Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-04-18
THE CIRCUIT COURT.

In should commune TOUR uayS longer
there would be very little hope. =
THE CIRCUIT COURT. ~.
The spring term Of the circuit court
for York county was convened In York
Vile yesterday with the Hon. r. o.
Purdy presiding. and after perfecting
an organization in accordance with
the usual routine, proceeded at once
to the consideration of pending ses-
sions business, Solicitor Henry rep
resenting the state and Stenographer
McCaw taking the testimony.
The official personnel Of court, not
including the attorneys, of course, was
more than half new. This Is Judge
Purdy's first visit to Yorkville as pre-
siding Judge, and Sheriff Brown and
Clerk Tate were for the first time ini-
tiated In the regular routine Of their
court duties; but so far as could be
noticed, the machinery moved along In
its accustomed grooves as smoothly as
ever. .r
The grand ju.y was organized with
Mr. v. B. McFadden as foreman, and
including the six jurors who held over
from last year, the body is now COM
posed as follows: r. L. Scoggins, A.
F. Plexico, w. c. Mcclure, w. B. Ar
drey, v. C. stroup, w. B. Williams, W..
J. Caveny. F. r. Black, J. c. P. Boyd,
w. P. whisonant, A. B. Parks, Septi-
mus Huey, r. w. Hope, w. H. Stowe,
]. A. Forsythe, w. T. Hartness, P. T.
McNeel.
This being the first term of the year
for twelve Of the jurors, Judge Purdy
took occasion to charge the body at
length as to its duties with regard to the
affairs Of the county generally and the
conduct Of county officials especially.
He explained particularly the respon-
sibility Of the grand juror In looking
after the enforcement Of all criminal
laws, and took occasion to impress,
the Importance Of g. close con-
scientious supervision of the man
ner in which the various county ofh-
ces are administered. He took occa-
sion to emphasize the fact that the
two most important offices In the
county are those Of magistrate and
supervisor. .s-5. -; I'.a- ~ ~
The magistrate, as a rule Is but
poorly paid. and 1t Is q common thing
to find the responsibilities OF this
office in incompetent hands. The po-
sition of magistrate Is one that calls
for the very highest type of Citizen
ship. The magistrate should be a man
of education and high character. He
has in his hands to larger extent
than any other official the peace, order,
happiness and well being Of the COM
munity over which he exercises jurts-
diction, and If he does not measure UP
to his responsibilities, the community
will suffer. His honor called the at
tention of the grand jury to the fact
that the law requires magistrates to
file monthly reports with the county
treasurer as to fines collected, who
from and for what offences, ana
charged them to see to 1t that these
reports were being filed. He suggested
that II 1t should develop that any OF
the magistrates We're neglecting their
duties they should inquire as to
whether they were doing 80 from care
lessness or ignorance Of the law. II
the neglect was due to ignorance OF
the law, the magistrates should be In
formed as to their duties, but II their
neglect was due to carelessness, the
facts should be reported to the court.
The office of supervisor, his honor
said, is beyond comparison, the most
important in the county. The proper
discharge Of the duties Of this ONCE
calls for a man Of the highest order.
He should be a broad minded, well
trained business man. accustomed 70
looking after large affairs In proper
way. The people Of any county should
be more critical in the selection OF
supervisor than Of any other off1cer.
They should be careful, Of course, In
all their selections. but the supervisor
who Is charged with the responsibility
of expending the countys revenue, mas
II in his power to do more good or
more harm than any Of the others. He
advised the jurors to give especial at
tention to the affairs Of the office OF
the supervisor.
Judge Purdy took occasion to ex-
press himself In most forcible Ian
guage as to the condition Of the colin-
ty jail, not especially with reference to
this particular Jail but as to the jail sit
uation generally. He referred to the fact
that under former conditions, when
Jail sentences were common the DIM
Guilty Of proper sanitation was very
great. AS matters stand, now how
ever, with all convicts going 20 the
ckaingang or the pententiary at once,
and the inmates of the jail including
only prisoners awaiting trial with tha
presumption In favor Of their innocence,
there Is no excuse whatever for un-
sanitary jails. In fact filthy jails are
most serious reflections on our sense
Of right and justice, and discreditable
to Christian civilization. This is true,
under any circumstances, but more so
than ever under present conditions.
He charged the grand jury therefore
to make careful investigation and to
give the matter serious consideration.
After the grand jurors had been
dismissed for the consideration
of the various cases that had
been placed In their hands by the
solicitor. the clerk proceeded to call
from the sherif"s return. the venire of
petit jurors who had been drawn to
serve at this term. The following an
sWered to their names:
E. L. Barnes, ]. F. Boyd, A. c. Bal