The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-02-19
TWENTY-FIVE AND COSTS,
EIGHT SUNDAY vIOLATORs PLEAD
GUILTY AND ARE FINED.

Forty Oae Demand Jury Trials and
Four Fail to Appser-Bench War
rants Issued for the Delinquents.
The Fines and Costs Foot Up $40 so
Apiece-JudRe MacDonelPs Warming.
The hearing Of the case against the state
Sunday law violators attracted big crowd
or spectators to the city court room yester-
day morning. Forty>nine Of the indicted
fruit dealers, green grocers and others an
swered to their names, and four were alb
sent.
When the arrangement was made forty
one demanded jury trials aud their cases
were postponed until next week. Emile
Fauna Fageas, Robert Gamer, NJ. J. Muir
ply, Sarah Brssell. William Taylor, G. A.
Thanasuhus, Moses Wright and Samuel
Walker pleaded guilty to the charge against
them, offering, in excuse, ignorance Of the
fact that any law existed against carrying
on business. It never had been enforced in
their time, they said, and therefore they
had no reason to believe there was such a
law.
| Judge MacDonell replied that ignorance
| OF law is no excuse for crime. The law
| against carrying on business on the Sab
bath has been upon the statute books OF
| Georgia for 40 years. and it is obligatory
! upon everybody living in the state. The
| plea OF ignorance, Judge MaoDonell said,
| was not sufficient excuse to escape the pen
atty prescribed for violating the Sabbath,
but in view Of the fact that it Is the first
time the law has been enforced he would
be more lenient than would be otherwise
the case. The judge then sentenced those
who had pleaded guilty to pay fine Of s25
and costs or serve one month in jail, supple
| mented with the warming that If thew
should again be brought before him for
similar ofenses the penalty would be con-
siderably more Sc we're.
The costs in each case amount to $21 So
which brings the total up to $40 80.
Judge MacDonell issued bench warrants
for the arrest of the indicted parties who
| failed to answer TO their names. They will
be held until their trial
The spectators were as much surprised at
the sentences as the people upon whom thew
were imposed. On account of the cases
being almost the first prosecuted here under
the law many people thought the vloIators
would get of with trivial fines as warn
ing.
Those violators who are convicted by iu-
ries need expect little consideration In view
| OF the punishment inflicted by Judge Mac
Donell upon those who pleaded guilty.
| Judge MacDonell said after the adjourn
| ment of court that he is highly pleased at
the efforts of Mayor MoDonough TO compel
a proper observance of the Sabbath.
Evidence is still being taken ia the Ep-
stein q Wannbacher case, and the end is
still far off. The arguments will, no doubt,
consume q couple Of days, but when they
will commence can hardly be predicted
from the present status of the long winded
case.
Judge Falligant yesterday appointed
james NJ. Palen commercial notary
public
Joe Simmons, convicted night before last
in the superior court for shooting Walter
Bunyard on New Years day, was yesterday
| sentenced by Judge Faligant to pay a fine
| of $3.50 or serve twelve months on the chain
gang.