The Pascagoula democrat-star., 1895-12-06
ANY GOOD IN A GRAND JURY!

In July last while sitting in my
Office at New Venice, making haste
to settle with troublesome employc,
| was assaulted by him with a loaded
pistol, the weapon being snapped at
my breast, and that without cause or
provocation upon my part. The
would-be assassin and murderer
would have accomplished his diabOl-
ical purpose and have carried out his
declared purpose, after having been
urged to it by his friends like himself,
of going over there to kill the son of
IA b-h," had l not been man of cour-
age and strength sufficient to grapple
WITH overcome and disarm him. |
had him arrested and tried before a
Justice in legal form. Two reliable
witnesses besides my own testimony
declared him guilty of an attempt at
FOUL unprovoked, c0wardly assault,
Of premeditated murder; and that of
Il man who had been providing him
with remunerative employment, and
paying him promptly whenever he de-
mandcd money.
The testimony of the lower court,
in all its details was, in evidence,
furnished the grand jury, and other
unQucsti0nable evidence against the
prisoner, and other witnesses to be
had if more could have been desired
With this sufficient evidence no in
dictment was found, and the criminal,
the would-bc murderer, the yolator
of law in carrying concealed weapons,
was, so he states, told to 20 home
your offense was nothing; you only
had slight difference with man
whom we have heard some one say
was quick tempercd-a man whose
testimony don't amount to much he
is not in good standing he is under Il
cloud, and you need fear nothing from
him." etc.
Honorable men in high Office
BrutuS was honorable, more honora-
bic than some of the wirepullers in
our halls of justice, even if he did
stab his superior from behind. Be
ware. you may find your Anthony be-
fore your race is run. Spain, in the
darker ages, had her inquisition for
the purpose of furnishing the innocent
and freeing the equity, silcncing truth,
and ruling the world with the triumph
Of falsehood. America and jackson
county has their modern forms of that
dread institution; and | would ask
the question, is not our grand jurics,
in part, can be Subseryient
to the ring-rulers in and about
our temple of justice in this catego-
ry? | do not include all, but | have
good grounds for denouncing some
whose wrong doings are apparent to
many lovers of justice-honest men,
men of worth, and in al respects our
best citizens. | speak in their inter
est as well as for myself. speak for
the general good, when demand JUS
tice for myself. ! advocate the rights
of men of solid worth. Of moral char
acter. who are not afraid of invcstiga.
tion; men who for years have lead
in the van of the progressive host ;
men who have had the advancement
and best interests of our good South
crn country at heart
Why should it make a difference
from what section or country we come,
SO long as we are all that onr judges in
the light of truth could desire, and
only ignorance, superstition and
vice dsdains. Are those men, who
for a quarter of a century, lead in re-
form movements, advanced every in
terest of his ncighbor and fellow-citi-
zen gives employment to hundreds of
needy labOrers, built homes for the
homeless, cared for their fellOw-man
in poverty and sickness, sometimes at
the risk of their own lives gives of
their substance to educate the ignO-
rant and erect temples of worship,
where their children and they, and the
stranger might worship God, not ell
titled to some consideration Of right
and protection from gross rings, foul,
false slanders and plots to murder.
The fair-minded citizen views with
regret the foul stain upon the charac-
ter of some who swore to search dill
gently for crime and wrong-doing and
AID in bringing the guilty to justice.
| Who was it? we may never for a GER
tainty know. but can surmise, for
such, and to such, will say, you are a
perjured man, and ages cannot place
you Alright in the sight of God or man,
and unrepented will seal your awful
doom for eternity. G. II. IRVING.
Scranton. Miss, Dec. 2, 1885,.