The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-01-11
ORDERS THE GRAND JURY TO
MAKE PRESENTMENTS.
THE SALE OF CIGARETTES TO MINORS
The Matter to be Fully Investigated Sup
preston of Bawdy Houses--SeveraI
Glasses Of Men Not Fit to be
On q inrN.
on jury.

yesterday morning, he had some pretty
spicy things to say to the grand jury.
His charge departed somewhat from
the beaten track of enumcrating tie
crimes which should come under the
cognizance of the grand jury, and dwelt
more particularly on such as were deen-
ed VIGOROUSLY common or most hurttul
to the community.
He began with the jury itself, and said
he thought the law requiring the County
Commissioners to purge the jury on the
first of June each year was good one.
81 like that word purge. We cannot
be too careful with the jury. If it is cor
rupted the whole stream of justice is
polluted. / wish now to call your at
tention to several classes of men whose
names ought not to be allowed in the
jury box.
First. of course, is the man who tells
lies. No matter what his position, the
man who does not tell the truth has no
business on jury. He is not fit to pass
upon the rights of another. The bust
ness man who deceives his customers is
not fit to serve on jury. Lawyers are
also sometimes guilty of dishonest meth
DDS IN their practice; but for the. most
part they are honest and lawabiding.
I've been on the bench for several years,
ana Il We HOT lOuUu I1OIC blIdu nail .
dozen attorneys who were not honest,
reliable and honorable. OF course,
though, this class are not eligible for
iurymen. The same rule also applies to
newspaper men. They are allowed a
great deal of latitude. They are the
conservators OF public morality and the
liberties of the people. But they ought
to be sure what they publish is true. If
it is not, it will hurt somebody. A cor
rection never catches up with the origi-
nal publication, and even if it does some
body will believe the first and not the
second
s'Men who drink to excess ought not
to serve on jury. Such man is not fit
to pass upon the rights of his fellow citi-
zens, or even of his own.
The loafer around town-the profes-
sional juror--who has no way of making
a living, should never, under any eircum-
stances, be allowed on a jury.
Men who cheat and swindle. There
are men IN all professions who do this
not only horse-swappers, but merchants,
farmers. lawyers and others. ! knew q
man in Franklin county who slipped off
some of his tenants best tobacco and
sold it ia a dead mans name in order to
defraud the tenant.
Men who violate the internal revenue
law The best thing that can happen TO
sach a man. for the community in which
he lives, is for him to get into the United
States penitentiary. YoH ought to break
up this sort Of thing / don't advise you
TO be spies and informers. but if a man
starts up moonshine distillery, go to
him and tell him be must stop it. That
il be doesn't do it. it win be broken up
by law. Recently held court in Mad
ieon county, and there were Zine men in
Jail for murder-and every one Of them,
I was told, was committed at a moon
shine distiIlery.
"Men who violate the law in every
respect, Men who don't obey the laws
themselves are not fit to serve on the
jury that must pass on either law-break-
ers- As an individual you sometimes
say law is a bad one, but you mWt
obey If, and as juryman you must see
that IL is enforced without regard to
your individual opinion Vhen there are
men in yOHr community whom you, as a
private citizen, would be sorry 30 see
punished but You must carry out your
OATH You must know no man as friend
or enemy in the discharge OF your du-
ties
Especial stress was laid upon the du-
ty Of the grand ury to suppress bawdy
houses, fornication and adultery, gamb-
ling, and investigate all charges Of brib-
cry.
fright here | want to say b the petit
jurors, as well as grand jurors. that if
they are approached in any way, by
either an officer of the court or an out
slider, they must report the fact at once
to the court Such an act would not
only be a misdemeanor, but a contempt
of court.
"If you know of bawdy house. a
place Of ill-fame or a disorderly house,
it's your duty to present the keeper of
it. II these places in your county are
not closed up, you will be responsible
for it.
'Another offense / viii call to your at
tention is the selling of cigarettes
to minors. 1t will take some, little
trouble to look into this. There is hard
ly anything in the world that is doing
so much harm to the youth of the land.
YoH ought to have it stopped. There is
law against it; have it enforced
Touching the offense of escape the
Judge made his construction of the law
broad enough to include the peniten-
Tertiary authorities who allow conyicts
to 20 about as TRUSTEES, though he didn't
refer in 20 many words to the officers
of that institution. He said when
man was sent to prison, he was sent
there for punishment and not to be given
liberties. Here he told Of a shoemaker
who was sent to Jail in q western coun-
ty recently for a crime. Soon the man
was allowed to move into the room form
erly occupied by the jailer, hang out his
shoemaker's sign, and move his wife and
household goods and tools into the jail.
Then be went to work and enjoyed as
many liberties az he did at home, but
all the tine the county was feeding him
and furnishing him a house.
ghis Is the punishment be wa5 getting
for crime. THE sheriff, who allowed
this. Judge Tlmbersake said, ought toI
have been himself put In jail for long
LaTrn.
}n is yoag duty b aiAvaatigats the