The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-08

to adjourn court The court was aband-
oned by him while still In session. The
legally constituted grand jury was not cur
tailed of its powers, but was left to grind
cheerily on in It's murderous way as though
life was one grand holiday of indictments
and there was no such thing as a closed
hunting season. The jury accepted that
view of 1t, and when the judges absence
was made known to its members of the
foreman simply shot a volley out of his re-
volver and declared that the powers and
authority of the inquisitorial body could
not be swindled away from 1t by the SIAM
peding Of any tenderfoot jurist who ever
ran to catch a boat to get out of the so
ciety of perfect gentlemen
The jury therefore, kept right at It's job.
Days passed into weeks, ana indictment
followed indictment. There was no court
and no semblance to usual court prac-
tees and customs, but Hardesty, the fore
man, insisted that 1t was the jurys duty,
as American citizens. to maintain its un-
ity. After a while the body had indicted
everybody against whom complaint mad
been filed, and then II began to broaden It's
scope. 1t entered upon the fashion OF in
dieting in a speculative way just to see
what there was In It.. A man would come
to town with a wagon loaded with freight,
and the jury would hear Of 1t and get to-
gether and indict him for cruelty TO AMI
mails or something, and confiscate his prop
erty, and If he made any complaint the
foreman would sit down and reason with
him and show him that he ought to be glad
that the body had not indicted him Tor
horse stealing and murder or some other
offense punishable by painful and incon-
venient death Steamboats, were visited
by videttes for the jury and passengers
were hauled into the back room ana ex-
peditiously indicted for as much property
as they possessed, and II any objected the
foreman was at great pains TO INFORM MIN
of the perfect legality Of the thing, laying
special stress on the face that the jury
was by law in continuous session.
Bv and by, as members OF the panel
were killed or died off, 1t became evident
that some means must be taken to Insure
the permanency of the institution, 80 az
sociate members were elected, ana new
blood was Infused, so that there was a GER
tainty of the continuance OF the prohe-
able business Of the jury. Everything was
done in a perfectly legal manner now
ever, and no man was allowed to take
place on the panel without a thorough
examination by the foreman. After pass
ing he was allowed to appropriate ana
shoot with the best of them, being pro-
tected by his official position and by the
laws governing contempt OF court.
II finally got so that Halves county was
one enlifC BTdHu jury VI dhhoA'1N pSf -
and many attempts were made to clean
IL out by the river captains, who were
tired OF concealing their passengers In the
hulls OF the boats so as to preserve them
from being served with citations to ap.
pear and be fined for contempt Vigilance
committees were formed in other counties
and were marched over against the HAYES
grand Jury, but as the jury now num-
bered 225 persons, these intruders were
successfully beaten off, the foreman OF
the Jury insisting that their invasions were
yillainous violations of the rights OF free
people and of the forms Of the law. The
question of how to stop the HAYES county
rapine was a most complex one, until
one day Judge Arlington had an Idea.
The next week accompanied by detail of
soldiers from Fort Randall, he descended
upon the Halves county seat, and, pro-
ceeding up to that rear room Of the sa'
loon with due formality, he called upon
the sheriff to adjourn court.
1T may surprise you, but instantly this
was done that widespread and pillagtng
grand jury gathered together its MEM
bers, associate and active, and. surround
ing Judge Arlington, presented him witt
a handsome gold watch, obtained a.
Yankton, and thanking him for his uni
form courtesy during the long term OF
the deliberations of the body
After that, the grand jury being dis.
banded, Halves county was one Of me
most peaceful communities In the terri
tory.