The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1902-11-05
CIRCUIT COURT.
Convened Monday--Juries lmpaneled
and Civil Docket Taken Up.

ana Iivli Docket AIKEN Up.
A big crowd was in town Mon
day to attend Circuit Court.
Judge Powell called the court
to order promptly at 8 O'Clock.
The following were drawn as
grand jurors:
J. W. Daughdrill, B. II. Craw-
ford, Shade Coker, z. L. Order,
A. G. Davis, r. f. Falvey, Z. T.
Hoskins, T. S. Hoggatt, G. G.
Jackson, w. +. Kyzar, A. ' M.
Lake, S. T. Moak, L. o. Mont
gomery, M. w. May, j. G. Mil
Ter, A. G. B. Mccullough, S. B.
Newman, G. w. Poets, S. R.
Purtle, W, J, Sudduth.
Judge PowelI's Charge.
Gentlemen of the Grand Jury:
Under the laws of the State it
is the duty of the court, at each
succeeding term of the court, to
give you a charge, something
touching your duty as guardians
of the county. | am glad to
know that the good county of Lin
coin always gives us good grand
iuries. If there was ever in the
history of county that it needed
the reputation of having law-abid-
ing citizens, this is the county and
now is the time. There was a
time in the history of the State
when counties like this were
known as "piney woods eoun-
ties" and it was a sort of re-
proach to live in this section of
the State. The other counties
rather looked down on them.
Piney woods counties have come
t 0 the front and have come to
stand as the most prosperous sec
ton of the State. What you need
to develop the country is capital
and skilled labor, and it won't
come into our midst when secur-
ity of life and property are not
guaranteed by the government.
Now that the county is beginning
to prosper, you ought to be able
to say that it is. a Iaw-abiding,
peaceable, God-fearing communi-
| ty.
l am told that since the last
term of court there have been
seven graves made in Lincoln
county from violence. 1t is time,
it seems to me for the good peo-
pie of the county to come to the
rescue and put a stop to this
crime. You have many good PEG.
pie, but you have also some VIC
lent men and these the law should
reach. When man is disturbed
in the enjoyment of his rights il
is time for the good people to
come to the front and see that the
lawful citizen is protected. ]
thought about your good when
we made clean sweep of crimes
in your county, and that we would
have a good county from then or
that we would have no more
murders and no more killings.
But it seems we have not done
enough. There is something yet
to be done. You have to teach
the unlawful citizen that you are
able to take care of the bet ter pee
pie of the county. 1t devolves
upon you, gentlemen, as lovers
and protectors of the community
in which you live that there is q
better state of affairs and better
county as far as law-abiding cit
liens are concerned. You, gentle
men, are the only ones to whom
the people have to look for pro
lection. Unless the grand jury
first presents him no man who has
been charged with felony can be
brought to justice. The justice OF
the peace can do nothing but bind
them over to you and it is up to
you to punish. No man is so big
that the long arm of the law can:
not reach him, and no man is SC
low that the law cannot protect
him. You hold the higest Office in
the gift of the people,. You are
representatives of the aw-abiding
citizens of this community. This
is not my court. l am only tenn
porarily, you might say accident
ally, placed at the head of it. 1t
is the peoples court-your court
it is given over to you, the rep
resentatiyes of the people, who
look to you to see that this court
is a success. There is nothing
more contemplate than man
who would accept such an office,
who would sit upon the grand
jury, and fail to indict the man
simply because he was afraid.
Then there is the man, who, be-
cause of the temporary power
placed in his hands would indict
a man simply because he was an
enemy. You must look. solely
to the good of the community and
divest yourself of all personal feel
ing. "Hew to the line, let the
chips fall where they may. "
There are good grand juries in the
county of Lincoln, but there are
some bad men here, as bad as any
I know of in the State. Enforce
the law and stop this lawlessness
in the community.
I am told, gentlemen, that we
have gambling in this community,
particularly in this town. The
negro crap shooter we have al
ways with us, and this crap shoot
u. L. e