The Savannah morning news., 1902-03-04
HIS FIRST CHARGE
JUDGE BARROW LAID DOWN THE
LAW TO GRAND JURY.
MINISTERS LISTENED TO 1T.
REFORMATORY QUESTION WITH
THE PEOPLE.

Direct an Election Through the
County Commissioner for an ''In-
dustriaI Farm''-Its Purposes
Provided by Legislative Enact
ment-The Grand Jury's and So
IicitOr Generals Duties in Crimi-
nal Prosecutions Deaned-Gam-
bling Referred to as the Deadly
Upas Tree" of Society-t should BE
Rooted Out, said Judge Barrow.
There was an unusual interest in
the converting of the spring term of the
Superior Court yesterday. 1T was the
first time Judge Barrow had presided
at the converting of a term and there
was a special interest in his charge
to the grand jury. Half a dozen of
the leading ministers of the city rep
1'esenting the Ministers Association
We're present by invitation, among
them Rev. Bascom Anthony of Trinity
Church, Rev. John d. Jordon of the
First Baptist Church, Rev. w. P.
McCorkle of the First Presbyterian
Church, Rev. w. A. Nisbet of the
Westminster Church, Rev. Ed E.
Cook of Wesley Monmuntal Church,
and Rev. c. A. jackson of Grace
Church. The Court room was filled
with spectators.
Thirty-six grand jurors answered TO
their names and from these the grand
jury was chosen as follows:
Wellington w. Starr, Frank F.
Jones, Anderson w. Carmichael, George
A. Gregory, Thomas j. Davis, Aaron
Ferst, John ]. Cummings, Andres E.
Moynelo, Henry J. Sutcliffe, w. D.
Simkins. Arthur R. Launey, William
II. Adams, George B. Pritchard, Oliver
t. Bacon, John ]. Carolan. Frederick
L. Cooper, William F. Scherff, George
W. Dwelle, John Lyons, John F. Kol-
lock, Robert K. Bragdon, Armdn B.
Palmer, Benjamin H. Levy.
The grand jury organized by the
election of w. w. Starr foreman and
G.. A. Gregory secretary.
Judge Barrow's charge covered
the usual questions which the law
requires shall be brought to the atten-
ton of grand juries, among
other things an oversight of
the countys civil affairs
and an inspection of its public build
THE convict camp" said Judge Bar
row, lis special object of your care
and attention, and while l am upon
the subject | call your attention to the
necessity for a reformatory for juve-
nile criminals. The language used by
your predecessors in this respect is
this: Very young prisoners are found
quartered with older prisoners, and it
is recommended that a change in this
respect be made. In the opinion of
the grand jury the county should have
a reformatory where young criminals
can be confined, and it is recommend
ed that the County Commissioners
submit this matter to a vote of the
people,
Personally" said Judge Barrow, that
recommendation was very gratifying
to me. A few days after l was APP
pointed Judge 1 had occasion to visit
the county convict farm. A messen-
ger was sent for and came to me in the
person of a child-a little thing appar-
emily not more than II or 10 years old,
perhaps older-but in size and appear
ance undoubtedly a child-a child in
mind, too. Think of a child confined
with numbers of hardened, confirmed,
desperate criminals addicted to all the
vices of which human nature is sus-
ceptible. l inquired how many such
children were confined there, and l was
told that there was quite a number.
Immediately upon my return to the
city l saw the foreman of the grand
jury and told him what 1 had seen
and that it ought not to last, and if
could help it, it would not last another
term of the court. I added that the
confinement of Juvenile criminals
children-in the same place with the
most corrupting of all influences, with
old hardened criminals-was a disgrace
to any community, and while perhaps
we might not be able to make them
better, we certainly ought not to put
them in a place where they would be
made worse than when they went
there. / called upon the chairman of
the Committee on the Convict Farm,
and gave him an account of what l
saw, and when the grand jury next
met the presentment of the grand jury
was adopted.
ut is unnecessary, in order to put
the machinery into operation, for you
to do more than to indorse, if you
think proper to do so, the recommended
ton made by the last grand jury. The
language of the act of 1898 is: When
ever the grand jury of any county in
this state having a population of 3d.
600, shall recommend the establish
ment of a "reformatory prison for
the confinement punishment and
reformation of misdemeanor convicts
under 16 years of age, belonging to
said county, the ordinary of such
county shall call an election to be held
to decide whether such "reformatory
prison shall be established"
LAS a matter of course, in a county
where there are County Commission
ers, they act in place of the ordinary.
So it seems to me that it is now the
duty, without any further action, of
the County Commissioners to call an
election and let the people of Chat
ham county settle the question wheth-
err or not they will have a reforma tory.
Since 1898 the Legislature has changed
the name of reformatory prison to
Industrial Farm" and has provided
that none of those Juvenile criminals,
who are now on the changing. shall
be transferred to an industrial farm,
and none who have been among har-
dened criminals shall be sent there.
In other words, the Legislature has
taken every precaution it can to
quarantine the youthful criminal
against the infection of the nests of
hardened criminals in convict camps.
THE county business of a grand
jury" said Judge Barrow, sis a crea-
ton of comparatively recent statutes,
but the jurisdiction of grand juries over
criminal laws found it's origin at Run
nymede.
THE probabilities. he said. ARE that
the grand jury will find the county
business in very good condition.
In n cbaroe 70 Grin, in oil ~ 4o.o