The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-14
THEY MUST. BE ooNFoRMED TO.
The Blue Law Theory VIII Not Excuse
Violators of the Sabbath Laws.


Violators of the Sabbath Laws.
The trial and conviction Of T. Sampson
yesterday, on a charge of doing business
on Sunday. March -, 1925, brought out
some very forcible views on the subject Of
the Sunday laws from the court.
Sampson was defended by w. NJ. Hay
wood, Esq In his defense. as is custom
airy, the attorney referred to the old blue
laws as a relic of the past. He said these
laws were not sustained by public senti-
ment, and that they should be wiped from
the statute books and the control of the
day left to the communities themselves.
MIR. Haywood started to argue on the
idea that Savannah had shown itself op-
posed to the manner in which Jhsee laws
are enforced by the city administration,
when he was asked by the court 10 elimi-
nate political discussion from his argu-
ment and confine himself to the question
at issue.
JUDGE MAcDoNELL's CHARGE.
Judge MacDonell delivered a forcible
charge to the jury in which he urged that
the law was not oppressive nor destruc-
tive of any individuals rights The law,
he said, prohibited the pursuit of Ordi-
nary business on the Sabbath and only
excepted such matters as were necessary
or charitable in their nature. The law,
he said, commended itself to the
wisdom Of the people, and so far
as he knew, no one had ever under
taken to repeal 1t. While people
differ in their own individual views, he
said, it was sufficient for the jury that it
was one of the laws of the state and it
was their duty to enforce it where viola
ion hg Ion
as an officer Of the law. and added that
outside of that consideration it was, in
his Judgment, a law of inesumable benefit
TO all the people who had to work for
their living.
A PROTECTION TO EMPLOYEES.
The great majority of employees, he
said, could i'll afford to resist these en-
croachments on their day of rest and rec
reation. and if there were no law to
prevent it employers might in their greed
for gain compel their employees to
Thus, he said, it protected the
workingman, and while, of course,
it was no function of the court to enforce
any rule of religion purely as such, the
fact that this law was believed by a ma
iority of the good citizens of the state to
have been handed as one of the laws Of
God in the ten commandments in nowise
detracted from it. The jury returned a
verdict of guilty, and Sampson was fined
500 or sentenced TO spend four months in
all. Notice of motion for new trial
was given.
NOT GUILTY OF KILLING DEER.
William j. Potter was found not guilty
of illegal hunting on the plantation of
Mr.. Gugie Bourquin, with which offense
ne was charged by Mr. Bourquin. Mr..
Potter was defended by MIR. George w.
Owens. 1t seems that Jan % he killed
two deer on Mr.. Bourquins place. Under
the new law this was during the close
season, but according to that law it is not
operative against the offender unless it is
proven by the state that the offender
had knowledge of its passage and
provisions. AS a rule ignorance of the law
does not excuse an offender, but in this
case it is provided differently by the law
itself and the defense was that Mr., Pot
ter did not know of the existence Of such
law, it having been passed Dec 20 1893.
The judge charged that if the jury be-
lieved MIR. Potter did not know of the
existence of this law, he was to be acquit-
ted, and the jury evidently thought this
was the case, as it returned in about three
minutes with verdict of not guilty.
This trial. however has brought this
law to the attention of the public, namely,
that the close season for deer is between
Jan. / and Oct. /, and in future violaters
may not find it easy to escape it on a plea
of ignorance.
John Brown was found guilty of the
| larceny of fourteen pounds of meat and six
! pounds sausages made of fresh pork
! from the cOld-stOrage room. of Hugh Lo-
| gan, and was sentenced to pay a fine of
| S25 and costs, or serve four months on the
! Changing.