The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1906-04-20
Eotal ano persr mal.
The Circuit Court.

The following cases have Deen trleu
since our last report:
State vs. Fetch Chase. Indicted for
larceny. Tried by jury. Verdict Of
not guilty. Magruder for State and H.
w. Wells and G. B. Merrick for prisoner
State VS.. Frank Smith. Indicted for
carrying concealed weapons. Plea OF
guilty confessed and prisoner paroled
Merrick for prisoner. Magruder for
State.
State VS.. Grant Smith. Indicted for
larceny, Plea of guilty confessed and
sentenced to years in the Maryland
House of Correction. Magruder for
State Rogers for prisoner.
State VS. Llewlyn Gross. Indicted for
larceny. Plea of not guilty confessed by
the State.
State VS.. R. J. Shreve, Jr., and Geo
Sullivan. Indicted for assault, Costs
paid bv defendants and plea of not guilty
confessed by the State.
Court adjourned Wednesday.
The Grand Jury, which had beer i'll
session 10 days, adjourned on Thursday
of last week, after making the following
report:
To the Homo, able Judges ofthe Circuit Court
for Prince Geo ge's County:
We, the grand jurors for the April term
of your Court, hereby respectful ly report
that we have been in session for ten days
and have examined i43 witnesses, have
found so presentments, so indictments
and have dismissed for various reasons
II cases.
Nineteen const ables have been before
u.s. two on attachments for failure to re
port in time fl, W of whom knew OF any
violations of law in their respective dis
tricts. La the examination of these or
ficers and from reports made by these
men, peace and good order prevail at an
unusual extent. In some OF the districts
there are no constables and in some 9th
ers, from the unsatisfactory statements
made by Ulcers reporting to US, there
might as we'll be none. In one district
constable reported that he knew OF no
violations of law, and yet in that district
for offenses committed therein nearly
twenty prescntments were found. Que
constable was before US who had been III
or near the Court House for day or two,
but was so under the influence of liquor
that he was compelled to return home
and get sober enough to appear before
this body.
From reports made to US and from ad
missions Of the fficer himself, we are
compelled to recommend TO the County
Commissioners the summary removal OF
Constable r. A Shreve, ST., of Bladens-
burg district, on the charge Of drunken
ness
v e suggest to the County Commission
ers that more care be excl clsed Ia the APP
pointment of constables, and that only
men of known good habits be appointed
to this important Office.
We respectfully suggest to your Honors
that change be made Ill the method of
summoning witnesses before the Court.
1t is, as your HonOrS are aware, the
practice to summon Almost the entire list
of witnesses before the Grand Jury on the
first day of the term, and as 1t is 7mpossl-
BILE to hear all the witnesses present Oh
the first day, or even the second day, they
come from day to day and III many In
stances do not get before the Grand Jury
for several days An illustration of this
came To our attention where four wit
nesses in d case were in Attendance four
days before they got into the grand jury
room, thus entalling an expense on the
county of $l6. when they should only
have been paid 81 We would suggest
that only those witnesses he summoned
for the first day who are held under re-
cogniZance for their appearance
on that day The Grand Jury
should meet, organize, visit the Jail and
examine the witnesses whose presence
was imperative on the first day, and then
decide upon the witnesses required on the
succeeding days and have them summon
ed. By this method business would be
expediated and money saved to the tax
payers
The attention of the Grand Jury was
called to case in which it was alleged
that a man had been tried over the tele-
phone by Justice of the Peace. Upon
examination of witnesses, and from the
docket IF the Justice, copy of the entry
being hereto annexed, it appears that
man was arrested by Constable and a
Deputy Sheriff for selling liquor on Sun
day. The warrant was sworn out before
a Justice in Hyattsvil!e, twelve miles
from the place where the violation Of the
law occurred Instead of taking the
prisoner to the nearest Justice. (and there
were two within two miles,) the officers
about o'clock at night, insisted upon
taking him to Hyattsville. Rather than
travel this distance at night, the accused
said he was guilty and asked that the Off
GERS accept the fine and costs. Tue Jus
tice was called up over the telephone and
after the accused had plead guilty, the
Justice told him he could pay fine and
costs, amountingt to $102 %, to the off
GERS, which was done, as per receipt here
with The officers paid the Justice $50
and his costs and retained $50 as the in
formers fee. While we d. not believe
there was any guilty intent on the part of
Justice and officers, ~ there was tr'a
of the case, we suggest that the Jus'l'e
and officers he RI CURED t. pay The money
received irto Court. aid that the accused
be brought before a Justice and regularly
tried. Such irregularities should not be
permit, ed and this body strongly CON
dennis the action ofthe "ff sers ,ncerned
in this Csc The officers referred to are
Deputy Sheriff Raybold and Constable
T. H Garrison
W. visi Ell the Jail and submit a special
report upon It's Col dition, suggested bv a
report made by the County health Officer
at our request.
A committee eff our body vi>i,e the
Aims Bou-e. who's Ielert il hereto at
tached In this 60 IneciiDn we desire TO
C. Ill attention to tho method # iuIng bu,
mess at this il sti'ution. Upon al eX uni
nation of the vouchers paid by the Cuun-
ty Commissioners, the approval of
the Aims House Trustees, no itemized
statement accompanies them, showing in
deiail tie amount or quantity Of the arti
Giles furnished. We also find that there