The Opelousas courier., 1893-09-23
GENERAL REPORT OF GRAND
JURY,

~
To the Hon. the Judge of the 18th Judicial Dis
trlct, holding session at Opelousas:
The Grand Jurors respectfully report that
they find an increase of crime Snd laWlessness
in 4 I th his parish 81 mo Rot " it IS sn6n E. the if e Wa haT of
examined Ill cases, found Is Indictments, ana
ignored 46 bills. There remains At cases which
we have found it impossible to examine, and
which go over to the next ensuing grand jury,
EXCEPT as to those in which the District AttOr-
ney may file bills of information.
While the increase of the crime of larceny
may be to some extent accounted Tor by, the
.stringency of the times and the low price of our
staple agricultural products, yet we are OF the
opinion that the root OF the evil is in our lmper-
feet judicial system, and especially our faulty
jury system, to which attention has been called
in a special report, i'll which We have given our
opinion of the needed measures of reform. The
certainty and speediness of punishment follow
ing the commission Of crime, is what makes
any system of criminal law effective and until
our criminal law is radically reformed we need
expect no reformation of the existing state OF
lawlessness.
We find the public roads and bridges in good
order, the good condition of the former being
due to the dry summer and fall. We approve
Of the action of the Police Jury in repeating the
ordinance appointing its members road com
missioners, as it involved a useless additional
expense to the parish. We think, however, that
the salary attached to the office should have
been at once stopped when the repeating ordi-
nance was adopted. What it is well to do,
'twere well to do quickly it seems should be
the rule of conduct wherever a useless burden
is to be taken off the people. We think the old
system of working the public roads the best, all
things considered. 1t has stood the test of the
courts, and all that is needed to make it effect
i've is to rigidly enforce it.
We find the court building in good condition
with the exception of the Clerks Office which
needs some repairs to the ceiling. Our atten-
ton was called to the fact that there were not
sufficient boxes for the court records; and com
plant has been made that the system of folding
fhp records in tha tin boxes where thew are kPn1
is well calculated to injure and deface Them
These records have to be frequently handled
and should be so kept as to expose them to as
little wear and tare as possible, The fault Ii
not that of the employees of the Clerks office
but is due to the fact that the boxes and me
chanical cOntrivance for holding the records il
place are wholly unsuited to numbers of sue
| cession records and suits which are entirely
I too bulky to be compressed within the limited
| space allowed for them. AS the preservation
of these records is OF great Importance to the
public, we that the attention of thu
Police Jury be called to the importance of tax
ing proper steps in the premises.
We have examined the Jail and find it as wei
kept and in as good condition and the prisoners
as well cared for as it is possible to do, consid
ering its ov~ercrOwded condition. AS has oftel
been done by our predecessors, we feel bounC
to call the Police Jury's attention again to The
necessity of an enclosure around the jail. 1t il
situated in the court yard with nothing to pre-
vent free communication day and night be
tween the prisoners and persons outside. Wits
| NY Cuil no SdStly udutCI III 10 GlG pIISOIltES IL
unlimited quantities: and it is done, the sheriff
| and jailor having no power to prevent it, as thu
windows must be left open to give the prisoners
air. The consequence is that the prisoners ge
under the influence of liquor and make bolster
GUS noises so as to disturb the peace of the sur
rounding inhabitants, of which many com
paints have been made to us.
1t is also easy for outsiders to hand in pOisons
weapons, crowbars, etc, to the prisoner,
through the grating of the windows, and tn,
jailor is powerless to prevent it, though helt
responsible for the safe-keeping of the prisoners
In ORDER, therefore, to insure the safe-keepins
of the PRISONERS {; in order to preserve prOpe
discipline among the prisoners and abate TIL
great nuisance complained of by those who re
side near the jail and in order that the prison
erS may themselves have occasional relief from
their cramped and confined condition, in TIN
jail, which We think indispensable to thel
health, we urgently call this matter again t.
the attention of the Police Jury. We are o
opinion that a wall of brick should he built
with a strong iron gate thereto.
We also urgently call attention to the lack o
conyeniences for washing out the Jail room
and furnishing the prisoners with an abundan
supply Of clean, fresh water within their rooms
In order to supply this want we
that an elevated tank be constructed with force
pump attached, and connected with the well
| With such an arrangement the jail and prison
ers could be easily Kept clean, q condition in
dispensable to health and dictated by every con
| sideratlon of humanity and decency.
We also recommend that a coal box be sup
piled to the Jail, as much waste occurs for lacl
of q box to keep it in.
In conclusion we desire to acknowledge TIN
receipt of many cOurtesies from the Distric
Attorney, Sheriff, his deputies, officials of til,
Clerks office and the Court.
All OF which is respectfully submitted.
E. s. ANDRUS,
Foreman Grand Jury.
Filed September 90, 1898.
H. I. EsTORGE Deputy Cleark.