The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-10-06
NEXT GRAND JURY To
PROBE THE STOLEN
BOND CASE.
This Jury Recommends 1t. A
Serious Wrong Has Been
Done the Owner.
NOT READ OUT IN COURT
Judge Peebles Said Special Report of Grand
Jury Should Not be Made Public,
and He Did Not
Read II.

Read 1t.
The next grand jury VIII investigate Ih1
return of the stolen State bonds. The grand
jury did not investigate the matter, be J
cause the judge and the solicitor did not
feel justified in compelling Col. . {. l..
Harris to appear before the jury, as he
was engaged IN an important case at the
bar. Col. Harris, it viii be remembered,
returned the stolen bonds to j. l.. Cod
frey, acting for a client, fer a consldera-
ton of $1,000. :
The grand jury completed its work yes
terday morning and submitted its report
t. the judge while the vial OF the Hay
wood case was going on. Judge K. t..
PEBBLES suspended the frlal for a few
minutes to receive the report. When 1t
was handed up to HIM he read che first
part OF it, the stereotyped sentences about
having discharged all it's duties as re
quired by law and having examined the
county Institutions and so tortn, ana
found same IN satisfactory condition, and
then stopped, saying taat a special re
port followed which he would not READ,
as it was not of interest TO the puollc ana
should not be read III open court. so
he did not read the special report OF the
SlGIIu july IN oSoAS ~
the most important that has come to
light in this State IN a generation ana
one that is of the greatest interest to
every citizen of the State. Evidently the
judge did not know what was IN tie re-
port. or he could not have sad 1t Cid not
interest the public.
The special report, which is printed be
low in full recommends that the next
grand jury conduct a rigid examination
into the matter OF the return to J. l..
Godfrey, OF Jonesboro, of his stolen
bonds for a consideration OF $1,000 paid
into the hands of Col. j. c. l.. Harris,
Of this city, representing some client
who is said to have loaned 81 900 on
these bonds to a friend who had got into
trouble and been compelled to leave the
State.
A gentleman yesterday, commenting on
Judge PEBBLES action III not reading IN
open court the SPECIAL report OF the grand
jury, said that he had heard yesterday
m4rring for the first time III mis- life, that
q grand jury report was not OF interest
to the public.
The complete report of the grand jury
follows:
ITO Hon. Robt. B. PEBBLES, judge OF
the Superior court of Wake county: Your
grand jury has carefully considered all
matters before it and has discharged its
duties as required by law. We have eX-
mine the jail, the county home for the
aged and infirm, and work house and find
the same IN satisfactory condition. The
sureties on the guardians ponds were
carefully examined and appear to be am
pie. Many Of these bonds arc given in
surety companies and We consider this
the most desirable bond in such instances.
The books in the offices OF the Clerk
of the SI1pprl0r court and he RGPlS1 pr
OF Deeds are we'll kept.
ESPECIAL REPORT.
The grand jury conceiycs it to be its
duty to report one grave matter that
has engaged its attention and makes an
earnest recommendation to this honorable
court on the subject. The jury is IN
formed that in the year 1902 three North
Carolina State bonds, the property Of j.
l.. Godfrey, We're stolen from a safe
in the town Of Jonesboro, North Carolina.
Later developments have disclosed the
fact that these bonds have been re
turned TO said Godfrey, and, on Septem-
Der Il, 1903, the said j. L. Godfrey, in a
card published IN a newspaper IN the city
OF Raleigh, made the statement hereunto
attached, which is made q part OF this
report, to-Wit:
After the Legislature refused, as
stated in the News and Observer, TO grant
any relief, nothing whatever was heard
by Us Of the stolen bonds until nearly
three weeks ago, when my attorney here
Cat Jonesboro) received a communication
from a lawyer of Raleigh in reference
to them. On my return from Baltimore
where [ had been on a business trip
was Informed OF the matter, and imme-
diateiy went, with my attorney, to Raj
cIgh to see Mr.. J. C. l.. Harris, the Raj
GrOh aVrvpT lnfprrn1 To NNa had ~ n
interview with Mr.. Harris about four
o'clock p. m, August 5th. Mr.. Harris
declined IN advance to give any names,
and we do not to this day know whom
he represented. He stated, however. that
his client VINO was a perfectly straight
ntan0 had loaned one thousand dollars
TO a friend on these bonds, on three
months time; that the friend had got
into trouble and was compelled to leave
the State. That he CMr. Harris 'clieDt)
then tried to place the bonds and in at
tempting to do so, discovered lhat the
bonds were stolen. (Mr. Harris did not
inform us where his client had tried to
place the bonds, and who told MIN they
were stolen, but forgot to call the mat
ter to the attention OF the owners. Mr.
Harris stated to US that he had great diff
fculty IN preventing his client from
burning up the bonds when he discov.
tcu Iiicy we've SCOI6Il. buL HAVING peer
rescued from such a fate, he now, repre-
senting his client, offered them to the
owner for one thousand dollars, tho
amount claimed to rave been loaned.
II told Mr.. Harris l did not think we
ought to have to pay so much to reclaim
the property, and made hun a counter
proposition to pay $500. He said he couIG
not accept that without further instruc
items from his client, but that he would
49, -. N~,1l
Sin o'clock. We returned at the ap
pointed time and Mr.. Harris declined tt
accept less than 81 900, which fnall,
agree to pay. Mr.. Harris declined t.
part with the bonds IN return for
check. and the city banks all being closee