The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-25
TO MAKE ITS PRESENTMENTS.
SUPERIOR COURT GRAND JURY
WILL RETURN THEM TODAY.


Found Yesterday-Names of Defen-
dants Held Up Until They Can BE
Arrested and Bonded or Jailed.
school Board Likely to Get All IL
Asks-Hard Swearing in the Grand
Jury Room Witnesses Said to
Have Been Spirited Away-Grand
Jurors Have Worked Hard and
Will Welcome Their Discharge.
This afternoon at o'clock the grand
jury of the Superior Court will meet for
the last time and will make its general
presentments to Judge Falligant. When
these have been made the grand jury will
be discharged and the court adjourned
for the term.
The grand jury met yesterday afternoon
and returned four indictments. Three of
these were for keeping and maintaining
gaming houses of one kind or another.
At the request of the members of the
grand jury and in accordance with the
wish of the foreman, Mr.. Henry D. Stew
ems, the names of these defendants are
suppressed until they can be served with
the bench warrants that have been issued
for their arrest, and either bonded or
committed to Jail. The fourth indictment,
involving the wrongful conversion of
SOW, stands in the same category, the de-
PENDANT not having been arrested, and his
name is suppressed for the same reason.
When the grand jury returned to the
court room, after three hours session,
Foreman Stevens stated, as he handed the
H.
solicitor general pro tenn, Mr.. Colding,
that he would especially urge that the
names of the defendants be kept secret
until they could be arrested. He ex-
pressed his surprise that when the last
indictments were found the names of the
indicted parties appeared in the Morning
News the next morning. Mr.. Colding ex-
planned that bench warrants for the ar
rest of the defendants had been issued at
once on that occasion, and the men had
all given bond
There is some specula tion, but not much,
as to what the grand jury intends TO do in
the matter of the appropriation for school
buildings and for education generally.
Though there will remain some doubt I'M
til the preSentments have been handed in,
1t is commonly reputed and believed that
the school appropriation will be increased,
approximately, at least, to the S91 900 that
has been asked for by the Board of Edu-
cation. In making up the budget the
County Commissioners reduced the appro-
priation to $4,000. 1t is believed that with
this exception there will be no material
change in the budget submitted by the
commissioners.
From all accounts the grand jury room
has witnessed some hard swearing since
the grand jury's investigation of. the
gambling situation began. 1t is said that
some of the witnesses were actual en-
ployes of the gambling rooms, working
nightly, even during the time the grand
jury was in session, in these rooms, and
were yet unable. when Intercepted, to
remember anything at all about it. They
would twist and squirm under the ques-
tins of the acting solicitor, and the grand
jurymen and it was not possible to pin
them down to the confession of any
knowledge of any subject connected with
gambling, other than that they had a
vague idea that there was some little
gambling going on in Savannah Just
where they could not tell.
Other of the witnesses, 1t Is stated, were
| spirited out of the way by their employers
between the time that subpenas for their
attendance were issued, and the session
of the grand jury. If they keep parma
nently out of the way the community will
doubtless be able to afford well the failure
| 10 f1rd moi tments against some of their
employers. But there is little of real hope
| that this will be the case.
| Before the grand jury went out yester-
| day Judge Falllgant expressed his willing
| ness to keep the court in session as long
| as necessary for the transaction of its
= business, until tomorrow or even until
| next week, if it were essential He was
assured that the grand jury had all of its
work well in hand ard that it would be
prepared to hand in its general present
ments and be discharged for the term this
| afternoon,
/ The duties of the grand jury during the
! term have been arduous and engrossing,
| and have been well performed. The mem
| bers are all anxious to be relieved of fur
/ Their duties and TO them the discharge that
! is in store this afternoon will come as a
| glad relief. The sr9nd jury Of The March
! term has 10 shoulder the responsibility OF
| preparing the budget, well as Of exam
| lining the books of county officers, in con-
nection with its other duties. There is a
mass Of detail committee work for it Ia
| do and the membe have been kept busy
! The general presentments will be import
ant and will deal with many questions OF
/ controlling interest to the citizens and
| taxpayers CT the county.