The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-23
CITY COURT GRAND JURY.
Its General Presentment For the
June Term.

Its General Presentment For the
June Term.
ITO HIS Honor Thomas NJ. Norwood
Sir-The grand jury of the city court
June term. 1897. respectfully submits the
following report as its general present.
ment:
I'VE have, through a committee, exam
ined the condition of the offices of the
clerk and sheriff of this court and find
their books neatly and correctly kept and
so far as we are able to judge (our com
mittee necessarily acting in a somewhat
perfunctory manner) the system there en-
ployed is all that could be desired.
acting upon the suggestion in your
honor's charge we do most heartily rec
ommend the establishment of reforma.
tory school in this county for youthful
delinquents. The grand jury of the No
vember, 1885, term placed this matter so
graphically before you that we take the
liberty of quoting from its presentment;
we regard the relief and reformation or
the suffering and depraved as one of the
highest duties which confront us as a
civilized people, and to restrain the indl-
gent and neglected children from con-
tinued wrongdoing and raise them to po-
sitions of usefulness IS a moral obligation
which has been too long neglected by this
community. 1t should be made ther duty
of the county authorities to provide, as
early as possible, a school where we can
save and not punish youthful offenders
Many of the Yiolators of the law who are
brought before the courts of this county
are mere children, old enough it is true
to be legally responsible for their acts, but
too young to know, on account of their
neglected lives, the nature and extent Of
their moral offending. For such as these
we say that neither the chan-gang nor
the poor farm are the prG-er place, and
unless this county or our state takes steps
to provide a place where youthful GRIM
inal depravities can be depressed and cor
rected we need not expect any diminution
of crime in our community. The history
and statistics of these institutions show
that where they are well managed about
So per cent. of the discharged do well, 10
per cent. relapse, and the remainder be-
come idlers. but not criminal We regard
this question as of vital Importance, and
we make this recommendation with tho
hope that it will awaken interest and in.
vite enlightened inquiry into the best
methods of REFRESHING crime in our COM
muniiy.'
eve earnestly recommend that the
county commissioners be directed to at
once make provision for such reformatory
school. Where there's a will there's a way
and surely our commissioners are compe-
tent to cope with this question.
1--WE present our thanks to your honor
for the comprehensive charge given US at
the opening of our term. We desire to also
return our thanks to the solicitor general
and other officers of the court for their
uniform courtesies.
1--WE recommend that this presentment
be published in the Savannah Press and in
the Morning News.
"F. L. Cooper Foreman.
Isaac Haas,
iIr "a A Aveilhe,
Qr4 IN. B. Lane,
"F. F. Jones,
George c. Goebel,
Edward S. Abrams,
"B. Dub,
81. Putzel,
Lester Hubbell
''W. F. McCauley,
John Henderson,
"A. r. Launey,
I'D. c. Newton.
"W C. Neidlinger,
"R. L. Mercer,
"E. ]. Kennedy,
&C. F. Cler."