The leader., 1905-07-22
ENFORCING THE yAGRANT LAW
AGAINST DERELlCT OFFICIALS.

o. that county and the policemen
of Meridian to account for their
failure to enforce the vagrant
law.
Sheriff .. r. Temple, Deputy
Sheriff Dick Hare, Chief Of Police
VIM. N. Bludworth, each mem
Der Of the Meridian police force
and Constables Parker Culpepper
and H K. Foster, have been in
dicted by the 1auderdale County
grand jury which has, almost
daily, been furnishing sensation
to the public since the beginning
of its deliberations two and a
half weeks ago.
The indictments are made re-
turnable at the October term of
the Circuit Court.
The charge against the above
officers of the city and county is
failure to furnish certain infor-
nation as required by the new
vagrant law Of 1904.
The violation charged against
the parties indicted is explained
in section 2 of the above law as
follows:
'sIt shall be the duty of every
deputy sheriff and CON
stable in every county, and of
the police, town marshal, deputy
marshals and other like Officials
IN every county, city, town or
village in the state TO give infor
nation under oath to any officer
empowered to issue criminal war
rants, of all vagrants within his
knowledge, or whom they have.
good reason to suspect as being
in their respective
cities. towns and vii
lagos; thereupon the said officer
shall issue a warrant for the
of the person al
legged to be yagrant. Z
The punishment attached to the
violation BIZ the separate
oihcers is provided for in section
8 of the act in these words:
ssIf any of the officers named
ID section 2 shall fail, refuse or
neglect to preform the duties
threin required, he shall be guilty
ofa misdemeanor and shall be
punished by a fine Of not less
than S25, nor more than 500.
Section 10 provides that the
Circuit Court shall have CON
current jurisdiction to try all
cases arising under the act, and to
impose the same fines, penalties
and to require the giving of bonds
as required therein and prosecu-
tions under said act may be be-
gun by indictment by the grand
jury.
It will be noticed that section
2 of the yagrant law makes it the
duty of sheriffs, constables,
town marshals and police officers
to give information under oath to
any officer empowered to issue
criminal warrants of all va
grants within their knowledge,
OR WHOM THEY HAVE GOOD
REASON TO SUSPECT AS BE
ING VAGRANTS IN their re-
spective counties, I" etc.
In this connection, and in con.
nection with what Gov. Varda.
man says so forcibly and truth.
fully in another column of today s
paper about the dereliction Of
officers enforcing the laws
against yagrants and blind-ti-
The Leader specifically calls the
attention Of all county and mu
nicipal officers having iurisdic
tion in the matter and all good
citizens Of Brookhaven and Lin
coin couny to this important sub
ject.
The vagrant law not onlS
makes idlers and loafers anf
persons with no visible means d
support or regular Legitimate
employ nent subject to prosecu
tion and conviction, but II de-
clares every blind tiger. gam
bier and prostitute 4 Yagrant
Neither does the fact that . per
son has been actually convicted
of gambling or Of selling liquol
under the liquor laws, exempi
him from conviction and punish
|1nent as 4 vagrant, under tht
provisions of the vagrant
ia the lime light Of what is alb