The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-04
NO PRESENTMENT FOUND.
JUSTICE GOLDMAN ExONERATED
OF THE CHARGE OF MALPRAC-
TICE.

The Only Kind of Case in Which n
Grand Jury Hears che Testimony
of Both sIdes-The Investigation
Completed and the Special Pre-
sentiment Marked JsNOt FOunu.'
Several Criminals Tried in the
Superior COurt-A Reported Scrap
in Court That Did Not Take Place.
Business in All the Courts.
The grand jury Of the superior court
held a session yesterday especially for
the purpose Of completing the investiga-
ton in the matter Of the charges Of NAL
practice against Justice Charles Collman
of the Second militia district, and at the
conclusion of the investigation the special
presentment which had been prepared in
line with the charges was marked mot
found"
The charges, as is well known, were
preferred by Attorney I. L. Hill. There
were three counts in the indictment, one
charging that Justice Goldman settled a
criminal case for IS, the case being that Of
]. e. Robinson. charged with simple lar
ceny, and that he also charged 50 for draw
ing a bond, which was signed in blank
by Mr.. Hill himself. The second count
was that he had received money illegally.
and the third was that he had accepted
50 upon a bond which had not been drawn.
Cases of this kind are the only ones on
record where the grand jury practically
becomes a judicial court. Justice Coll
man was served with copy of the special
presentment and was allowed to go before
the grand jury himself and to bring up
such witnesses as he desired. This is al
ways allowed in cases where justices Of the
peace are charged with violations of law
in connection with their Offices. The grand
jury then hears both sides of the case,
and decides whether or not it will make
a presentment or indictment.
In this case the witnesses who appeared
for the prosecution were ]. e. Robinson,
L. r. Robinson, T. L. Hill and ]. E.
Constantine. Justice Goldman appeared
before the grand jury and made his state
ment of the case. but had no witnesses
summoned. This is the case out of which
grew the attack on Mr.. Hill by Justice
Goldman.
Justice Goldman, as Is we'll known, has
strongly denied the charge in toto. He
stated that Mr.. Hin brought IS to his
office, stating that the s. bill stolen from
Sheriff I. j. Sheftall, or which had been
| missed from his house, had been found
and rendered ii for the purpose of stop
ping the prosecution against Robinson,
| whom he represented. Justice Goldman
| states he refused to take the money OF
| have anything to do with 1t. Mr.. Hill, he
| says then turned the money over to an
| other part in his Office who gave 1t to
| sydney Lilienthal and the latter return
| ed it to Sheriff Sheftall. He stated that
he had never received one cent for dra wing
| any bond in the case. 1t was then he re-
| ceived a note from Sheriff SheftaH telling
| him to discharge the negro Robinson.
The grand jury had the case under in
| vestisation comparatively a short time,
| the above being substantially the facts
| brought out in the evidence. 1t appears
that no case was made out and the grand
jury failed to find the special present
/ ment.
The day in the superior court yesterday
was devoted to criminal business Willie
| Daniels, colored, was tried on a charge
OF assault, with intent to murder William
! Mllls, party of the same color. The
case was. an ordinary negro cutting
| scrape, and Daniels action appeared to
| have been one of self defense, Mills at
| lacking him first with a razor Mr.. F.
NJ. Oliver defended Daniels and on this
! plea secured an acquittal, the jury being
| out only about two minutes. Mr.. Oliver
who is from Quitman county, in this case
| made his first appearance in the court
house, and his first speech before a jury
| His argument was a strong one, and
| the case was well conducted.
| Willie Glover, a dete9 ives spotter
who evidently thought he had acquired
! a right to handle pistol as he pleased
| on that account, was tried for assault
! with intent to murder John Demere
| Demere, he claimed, threatened to attack
! him and he fired a couple of shots. He
was found guilty of shooting at another
| not in his own defense, and was sentenced
to spend year on the county chain-gang.
Thomas Henry pleaded guilty to the
| charge of burglary of the store of Peter
| Rakos on June 29, and was sentenced to
| spend three years in the penitentiary.
| Watson Dillon and Richard Langle
! charged with the burglary of some car
! penters tools, the property of G. E. Hen
| bricks, pleaded guilty of larceny from the
! house under the value of $50 and each
| was sentenced TO spend, a month on the
! chain-gang.
Toby Phoenix, the negro who so seriously
cut Martin Anderson on the dredge Fair
| play the night of June II, was Indicted
| by the grand jury for assault with intent
to murder The case win likely be tried
| the latter part of this week or the first
of next.
Quite an interesting case was tried in
the city court yesterday morning its title
| being Leigh NJ. White against Henry Nc
| Alpin, and the question at issue being the
| title to piano valued a $l25 w B. Stur-
| tevant gave the title to the piano to
| White, and Mrs. w. o. Sturteyant his
! WE gave the title to the defendant The
! plaintiff was represented by Mr. H 10.
| Wilson and the defendant by Messrs. Me
| Alpin < LaRoche. Sturtevant and his
| wife are at outs, there being a suit for
! divorce pending in the superior court. The
| jury brought in a verdict in favor OF the
| plaintiff, requiring that the piano. whia1
| is in the possession Of the defendant. he
| turned over to him.
During the trial of the case it became
| noised around the court house that there
| had been a difficulty in the court room
! between two attorneys, Messrs. II. p.
| Wilson and W. P. Hardee, the latter he
| ing an innocent spectator of the proceed
| ings. Friends of both parties were maxi
| ing diligent inquiries about the matter
! thinking there had been some serious
| difference. 1t developed. however, that
| the report arose from the fact that Mr.
! Wilson, representing the plaintiff. had at
tackled the testimony of a witness for the
/ defendant by the name of j. H Hardee
| from Florida, and had said some pretty
| hard things about the witness in ones
| tion. Attorneys Wilson and Hardee were
| surprised to know that such a report had
| become current but the matter was cas-
ily explained 10 those who inquired about
| it, EON'