The age-herald., 1897-10-24
THE GRAND JURY ADJOURNS The Law Governing Cattle Thiev-
 ing Defective. REPORT IS COMPLIMENT TARY To Everything Department Pronounc- ej Effective, But Evidence on Crimi-
 nals Must be Better Prepared.

The criminal grand jury for the Sep tembsr term concluded It's la,bors and adjourned yesterday afternoon.
 At it's first sitting 142 indictments were returned. It adjourned on the 9th of October, and on the 18th inst. reasse1n- bled, and has since been in session.
 At the last sitting 61 indictments were found, making a total of 203.
 IA nasty visit was paid to the county jail, but the books of the county officers were not examined for reasons set forth in the report, which follows:
 To the Hon. Samuel E. Greene, Judge of
 the Criminal Court of Jefferson
 County
 t1hs grand jury empaneled by your honorable court for the Ssptembep term of 1897 begS ito report as follows:
 We have examined S05 wianesseS in 213 cases on our docket and have found 203 true bills. We have examined the condi- ton of the county Jail, and though our examination was necessarily Hurried, we are convinced that the sanitation is suf- ficent, food wholesome and of sufficient quantity and treatment of prisoners hu- mane. The complaints of prisoners in- carcerat ted therein were of very trivial nature and natural to persons in their condition.
 We had a great deal to do to clear our docket and give relief to prisoners con- fined in the jail awaiting our action, and have bsen in session twenty days of actual sitting, and have not during that time found time to examine the books of the different officers of the county, which duty your honor charged us with. We could not give them the careful exami- nation required to be able to report on them, and. as we hear that a state &C., coun'tant is now on his rounds making a thorough and competent examination, we have c0rcluded to leave this duty to him.
 The condition of the court house Is clean and wel-kept
 Our duties have been rendered very pleasan nit by the efficient and genItlemanly officers attendant upon us. We find great efficiency in the solicitors department coupled with great courtesy and gentle ma nliness towards our body individually as we'll as towards witnesses who have had to appear before us. We commend this department especially.
 The sheriff and his corps of deputies have been all one could have asked, and have shown great zeal in obeying com- mands. Witnesses necessary to us have been obtained in many instances as only men interested in and true to their duty could have done.
 Our bailiff,. Mir. Reeves, was a happy selection of your honor, and we thank him for his strict attention to the needs of our body. Your honor's court and those attendant upon you have been courteous and have made this trying service one of pleasure.
 We desirs before concluding this re- port to call your honor's attention to a true bin found against George Webb for burglary and grand larceny. While the evidence positively connects satd George Webb with this crime we feel that he is deserving of your honor's considera- tion from the fact that he appears to have been unduly and largely influenced by the real and principal criminal, and it appeared to us that said George Webb is deserving of any cfemency that you may desire or deem proper to extend to him. Tn our examination into the cases of parties killing cows to secure their hides, and the sale thereof we find that the law governing the purchase and sale of hides Is either defective or improperly enforced We would therefore recoin- mend sufficient legislation or more dili- gent enforcement of existing laws by the city if there is sufficient legislation to cover this, in oItder to close the mar ket for stolen property of any kind We deryire to commend the police force of the city of Birmingham for effective work in detecting crimes and recovering stolen property, but would recommend that in aIu cases when practicable, that the police force keep a record of dates and data bearing on the case. and when possible to retain in the poss sssion of the ! city court all recovered articles for evi- dence before the grand jury. All of which is respectfully submitted.
 W. A. SIMMONS. |
 Foreman Grand Jury Of the sixty-ons indictments returned, l the following are in the county jail or | have been apprehended: