The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-06
WITHOUT FEAR OR FAVOR.
MUST THE DUTIES OF GRAND JU-
RORS BE PERFORMED.

Grand Jury of the March Term of
the Superior COurt-BooISs of COun-
~ officers Must BE Diligently Ex-
amined and the Methods of JUS
tees of the Peace in Conducting
Their Courts Inquired Into With
the Utmost Care-Grand Jury Re-
turned But Four Indictments.
The March term of the Superior Court
Of Chatham county convened yesterday
morning The grand jury was selected and
sworn and Judge Falligant delivered to
them an impressive charge, touching the
manner in which they should carry out
the important functions conided to them
by the laws of the state.
The grand jury chosen is as follows:
Henry D. Stevens, foreman; Peter Reilly,
w. 1. O'Brien, John Rourke, A. M West,
Aaron Ferst, Arthur A Aveilhe, George
w. Dwelle, John NJ. Bryan, Robert K
Bragdon, John ]. Carolan, William c.
Lyon, Robert M. Hull, Adolph Letter,
Abraham A. Solomons, Jr., Lester Hub
bell, Henry T. Williams, Henry G.. Black,
James L. Morrison, Clarence G. Ander-
son, John Q. Hodges, Albert L. Rees,
were taken from the panel of forty orig
inally summoned, many of whom present
ed to the court valid excuses, showing
their inability to serve, and some of whom
were discharged for the term by the
court of its own motion or released until
their services should be needed.
There was nothing sensational in the
charge delivered by Judge FalAgant. AL
most exclusively il dealt with The grand
jurors duties, which, it was pointed out
by the court, should be diligent, impartial
and just to all concerned. They were
sworn 10 execute the Jaw and 10 present
Offenders TO the court for punishment and
this they should do without fear or favor.
IL was especially incumbent upon the
grand jury 10 make diligent examination
INTO the books and accounts of the officers
Of the county, TO see Chat they were kept
with that scrupulous accuracy that the
raw required and that The public expect
cd. That these officers had been tried
md found faithful and that their integ-
rily was above suspicion should not
leve the grand jury's conscience from see
ing the necessity of examining their ac-
counts. There is safety in an abundance
Of caution.
The justices of the peace according to
the Jurisprudence of the state, are often
paced in positions Wlere important cases
arc to he tried and important rights of
person or property determined by them.
II was the duty of the grand jury to eX-
anime the books of these judicial officers
and investigate the manner in which they
conducted their courts with the utmost
care and diligence, so that the fount of
justice might be kept unpolluted and the
citzenry of Georgia, so far as these minor
judicial officers were concerned. might be
assured that the guarantee of the consti-
tuition, of equal rights to all and special
tavors to none might be maintained.
The excellent road system of the county
came in for its share of Judge Falligants
commendation, did the equally excel
lent drainage system. that have been
brought to their present perfection by the
County Commissioners. They are now,
said Judge FalMgant, without peer in any
county of the state Through their in
strumentality the average dura ton of life
among the people of Savannah and Chat
ham county had been prolonged at least
one-thiTd.
The court called the attention of the
grand jury TO the urgent necessity for
i1e wise regulation of the liquor traffic
and the enforcement of the laws contrOl-
ing the sale of intoxicants While the
traffic was permitted by the law, and
Whe il was in every sense legitimate, it
yet needed the watchful care of the grand
Jury, 10 which body the care of the pub
il9 HlOIds anu the DuD1C safety was Ill
large degree confided.
The court was rather pessimistic on the
subject of the efforts spasmOdicaNy made
10 prevent gambling. The habit is quite
Cd said the Judge and the outlook was
that IL would be much older before il was
brought to an end. 1t was for the grand
jury to see that those that throw oppor-
iunities of this character in the way of
The youthful, the foolish and the vicious
he brought to a strict accounting and
made TO answer for their misdeeds. In
This connection, also, Judge Fallgant di-
rected the attention of dhe grand jury to
the laws prohibiting the carrying of con-
cealed weapons, from which sprung, he
sand, many of the crimes of violence that
are being committed but too often in this
section of the state.
After the delivery of the charge of the
court the grand jury retired to consd
the matters brought to its attention by
solicitor General Osborne 1t would seem
mat crime in the county is on the decrease
FOR while in some cases grand juries have
been compelled to listen all of the first
day of their term to the evidence of wit
nesses and have brought in two or three
'ozen indictments, the present grand jury
was out but a very short time and return
"a but four indictments.
a. b. Purvis, the young white man who
inflicted a fatal wound with a club on the
negro, Moses Hutto, on Jan. %. from
'ti'A tllt itSiO NNh a. WGth ldAtlt WIS
indicted by the grand jury for murder.
The quarrel that eliminated in the fatal
Wounding of Hutto occurred on the eX-
tension of Bay street, west of the city.
1t created some excitement at the time,
number of negroes gathering to mob
Purvis, an intention which they came
very near carrying into effect, being pre-.
vented only by the arrival of some one
more peaceably and sensibly inclined. At
the coroner's inquest. held upon the body
OF Hutto, the jury charged the death to
Furvis, but found that the only crime of
which he was guilty was that OF involun
" manslaughter.
hristo Lucus, a Greek, was indicted for
crime of rape Some account of the
&c with which the man is charged has
teady appeared in the Morning News
zig prosecuting witness is woman by