The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1896-10-21
Is months in the penitentiary.

b. hlng to give bond, who was ar
rested upon bench warrant, under
a presentment of the grand jury upon
a charge of adultery.
The case of William Prince alias
William Cooper, charged with as
sault and battery with intent to kill.
The defendant was absent and he
was tried in bis absence. The july
brought in a verdict of guilty and
His Honor fled sealed sentence.
The grand jury in the afternoon
session made the following as their
final presentment:
TIE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA,
County OF CLARENDON.
To His Honor, W. c. Benet, Presid-
ing Judge, October Term 1896.
The Grand Jury empanelled TO,
the present year, beg leave to make
this their final presentment:-
First of all, we wish to thank your
Honor for the able, clear and ex-
plicit charge which you gave US at
the beginning of this term of the court,
as it has given US better insight
into our duties, and enabled US to
conclude our work more sstisfac-
torily. We have acted upon all bills
handed us by the solicitor, and made
returns of same.
At the June term Of court we ap-
pointed committee of three from
our body, consisting of the Foreman
and Messrs. H. c. Carrigan and J. NJ.
Strange to investigate the county
officers, and recommended that q
competent person, Mr.. J. II. Lesesne,
be employed to assist this committee.
During the summer this COMMITTEES,
with said expert assistance, performed
their work. They spent several days
Investigating the various county
Offices, and found them all in fairly
good condition. We believe that our
county officers are endeavoring to
perform their duties faithfully, with
the exceptions that we will hereafter
note, in which some OF them might
be open to the charge of being a lit
tie neglectful. We also made investi-
cation Of the bonds of the county
officers. At the first term of the court
for this yeas the foreman, with one
or two members OF the jury, made a
hasty examination Of the officers
bonds and asked that all the county
officers bonds be shown, and re-
ported them as good, but in this ex-
animation the bond of the Probate
Judge was overlooked, and when our
committee went fully into an exami-
nation during the summer we found
that Louis Appelt, Probate Judge,
had failed to give any bond at all.
His attention was called to this mat
ter and he has since executed 6 bond,
which we pronounce good and
sufficient. AS to the bonds of the
sheriff and county supervisor, while
they may be about as strong as the
average bonds that are given for
their respective amounts, yet if put
to the test they would fail to come
up to the full requirements of the
law, after deducting all liabilities and
exemptions of the sureties thereon,
and as committee from the board of
county commissioners have recon-
mended that these two particular
bonds be strengthened, We also en-
dorse their recommendation.
We were pleased to note that your
Honor was so clear in explaining to
US our duty in having officers brought
before us snd knowing why our rec
concentrations were not carried out.
Certain recommendations have been
made by grand jury after grand jury
and were unheeded and we had about
come to the conclusion that there was
something radically wrong some
whore. For instance: Our roads and
bridges are, and have been for the
past several years, in very bad con,
dition. We have made recommends
tions as to improving their conditions
but same have been unheeded. &C.
cording 70 your Honor's instructions
We had the county supervisor to ap'
pear before US and give some reasons
why our roads and bridges are il
such bad condition. He attributes
their condition principally to the
lack ofsuficient funds, and the lac'
that owing to change in the time o
the sitting of the legislature he has
had to do the work of fourteen
months with the money that SHOULD
be expended in twelve months. There
is no doubt something in his expla
nation, but We think some Of the
blame also rests upon the various
townships boards in not keeping
proper supervision over the roads in
their respective townships, and while
we believe in economy We do not be-
lieve in it to Inc extent that it is now
practiced in regards to our roads and
bridges. We desire to say to the
supervisor and members of the vari-
Gus township boards and road over
seers that they are expected to look
;,Ao -, condition ~ fbo roo6o onS
bridges in their respective townships
and have them improved, or we, as a
grand jury, will call an extra meeting
and at the next term Of the court
present this matter to our successors,
who will be in position to enforce the
reform. If these bad conditions that
We speak of are due to insufficient
funds then We realize that some blame
to our Senator and members
Of the legislature, for the county