The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1894-09-22
z OF GRAND JURY.
To the Hon. L. P. CaillOuet, Judge
of the 18th Judicial District Of the
Parish of Lafourche.

Your Grand Jury for this September
term, 1894 present the following find
ings, and this their final report. and
ask to be discharged till required for
further service before the Court. We
attach to this report IA full AMI de-
tailed account of the finances OF the
Parish, which speaks for itself, and ON
examination, we must say that Mr.. A.
j. Braud, Parish Treasurer. has shown
that tie selection made of b III, Is not
only il proper ont, but he is deserving
OF the thanks of the Parish for the
manner that he has kept his books.
The showing that he has herein made,
in all, to the satisfaction of this Grand
Jury and TO the taxpayers OF this
Parish. The parish is solvent, has no
debts against it, and has sufficient
money in the treasury to more than
meet the requirements for the balance
of this year. We examined the Jail
and found the prisoners we'll treated,
but, would suggest To the Police jury
that the wooden dOUIs inside of the
Jai, be replaced by IRON rod doors, or
any kind of doors that would be safer,
stronger and cooler in the warm days
of summer S0meti mes e are con-
fined in the Jail who. if innocent,
should not be unnecessarily punished.
The Parish is abundantiv able to fur
nish the Sheriff's, Clerks aud Recor-
der's offices with more suitable furnl-
lures. There should be racks and
pigeon holes at least supplied to The
Clerks and Recorders office to taclli-
tate the keeping of records, and cocoa
mating would not be expensive for
the floors. but of great convenience to
the officers in performing their duties.
The Grand Jury room where our la
bors are performed, is often without
sufficient chairs, no racks to hang our
hats or clothes, and such other neces-
sary things that should be furnished
to citizens who are performing pablo
duties, that the stairs should also have
carpets, also the hall. Some time ago
some planters in the parish above us
threw his reIuse sugar-house stuff and
washings into the Bayou Lafourche.
The current brought this into our Par
ish, by which time many of the fish
we've made sick OF died, and the Bay
OF water became unfit for drinking
purposes and might have caused dis
ease. We recommend the Legislature
to take this matter seriously in hand
and pass such laws, 10 that %refinerles
are becoming common, as will meet
the requirements of this injury to the
public. We have heard of serious
complaints of parts of the public roads
in the Parish. We call on the Police
Jury to see that their Inspectors or
road syndics give notice to the pro-
prietOrs to make their roads conforma-
BILE to law, and when they fail to do so,
that the Road Inspectors make the
roads themselves, and when they fail
to do SO, the Police Jury should dis
miss these road inspectors, and place
Gel there who will do their duty.
There is nothing more conducive to
the prosperity of a parish than good
roads !; these we are entitled to aud
should have. We have had quite a
number of witnesses brought before US
to see if the m so prevalent in this
community about the bad treatment
Of convicts, had any serious founda-
tior. This Grand Jury. though lean
ing on the side of humaneness can on
ly find Il strict discipline and punish
ment on the part of the officers of the
convict camp to enforce proper order
and work to be performed by the con-
victs We have found that sometimes
they have been strapped or whipped
but without this we telieve the officers
of the camp would have been power
les to perform the duties imposed
upon them. AS long as the present
system remains of the leasing of con-
vlcts, ro doubt the strictest discipline
must be allowed to keep these unfor-
tunate people within the bounds Of
tie law which they have violated, and
to Interfere with this wholesome dlsci-
pine it would be better t, go back to
the old system and keep the convicts
III the penltentlary at hard labor as
the law contemplates.
We would suggest to the Police Ju-
~ to make some arrangements with
the Police Jury of Terrebonne to have
the Parish line agreed upon, snrveyed
fixed and stakcd. The District Attor.
ney lnf'rms us that tie Oyster Iuspec.
tor of this Parish has had the Oyster
Inspector Of Terrebonne arrested for
exercising authority over his line, and
the Oyster Inspector of Terrebonne
has had arrested the Oyster Inspector
OF Lafourche for exercising authority
within his lines. OF course. in cases
of this kind, the Juries of each Parish
III view of the present developments
under the oyster law will have a great
Weakness for his Parish Inspector.