Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1907-04-18
Judge Clouds Charge to the Wataugs
County 6rand Jury4in 1877.

The following article credited
to the Piedmont Press and print
ed in the Danbury Reporter Nov.
/, 1877, was reprinted in the For
sythe County News, ofrecent date
will doubtless be Of interest to
many Of our county people:
Judge Cloud in his charge to
the Grand Jury at Watauga
court, said: Gentlemen of the iu-
ry: am glad to be with you in
the good old county OF Watauga.
The law requires that the grand
jury be composed of good men of
moral character who have paid
their tax. We can have no assur-
ance that the grand jury will per-
form their duty unless it is COM
posed Of moral character men.
You have got q pretty county
and should feel proud Of it. Not
because you havemountains and
hills, covered with pretty ivy and
beautiful rhododendron, and not
- -
because the sparkling rivers and
creeks 60 coursing down the hill
sides and through the grass-cov-
cred valleys. No, not these but
you have a pretty country be-
cause you havegood citizens. The
county is much indebted to the
grand jury and other officers of
the law for it's character. They
give tone to the country. Go in
to a county where the jury do
not perform their duty and that
will be spoken of as a bad place.
Why, my dear sirs, they W II
talk about it a hundred miles off
$50 they will. Laws are intended
to regulate society. You are q
good looking set OF men. Y o u
zee, if the grand jury does not do
it's duty the laws cannot proper
II be administered, All the people
in Watauga look very well. Ev-
cry man is bound and necessari-
" compelled to fulfil the laws. No
person has protection for life or
property except which the law
gives, therefore it should be re-
spected. All, yes, but it's mighty
hard to respect some Of the laws
made by the last drum head Leg
islature docking toward the late
representatives, If there were no
laws the big strong men would
do just what they pleased with
all the little and weak men. The
good character Of you jurors de-
pends upon the way in which you
perform your duty during this
court. 1t is creditable to Watau-
ga county that you have such q
small docket. Only about A ca
ses on the State docket and 81
on civil docket. This speaks we'll
for the county. This is the small
est county in circuit. Why, down
yonder in Rowan or Surry coun-
ty it is four times that much.
Here we do not have but o n Q
week court, according to th a t
know-it-all Legislature; but when
we get down here to toSparta-yes,
Sparta, stop right thar now, for
that name has got to be chang
ed. You see. down in Allegheny.
That's the tail end Of the whole
thing. I'll tell 'em all about it
when ! get down there. Well,
down there they have two weeks
court. Now l want to caution
you against t this. No man or law
yer takes acception to it.
When you see two Legislatures
taking sides with each other you
may know that there is something
wrong. Now / want to tell you
q b o u t illegal voting. This is
wrong. Down in my county (Sur-
ry) there we're two men, Dobson
and Brewer, candidates for CON-
missioners; the one on our side
claimed that he was elected, and
the Democrat claimed that he was
elected. Don't you see there was
Illegal votes? One proved that
the other had received 80 fraudu
LENT votes. and the other nrnved