Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1896-04-02
Hoods Pills si g' ssss sssi's y s ss,s

money or property by false pretense,
forgery. seduction, disposing OF mort
gagged property, perjury. handling IN
toNicants and all minor felonies. The
Indian Territory courts handle a great
deal OF clvil litigation, suits by attach
ment. punishment and every possible
action known to courts OF law or
equity. and cases involving many
thousands of dollars are Irrigated in
these courts.
Now it is contended that the grand
juries In this territory are Incapable of
discharging their duties, or unwilling to
discharge their duties, and that the
petit juries cannot be trusted TO do
their work efficiently. There Is not the
slightest foundation for such n charge
ngainst these people. Threefourths of
the white people here are from Texas.
and they are improved by their sojourn
here and the people OF this district.
Indians and whites taken together, are
a contcnted. prosperous, well-to-do and
Intelligent people. averaging IN wen In
these respects with the population of
Texas or any OF the neighboring states.
and they ARE as law-ahiding and MS
much devoted to the enforcement of the
law as any people In the Southwest In
fact, II may be rafely assumed that the
people OF this Territory are more pro-
| foundly concerned In the efficiency and
ability, and In the fidelity and courage
Of the courts In this district and the
officers Of the courts, in the discharge
NJ thhir drtier than any other poole In
the United States.
Tho citizens of the United States here
are without any government. except
suoh as IL afforded them by the United
States courts In the Indian Territory.
and the great zeal energy, courage
and determination which they bring to
bear 10 aid the courts and Jurors and
officials In this territory, can be nc-
counted for on the theory that II Is a
matter OF self-preservation with them.
and every man In this country feels an
individual responsibility on him in the
enforcement Of the laws and the up
holding Of the courts and officials In
that work. 1t constitutes the only safe
~ for the people here.
The deliberations OF the grand Jurors
since ! have been on the bench. have
been marked by a COURAGE, efficiency
energy and intelligence such as have
never seen exceeded and scarcely
equalled in Texas. Corruption, black
mail and bribery II has been charged
have dishonored the administration Of
the law In the hands of certain officials
In the territory, representing foreign
jurisdiction, for years on last Septem-
Der, at the town Of Ryan. | called the
attention OF the grand jury to these
widespread charges OF abuses by pub
lie officials. The grand jury went to
work and indicted the officials. who
were supposed TO be influential. and
who had influential friends backing
Thorn, and they did so In the
midst OF considerable effort to intimi-
date the grand jury and deter It from
doing its duty And grand Jurors all
around this district have been equally
fearless, prompt and efficient and intel
llgent in the discharge of their duties.
The first four or five months OF my
service on the bench here was devoted
to the transaction OF business on the
civil docket The first important erimi-
nal business the court did was at Ryan.
beginning the iGth OF September. From
that time up to this date. suppose this
court has been engaged about sixty
1--WE days, on and on. In the transaction
of business on the criminal docket: and
during that time there has been about
! nfty-iye trials for felonles, about forty
six convictions, four acquittals and Eve
mistrials. The result In prosecutions
! for mlsdemeanors has been about In the
same proportion And venture to say
that this work viii compare fayorably
with that Of any court in any of the
| Southwestern states.
l venture to say further. that the
marshal OF this district and his deputies
| are as viGilant ana efficient as these
| officials are anywhere In the United
| States. They are straight, clean. ener-
| getic ana fearless. They are uncorrupt-
] ed by the fee system, which contnm-
! mates everything Il touches; they are
salarled officers.
The district attorney Is also saiarcd
\ officer: and venture to say that there
/ Is no more faithful, efficient able and
courageous district attorney west of the
Mississippi river, and very few east OF
II, superior TO him. These convictions
| have been secured In court which
/ never charges on the weight OF evil
I dcnce, never even sums up nor COM
ments on the testimony. The jury Is
always distinctly admonlshed that they
I the the sole judges OF the weight TO Be
/ given 70 the testimony and the credi-
\ entity OF its sourcos
And venture to say, that, nothwith-
standing the meagre resources at the
command OF the officials 81 this court,
the law is MS well enforced. and So as
I much terror to evil-doefs as In Texas
or anywhere else IN the Southwest
IL would be charitable to assume
that much OF the wrong inflicted on the
people or the Territory is the outcorae
OF Ignorance on the part OF the people
whose duty 1t IS 10 know something OF
the situation. The papers report that
recently a member OF congress became
Z inccnsed because the people here
sought 70 refute the slanders against
them, and thereupon Introduced biz
In The house TO iOcate a United states
court at Marietta Now. that town u
some seventeen miles south of Ard
more, where a court IS now located ma
eight INLET from the Texas border Al
proposition TO locate n court al TishoI
mlngo, the capital VI the Ch.ckasaw
Nation. some forty miles east Of Ard
more, would be a reasonable one. ana
TINS suggestion emphasizes the absurd