The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-09-03
GRAND JURY REPORT.
Some Important Recommendations
for the Suppression of Trifing
Cases = Circuit Court Now
in Session.

The grand jury ended their iabors on
Wednesday last and submitted their
report to the court. They were then
discharged. The court has been in SEES
sion recently and occupied with gen.
eral minor cases. The criminal docket
will soon be taken up and contains
some important cases.
The grand jury report is as follows:
ITO the Honorable, the Judges of the
Circuit Court for Frederick County:
''The grand jurors for the August
term of the Circuit Court make the
following report of the duties perform
ed during their session of fifteen days:
I'VE examined two hundred and
eighty-nine witnesses, carefully con-
sldered and acted on 147 cases, of which
we dismissed 80 and found As present
ments and true bills of indictment,
which have been duly handed to the
court.
"We visited the county Jail. which,
under the careful and prudent man
agement of the sheriff, is under excel
lent condition. There are now In his
custody II State prisoners, all of which
are males.
''We believe that it would be bene-
fetal to the interests of the taxpayers
as well as to the prisoners themselves,
if some means could be devised by
which the prisoners in the Jail could be
regularly employed and thus kept out
OF ldleness, and at the same time earn
something towards paying the expense
of their keeping.
I'VE also visited MonteVue Hospital
and Aims House and were very much
gratified with the condition of the
buildings and grounds, as also the in
mates. Everything that is possible
appears to be done TO alleviate the con-
dition of these unfortunates, and re-
fleets great credit upon the manage
ment of this noble charity of the
county. There are at present 226 in
mates divided as follows: White male,
20; white female, SO; colored males, SO;
colored females, 81 white children. 6;
colored children, 3; tramps, "a male
and female.
"From experience and observation
during our session, we cannot refrain
from calling the attention of the court
to the unbusiness-like methods in
which cases are presented for the con-
sideration of the grand jury. The
loose manner in which cases are sent
up from some of the magistrates, in
some cases no witnesses at all, in
others of the most trifling character.
from four to six witnesses, who often
know nothing of the cases, present
themselves for examination, summon.
ed by some authority unknown to the
jurors, when not single name APP
pears on the docket in the case, either
shows gross neglect or culpable igno-
rance somewhere.
What grand jury wants is the
principal witness the party aggrieved)
in all cases, and then they can deUer-
mine what further evidence they need,
if any, and we therefore suggest that
some form be adopted and some rule
of instruction ISSUED to magistrates
presenting cases for the consideration
of grand juries This would very
much expedite their work and save to
taxpayers of the county hundreds of
dollars.
"Having finished the duties assigned
US, to the best of our ability, we sub
NIT the above as our report and re-
specially ask to be discharged.
LEWIS S. CLINGAN,"
Foreman of the Grand Jury of
Frederick County,"
August Term, Sept. l, 1897"