The Savannah morning news., 1902-11-14
FAREWELL ADDRESS
JUDGE sPEER ON BEHALF OF THE
PUBLIC,
THANKED THE GRAND JURORS.
FOREMAN J. j. M'DONOUGH MADE
HAPPY REPLY.

Grand Jury Returned Six Indict-
Ments-AII Except One Against
White Men. Who Gave Bond to APP
pear at February Term-The Me-
gro, Jim Council. Tried and Ser
fenced to Five Years in Peniten-
tiary-Distrfct Attorney Character
lied the Accused as n Monumental
Liar-Whereupon Defendants At
tOrney Moved for Mistrial-Pe-
tit Jurors Also Discharged.
Practically all of the business before
the United States District Court and
Circuit Courts has been disposed of,
the grand and petit jurors having been
discharged yesterday. The court will
be convened this morning. after which
Judge SDeer will receive Gov Kim
ball and other invited guests. To-mor-
row morning the court will adjourn to
meet again in February
In discharging the jurors yesterday
Judge SDeer took occasion to thank
them for their services to the court.
Addressing himself to the grand jur-
ors the court said that he was willing
" bCAlENNs do Nilt ulSLilCL dbtOlllGJ ldQ
expressed it, that their body had done
magnificently. He said that the con-
scientious application of the grand
jurors to their duty in years past was
responsible for the infrequent commits
sion of crime in the community.
Splendid Record.
Since l have been judge-and that
has been nearly eighteen years. must
confess" said the court, Il have never
known the ends of justice to have been
defeated by a failure of the United
States grand jury to indict when it
was their duty to do so. l have never
known of an instance where the grand
jurors were derelict in the perform
ance of the duties assigned to them"
Foreman j. j. McDonough, on be-
half of the grand jury, expressed to
the court the apprecia ton of that body
of the courtesies shown them. He
thanked the court for the able charge
delivered at the opening of court, say
ing that his words had inspired them
in the performance of their duties.
Indictments Returned in Court.
The grand jury, as forecasted in the
Morning News, returned six indict-
ments. The names of the accused, to-
gether with their respective offenses,
were published yesterday in the Morn
ing News. All of those indicted except
Jim Council, colored. charged with
burglariZing a postoffice at Fly, gave
bond, and their cases were continued
over until the next term of court.
Council pleaded guilty, but when ques-
toned by the court made a statement
which caused the court to refuse the
acceptance of the plea and appoint
counsel.
Mr.. w. w. Gordon, Jr., was appoint
ed by the court to defend the negro,
after consultation with his client, en-
tered a plea of not guilty. The trial,
if the testimony adduced be alone con-
sidered, was a rema rkable one. The
statement of the prisoner was in every
important particular as different from
that of the governments witness as is
the garish day from murky night.
Some one had lied, and the jury
promptly decided that the negro had.
Monumental Liar.
So positive was the district attorney
that the accused was constitutionally
opposed to telling the truth that he
characterized him as a monumental
liar, in his argument to the jury.
Whereupon counsel for Council asked
that miStrial be declared. The court,
however, did not sustain the motion,
District Attorney Alderman explaining
that he was not expressing any pri-
vate opinion, but merely stating what
the evidence showed. There were few
in the court room whose opinions did
not coincide with that of the district
attorney, and there is little doubt that
Council himself had a few mental RESI-
ervations on the subject.
*
maximum sentence of five years in
the penitentiary on the prisoner. This
case was the last of the Jail cases. Di-
rectly after its completion the court
discharged the petit jurors with thanks
for the services they had rendered