The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1894-10-17

The court of general sessions opened last
Monday morning with Judge D. 4. Town.
send presiding. Solicitor Wilson being
unable 10 attend to his duties, L. 0. Purdy.
ESQ.,, acted as solicitor. AS soon as the
court was organized, His Honor charged
the grand jury:
Among other things the Judge said
There is general impression, that the
principal duty of the grand jury, IS TO pass
upon the bills given to the II by the So!lltor,
and 20 find true bills" or mo bills. This
is mistake. Bills must be considered by
the grand jury it is true, for the State law
requires it, but these bills originate in the
violation of private rights, and the lndlvld-
ual whose rights are violated. will be sure
to ring such violations to the attention OF
the court and justice done. The grand
jury pass upon bills simply because the law
requires it. There are other duties for
First, you are to pass upon the bills OF in.
dictment; second. you are to examine into
the condition Of the county officers; and
the third, will mention to You further on.
Now as to the examination Of the county
Offices, suppose ask each one of you in
dividually, how much funds 50 in the hands
Of the county treasurer, subject to the checks
Of the county commissioners. Could you
tell me? You took an oath to know how
this matter stands, can you now answer
that all such matters are correct, that all
checks have been properly drawn; and
properly paid, and that:you..k know 1t to be
so9 If called on to give an account OF your
stewardship OF oath, as any one Of you may
at any time be, what will your answer be!
Can you respond that it is all well? Have
you examined fully into the affairs of the
school commissioners Office? Were all
claims properly paid? and has that officer
done his duty. 1t is your duty under oath
to know, you swore that ycu would see that
all such matters were carried on properly:
to say under your oath, each one for him.
self, that he knows Of his own knowledge,
that all such matters have been properly
attended to? If not, you have not done
what you were bound by your oaths to do,
and it behooves you to look well to this.
Have you examined the jail! Do you
know that those confined there, are Iot suf.
| ferirg? Every one is presumed to be inno
cent, until be IS proven to be guilty, and II
is the duty of the grand jury to see that per.
sons confined in Jail awaiting trial, are no,
undergoing punishment.
The third division Of your duties requires
true msnliness and a determination to de-
your duty regardless of consequences. You
come from all parts Of the county, and it is
reasonably sure that every yiolstion of the
law is known to some one Of you, and 1t il
your duty under your osths to make known
to your panel every violation Of law oi
which either of you have any knowledge
The violation of private rights that give
rise to the bills which the solicitor will give
you. No one feels called upon to ferret
out and report such violations as effect the
public, notwithstanding the great ilnpor.
lance of Furnishing such violations. 1t is
for that very purpose that the grand jury is
empanelled. That is probably the most
important of your duties. Certainly it is
one that requires manliness and frmness.
You are the grand inquest Of the county
and are expected to see that county affairs
are properly conducted. Your term is
about to close. The people Of Clarendon
county expect every man on that panel to
do his duty, and as your term is about to
close it is important that you should see
that all is well with your county before you
finish your solemn trust.
The following bills were acted upon:
The State VS.. Jim Stukes and Morgan
Connors, arson, no bill.
The State vs.. David Manning, assault
with intent to ravish, true bill.
The State VS.. Alic Fraser, burglary, true
bill.
The State VS.. Robert James and Graham
Dennis. larceny Of live stock, true bill.
The State VS. Cyrus Holiday, diSposine
of crop under lien, true bill.
The solicitor obtained bench warrants
for S. NJ NeIsen and B. B. Clark, impor
tant witnesses in the case Of Alic Fraser
charged with burglary and larceny.
The first case tried was James and Den
mis-, two white men, charged with stealing
bull from Mr.. s. P Oliver. They were
convicted.
David Manning was acquitted. Alit
Fraser was also acquitted.