The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-07-05
OFFICIALS ALMOST
 DESERT CAPITOL Fourth Was Generally Observed
 in Montgomery UNUSUAE' CHARGE TO JURY Judge Thomas Says Life Is Held In Too Little Regard In Alabama.
 Many Jurors PerIure
 Themselves.
UNUSUAr CHARGE TO JURY
BY HERvEY w. LAIRD.

1 Montgomery, July (Special)-The people of the capital city spent today for the most part in a patriotic way doing as little work as possible and al- lowing clerks and employees generally a holiday. Banks were closed and the postofhce observed Sunday hours. There were races at Riverside park. baseball at Oak park, and a barbecue at Pickett 1 Springs
 ] State officers were for the most part away from their offices. Acting Gov ernor Cunningham spent the day at Tus- caoosa, and Private Secretary Jackson was at home with his family. Recording Secretary to the Governor Screws held down the office most of the morning Secretary of State McDavid and Chief Clerk Sexton were out when The Age Herald correspondent called, and Deputy Insurance Commissioner Harry R. Short erfs yet in the hospital. State Treasur- CT Smiths desk was locked, and Audi tor Sowell found time to chat with visi- tors on the big portico.
 Railroad Commission.
 
 department of archives and history, "shut up shop absolutely, and virgel Griffin announced that the regular month I ly meeting of the railroad commission was continued to tomorrow. State Super intendent of Education Hill left last night for St. Louis, and Chief Clerk liar " c. Gunnells said nothing doing. Att | closed and there is a suspicion that he spent the day on his farm near the 1 city.
 The supreme court seemed to be doing business, though Justices Sharpe and Dowdell did not get in until late. Gen. R. F. Ligon, clerk, and his assistant, MT Green, were busy during the forenoon, and Secretary McCord pounded his Remington most of the early hours in an effort to get copied some decisions. Examiner William F. Feagin of the edu- cational department kept open house for while, though both offices of the con vict department were closed at Il o'clock | ''All out was the response at the offices of the commissioner of agriculture and state health department, and Clerk Me- Iver looked surprised when asked for news and vouchsaved no reply luther l than Fourth of July"
 Governors Mansion. | There seems no reason in the world to expect that a governors mansion will be vide more adequate accommodations at l vide more adequae accommodations at the capitol The act appropriating $150000 for capitol improvement and stipulatng who shall disburse it, expressly states 1 that no part of such appropriation is to | be used for a governors mansion, or a | nla of acid for 9fa fa aff al
 Acting Governor Cunningham, who is president of the capitol improvement com mission said Saturday that so far as he knew there was no intention on the part of the commission to consider such movement especially in the face of statu- tory exhibition.
 Thomas to Grand Jury.
 In his charge to the grand jury of the criminal court today Judge w. H. Thomas gave utterance to the following advice:
 "The juror who gives ear to the defen- dent or to the friends of broken law, or lends his aid to prevent a bill when it 1 should be found, or wilfully lets fall hint or token that a bill Is sought or has been found before the arrest of the de- fendant, is wicked perjurer.
 The fact that lawlessness begets law lessness has ever been recognized by the
 
 is said that in Chicago a citizen commit tee recommended that every citizen carry a revolver, in violation of law and to be- | come proficient in the use of 1t, in order to save themselves from the thugs by | which the city was infested. A condition | in which every man must act his own policeman is anarchy. A community be- | lieving this to be necessary must admit it's governing bodies are powerless or that the officials are corrupt. Of the 1900 lynchings occurring in the United States during the last twelve years. 1200 were for murder and other causes, than that of criminal assault. showing large depart ure from the first moving cause. and one that has included women among the un- fortunate victims If these figures be sub stanually correct. they speak forcibly as to what a. disregard of the law will lead. Be assured of this, that 1t is the certainty | of punishment that will diminish crime; and the converse is equally true, that one act of lawlessness unpunished will beget ouners of a. graver tpye.
 Human life IS held in too little regard in our state. We all must condemn and punish the silly sentiment that avenges wounded honor of fancied insult with the life of it's victim; to condone it Is to place a premium on brute courage and to l cheapen human life"
 Crime In Henry. 
 For some time there has been talk of the great number of murders in Henry county and judges of recent courts have called attention to the disgrace of it. Dis cussing the subject in a recent issue, the | Abbeville Times says:
 They have been shot on the run in this county waylaid and killed in the dark, 1 and in almost every other conceivable fashion and no one has been made to | stretch grass or been punished in any way. But the viper will yet turn, some tool will kill boss and then the hangings | will begin 1t is more wonder there has not been more retaliation in the killing | business: the enforcement of the law only | will prevent such a course"
 "To He'll and Back"
 Tn the sermon at the county court house last evening, the Rev. w. D. Gay, Zionist, made a number of starting assertions, one of them being that he believed that the time would come when the lost souls