Smyrna times., 1899-11-08
LAW AND ITS CONSTRUCTION.
Construction of the Law-The Viola
tiOns of the Grand Jury.

tiOnS of the Grand Jury.
Law ought to be we'll defined thing, !
so clear in its declarations as to be ad
>missible of only one Interpretation.
Such seems not to be the case here.
When Howard Richardson attempted |
to escape from Constable GOldsbor-
ough and was shot in the back, what
was thought at the time to be mortal
wound, he was discharged by the
Dover magistrate on the ground that
Richardson was his prisoner and an
officer had right to hold his prisoner,
if in doing so he had to shoot him
down.
Last week while Policeman Garner
was in Dover attending Court, a negro,
George Camomile, had him arrested
for assault and hauled before Magis-
trate Cooper, because Camomile, last
4th of July, was hit with "billy' in
trying to break away while under ar
rest. In this case the magistrate
claimed Camomile had a right to get
away if he could without fighting the
officer. The point seemed to be with
the magistrate to make Garner pay
costs, saying he must do that or give
bail. The latter however, claimed that
he was acting in the line of duty, as a
policeman, in maintaining order.
Messrs. Robinson and Denney at
once went his bond.
1t will be seen that the law officer in
one case, decided or acted diametric-
ally Opposite to that in the other
case.
Then again comes the Grand Jury.
They go to Dover to defend the State,
) it's authority and good name, but it is
) in the memory of many that election
: eering has been done, and they have
constituted themselves more than the
: Court, by ignoring direct violations o.
9 the law, and settling the matter them
f selves. So much for the past. Th'
Sentinel gives us the following as
: new departure of the Attorney-Gen
: eral, in the last session of Court. L
says:
eff we are correctly informed, tn
y Attorney General, Ga correction plac
l. ing the blame on the Deputy ha
d made new departure in the method O
}. presenting cases to the Grand Jury
We know of no similar case in the his
tory of the State.
''It appears that a young man wa
70 presented for an assault and battery c
a serious nature; having on apparentl
G. slight provocation, assaulted an age
Y, man with knife, and seriously wound
le ing him, and endangering his life
e When the matter was presented to th
It Grand Jury, the Attorney General,
4, is reported, appeared, and requeste
" the Grand Jury to hear both sides. A
a matter of fact, under this new al
1T rangement, the accused was summone
" and appeared. With very confident
le almost defiant air, he admitted th
le charge, and exhibited the knife wit
le which he attacked the life {
IS his aged victim. The father
st the young man was the presidin
officer of the Grand Jury. He ais
at asked the Grand Jury to hear bot
ne sides and ignore the bill. He had th
st grace, however to retile from the jury
IL pending the consideration of his SON
n, case. There were twenty-five men
ut bers of the jury on duty and the indie
III ment was ignored on vote of fourtee
es to eight.
We have no disposition to enter int
ey the merits of the assault and battery {
rb to the circumstances and incident
a which Immediately preceded it.