The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-16
FOR ; CHANGE
OF VENUE.
General Assembly Enacts spe-
ti cial Law to Save to State En-
penses il Trials.
HITS THE ROANOKE CASE
10 Protect Women From Ordeal
\ Of Publicly Tcstifying-Thc
Oyster Debate.

u 1.-THE General Assembly sat for two and
H8a, half hours yesterday. the time of the
/; 81Iouse being consumed In further DIS
c,,ssion OF the Jordan bill to break the
EFBayor survey OF the oyster grounds ana
ESlense barren and depleted area WITHIN
II the bounds of the present survey. LIZ.
HVCbarles Smith. of Northampton, deliver
H&ed n brief, but earnest, protest against
h the passage OF the bill, and Mr.. Stubbs
@ngain spoke at length and in n rather
\ gsevere manner concerning members OF
fstht proposed Joint committee. lie ut
4 tackled the bill vigorously. but adduced
STno new argument against the mea sure.
rs Mi. i. NJ. Lewis also opposed the pas
NJ sage Of the bill. The House VIII meet
iSat 10 Al NJ. to-day in order to give 1ul>
ther time for debate on tie biii pel ore
f&dtaking vote on It's passage ".sAAEo'
&SP. NJ.
SSsSfl There were offered IN the Senate and
i$tSnasscl by both houses as emergency
Willis two measures having reference 10
S8tYthe crime OF criminal assault and relat.
EBSin,. to the trial of perpetrators one OF
s4Sthese provides for taking the testimony
Faof the prosccutrix or victim privately,
S8tnG the other for Change of venue on
RRlnotion of the prisoner of the attorney
F95for the Commonwealth. Both were pass
Ned and signed In both houses and sent
54Sto the Governor and by him signed.
itsas9s5The flood OF new bills continued, half
#B:A dozen being offered in the Senate ana
s;seven in the House. All were reietreu.
Perhaps the most interesting was one
Sotiered by Mr.. Thomson, of this city, 10
8Sretluce the license tax OH retail Liquor
85-dcalers, and to relieve bottlers OF matt
ESliquors from the payment OF tho whole
#salu liquor license.
@8 Mr.. Gray, OF Flrvaina, offered bill
ri eatly enlarsing the powers OF Justices
#of the peace and making them almost
ESeuual in powers with Judges
The Senate.
s3sSsThe feature Of the session of the Sen
II ate was the action and discussion by
3s1hat body Of the two bills having refer
Fence particularly TO the crime OF Henry
~. illiams and its punishment. There
were two bills. one designed to shield
women, victims of criminal assailants,
ssfrom having to testify publicly IN
@icrowded court room the other au-
Mihorlzing change of Venue, either on mo-
S81ion Of the prisoners counsel or tho
Sattcrney for the Commonwealth. Both
These bills were passed and communicated
Ito the House passed by that BODY, sign
@ ed by the presiding officers Of the two
E$approved them in the afternoon
Is# Several other bills on the calendar were
RI advanced, but no others passed. sec
fond session had to be held for the sign
ling OF the two emergency bills referred
fgGto
# Senator wickham. presiding pro tenn
&; ore, again called the Senate to order
t3tSyesterday in the absence OF the Lieu
Tenant Governor.
3# The Committee for Courts OF Justice
H58reported favoraby Tho House bill to al
83EloN notaries public to qualify before
sgccurt clerks.
M The Anderson bill proposing an appro-
4 priation of $4,000 for the construction
F OF q heat light and power plant for the
a State buildings. was, on that senator's
motion. made a special order for Feb
/ ruary 2od Mt 1890 P. NJ Meanwhile the
81 Capitol enlargement bill will have been
III disposed of ut that time.
3839 Mr.. Kcezell, chairman of the Com
n.ittee for Public Institutions and Edu-
f cation. asked for five days leave of
u absence for the members of that commit
tB&ta4 who will tomorrow start on tour
III Of the State hospitals. The leave was
l4granted. !. =
PROTECTION OF EEM.xLE WIT
NE$SES.
@ The Senate bill known as the Machen
I9 bill, to provide for taking dispositions Of
Il. assault was called up out of it's order by
H Senator Anderson, who directed attention
Ito the Importance Of passing the bill
I4H now, so that it may be applicable to the
Roanoke case. He spoke with some ieel-
s5% ing of the trial of the negro there.
I Mr.. McIwainc, of Petersburg, expressed
#s sympathy with the object of the BILL
H hut denounced the perpetrators of crimes
h that made ii necessary for women to have
81 to testify publicly in such cases
S6-A Mr. Sadler OF Powhatan, declared his
I'D sympathy with the purpose of the bill,
sin So far as 1t sought TO protect d prose-
Fcutrix In n criminal assault case from
public scrutiny while giving testimony,
H@ hut intimated that the bill, rs drawn,
81. was too broad, and would prevent the
Il effect on the jury Of the testimony of
h other female witnesses than the prose-
FL cutrix He favored guarding the prosecu-
4 tri1 from publicity while giving her tes-
Htimony, but believed that the bill should
I stop there.
= Mr.. Phlegar took the same view and
the bill WAS amended so as to provide for
Il taking the testimony of the prosecutrix
II On private, and only hers, The bill, as
amended, was passed and ordered to be
r. communicated to the House
CHANGE OF VENUE
The other bill was one offered by Mr.
Phlegar, providing for change OF venue
vi In capital cases. The bill was offered
VI as an emergency measure, the committe
GA was discharged from its consideration
IN the reading was dispensed with, the bill
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