The Louisiana populist., 1896-01-24
Grand Curry Report.

4
the 10th Judicial District Court
Parish of Natchitoches, Louisi
ana.
| We, the Grand Jury empannel.
ed at the regular December Term
of your Hon. Court, beg leave to
make this our final report:
| We have been in session three
weeks, and have not entirely clear.
! ed the docket, on account of the
immense amount of business that
has been brought to our attention,
caused by the failure to hold the
regular summer term.
We have examined into four
hundred and nineteen cases. and
returned one hundred and sixty
three True bills, mostly for minor
offenses, and have passed some
thing like fifty cases for the next
Grand Jury.
We have visited the Parish Jail,
and find it well kept, and in san
itary condition, with very little
complaint from the prisoners con-
fined therein of the quantity of
food furnished them, but find that
the kind was good and wholesome.
We have gone through the various
parish Offices, Sheriff, Treasurer,
&C., and find them all right, well
kept, and said officers attentive to
their duties.
We think it very unfortunate
that the regular June term of your
Hon. Court was postponed entire
ly, and would recommend that it
be not repeated, as it tends to ac-
cumulate such an immense amount
of business that it is impossible
for the Grand jury to dispatch
same in any reasonable length of
time, and therefore, we have not
had the time to give the Institu-
tions of the parish the attention We
would have liked.
As to the crimes in the parish,
we find that the one of carrying
concealed weapons the most pro.
life, and as the cause of the most
of the disturbances of the public
peace, and would recommend that
tho good citizens of this parish
stand together, present all these
violations of the law to future
Grand Juries, and that the Court
impose heavy fines on all parties
convicted of same.
We are also sorry to have to !
report that we find great many |
communities in our parish that |
have been troubled with distur-
Dances of the public peace, such as
running horses and discharging
firearms, profane and obscene Ian
guage on the public highways, al
50 at various churches and other
gatherings. We find this to be the
case particularly in wards four.
seven and ten. We have given the
crime of selling liquor without IL
,ense our special attention, anc
lind very few infractions of the
aw, and disposition among the
merchants and druggists to abide
hereby to the letter but we
would further state that there are
certain connections disposed of
,ver the counters of some business
houses in the Town of Natchito-
hes, which contain entirely too
much Alcohol to be sold in u pro-
parish, and would recon-
mend that the vendors thereof de-
lst. In this connection, VIC would I
lame one, viz ''Rye and Rock ,
," which, according to the /.
ormula on the bottle contains over
3 per cent of whiskey. K
Another matter which this Grand {
ury has seen proper to take cog ]
lzance of is the manner in which ,
ONE of the Magistrates Courts
re conducted. There is an ordi-
ance of the Police Jury which
rohibits a Magistrate from going I
ut of his ward to take business.
ct we find this had been done in y
omc instances, and would recon-
lend that the Hon. Police Jury
efuse to honor any accounts pre- !
snted under these circumstances, II
nd thereby save the parish un- a
ecessary expense. Again, some |,
the Magistrates throughout the +
arish have disposition to enter
in all kinds of fravolous charges II
nd counter charges, which amount b
nothing on their face, have no p
anding in an investigation, yet r,
lese ridiculousIy silly cases are :.
ken. papers necessarv issued