| year, that it is a model office, and we do
commend the venerable, but Efficient CLERK
| Hon. P M. Russell, and his corps of assist
| ants for the neatness In which the records OF
this court are written, and the admirable
arrangement of the papers and documents
| Of the court in their keeping
| We find the books and papers Of City
Sheriff L. L. Goodwin systematically kept.
| and his office neat and attractive
| We find both convict camps in goad order.
| At Camp Lawton, in charge of Capt. Miller,
the premises are clean and well-poiced,
| quarters comfortable, rations wholesome
| and sufficient. This camp has ninety-one
| men and nine women conviots, and has
| three on the sick list.
| Our attention was called to the fact that
| the artesian well at the camp had ceased TO
| flow, We would recommend that this Inn
| portant matter OF water supply receive i'm
| mediate attention, either in deepening the
| well or a pump be placed uponit- At Camp
| No. 2, Capt. Allen In charge, we found
everything clean and the camp well kept,
| quarters comfortable, rations sufficient aud
| of good quality. This camp contains thir-
| ty-one men and one woman, with three on
| sick list
In the discharge of our duties as grand
/ H. - A.
| as IL has, no doubt, 10 all grand JurieS, of
the amount of trivial cases which are
turned over to the solicitor general by the
| magistrates of Chatham county and
brought before the grand jury, and
on which is found mo bill,' at the same
time we have reason TO believe that many
hagraus violations OF the criminal law are
| quietly pigeon-holed and never brought TO
| the attention of the solicitor general, the
zeal Of the inferior Jurisdiction having been
pacified by the payment of fees for draw
| ing bonds, whereupon offenders are, with
| great laxity, discharged upon so-called pre-
| liminary examinations, az which the prose-
| lack of interest. The root and source of
| this abuse is found In special law for
| Chatham county passed in 1876 see Georgia
| Laws of 1876, page 800. which, so far as we
| are informed, obtains In no other county of
this state, whereby the magistrates are per
I
| up or writing bond and witnessing and
approving the same, in cases where the de-
| PENDANT is bound to appear at court to
answer the charge" In our judg-
ment no person acting In a
! judicial capacity should receive
any profit directly or indirectly arising out
| of the matters upon which he is called upon
to pass. The prospect of obtaining fees for
drawing bond to appear at examination
| and for trial at court ia the cause of the
| many frivolous and vexatious arrests made
in Chatham county. This revenue Is re-
garded as the peculiar right aud perquisite
| OF the office The interference OF attorneys
to draw such bonds is regarded by some as
akin to robbery. When this tax is sub
mitted to oil difficulties are removed, straw
| bonds are accepted, the payment of such
fees is an opiate to the case. How can
magistrates fail to be influenced in their
conduct by this lawa To the corrupt IL Is
an opportunity; to the honest magistrate it
| is a constant temptation. To save both
and improve the public service the la W
| should be abolished, and we would call the
attention of our legislators to its iniquity.
| We would recommend that 1t be made by
law malpractice in off1ce for any mag
| istrate to receive fees for drawing
| bonds to appear at examination to
| be held by himself, or in cases where he
| has issued the warrant or binds over the de-
PENDANT to appear at court.
We return our thanks to his honor Judge
| A II. MacDonell for bis able, clear and com
prehensive charge, as it has enabled US to
discharge our duty as grand Jurors with
full knowledge of che law.
! To Solicitor General w. W. Fraser we
| are indebted for advice aud counsel in cases
where we wee in doubt. We find him a
most efficie,t officer In discharging the try
ing Office he fills, ever ready to suppress
| crime ar1 maintain the dignity of the law
DURING the term he has filed the importans
Office OF solicitor general he has shown
ma Sed ability in the discharge OF his duties,
asd the citizens of the county are indebted
o his able management in the suppression
OF crime and bringing to justice the viola
tors Of the law. This grand jury appreci-
ATE the earnest efforts of our present solicitor
general, W. W. Fraser; we believe the best
interest Of the circuit aud city will be con-
served by his reelection, and we cordially
recommend him to the next general assem-
bly, as our choice Of solicitor general for this
circuit.
We recommend that his honor Judge A.
II. MacDouell have these presentments pub
lished in the MORNING NEWS and Eveninq
Press. Respectfully submitted,
THOMAS A. AsKEw, Foreman.
ALoNEo NJ. WEST.
MARQUIS l.. EXLEY.
SIMON HKXTER.
WILLIAM z. HARDEE.
THOMAS DANIELS.
WILLIAM n. NICHOLS
W. f. GUERARD.
WILLIAM EsTILL.
JOHN +. CRoHAN.
MARTIN COOLEY.
ISAAC EPSTEIN.
WALTER S. KING.
d. l. MAClNTYRE.
WILLIAM z. BAILEY.
G. p. MILLER.
J. b. BARTHELMEss.
EDWARD J. KENNEDY.
10. G. THOMPSON.
Ordered that these presentments be pub
lished as recommended.
a. II. Macdonald,
Attg. II. 1892. JUDGE