Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1905-09-21
cosf Of couRrs.
What Criminal Cases Have
Cost this County.

What Criminal Cases HavG
Cost this County.
In Diminishing the jury for the
term, Judge Steele gave . general
review Of the work Of the district
court 10 criminal cases, which the
FREE PREss believes will be Of
interest to the taxpayers Of the
county.
Judge Steele stated that he be.
lieved every taxpayer in the com.
munity had the right to all the
light possible upon the manner in
which any public Office was con-
Quoted, and that the courts of the
country were required by law to
have their proceedings In public
with the object in view of giving
~ much information as possible
and al the publicity possible to the
courts proceedings.
During the seven years which
he had been upon the bench the
expenses for holding court in Idaho
county had been between four and
six thousand dollars per annum,
except for the present year, and
that the expenses for the present
year would be about tho sum Of
$500: that the expenses of the
February term Of the present year
we're about $500, and that for the
term just closing the expenses
reached the sum of about $4,000.
That the sole and only reason for
the February term being 40 small
was on account OF the fact that
there WAS not q single criminal
case to be tried, while at the pres
emit term two homicide cases have
been tried. In all criminal cases
the state must pay the per diem not
only of the Witnesses for the state
and their mileage but those for the
defense as we'll; and that in homi-
eide cases the defense ~ we'll AZ
the prosecution were entitled to 60
many more challenges than in
other criminal cases (the defense
being entitled to ten peremptory
challenges in such cases and the
state to fve) that IL always neces-
states . special ~venire, and that
this additional expense. together
with the mileage Of the jurors was
what caused the expenses Of trying
homicide cases to be % great; that
during the past xix years prior to
1906 there had not been . year but
what one or more homicide cases
were tried In Idaho county; that
during the past seven years there
had been seventeen arrests made
for homicide in this county, only
ten Of which the committing magis-
trate had bound the accused person
over to the district court for trial,
seven having been released by the
magistrate; that out Of the ten
cases 60 tried in that time five
were convicted and Ave acquitted.
Judge Steele stated tnat however
great m effort the court officials
might make to uphold and enforce
the law, and however much they
might manifest such . disposition,
that the sentiment Of the commun-
ity expressed and manifested in
unfolding the laws was of great
aid in suppressing crime and in
aiding the court officials to bring
about . proper respect for the law.
stated that 10 no county had
such fact been more clearly demon
strated than in Idaho county,
where the community determined
to stop the stealing Of live stock,
and gave soyths court and the
court officials the strsngth OF the
assurance that the community was
in harmony with q desire for the
strict enforcement of the law
against such offenders, and gave to
al persons disposed to commit such
crimes to 50 understand. That
this manifestation Of interest upon
the part Of the citizens had no
pervaded every community
until il WAS we'll understood and
by all, and had, together
with the enforcement Of the law BY
The court in firmly enforcing
trials and giving weighty
punishment to those found guilty
BY the jury, caused . cessation Of
such crimes 10 such an extent thst
1t the preceding term OF court
there was not . criminal case upon
the calendar Of any kind or nature,
md that at neither Of the two last
berms was there . single case for
the stealing Of live stock in Idaho
county.
That during the seven years Of
bis incumbency about one hundred
had been sentenced to
the penitentiary in the district,
and of these between forty md
fifty Of such cases had been
appealed and the record laid before
HE appellate court, and in but two
was il found necessary to
nave . retrial Of such cause in the
district court.
The court must be particularly
,areful Of the record in criminal
:auses for the reason that the