The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-05-16
THE GRAND JURY
REPORT SUBMITTED TO HIS
HONOR, JUDGE MURFF.
SUNDAY LAW VOL ATOMS
Disregard ofrthe Prohibition Iaw-Dif-
ficult to Secure Evidence Sufficient to
Convict-A Suggestion to the Police
Department.

The following is the report of the
grand jury handed the court at I &C
o'clock today:
Shreveport, La, May 10, 1907.
70 the Honorable A. J. Murff, Judge of
the First District Court:
We, your grand jury, beg leave to
make the following report: We have
examined I41 cases, found 81 true bills,
ignored 60 cases, and continued s for
further evidence. Our Investigations
have led us through the usual charac-
ter of cases.
We regret to learn that the habit Of
carrying concealed weapons throughout
the parish seems to diminish but little,
yet all the cases that have been present
ed TO us involving the infraction of this
law are about equal in number to those
that have been presented to our prede-
cessors during the last sittings of the
grand iuries.
1t is very rgrettable to lis that there
|is an inclination on the part of some
engaged in the liquor traffic in the city
of Shreveport to return to the habit of
violating the Sunday law. We note
from the report of the last grand jury
that there was not single Indictment
returned by that body for the violation
of this law and that that grand jury
commented upo nthis fact. However,
our investigation shows that there has
been deliberate return to the former
habit of selling liquor on Sunday by sew
eral of the saloons in Shreveport. We
have returned four indictments for the
violation OF this law, and whereas we
are perfectly satisfied that these parties
are not the only offenders against this
law, yet they are the only cases in which
we were able to secure sufficient legal
evidence upon which to base the finding
Of an indictment. We examined about
seventy-hve witnesses on this question
with the result above stated. We would
SHSSCot ~ pOii1C uSpditiiSht tDdt
they be more active in the enforcement
of this law We desire to state that
such evidence as we have had was fur
nshed us from various outside sources
and that none of the evidence that was
presented to lis was furnished by the
police department.
The violation of the prohibition laws
of the parish have been numerous and
persistent. As in the case of violation
of the Sun lay law, it is very difficult
to secure sufficient evidence to return
indictments in all eases where we have
felt that the laws have been violated.
However, we found seventeen indict-
ments upon this character of violations
Of law. We earnestly recommend that
all officers of the law use their every eff
fort to bring to justice the three classes
Of violators which we have made spe-
cial mention of in this report, as we
find that the graver crimes are in many
cases the result of the violation of these
laws.
We have examined the Jail and find
the same in clean and sanitary condi-
ton and the prisoners well cared for.
We notice a matter of minor detail and
that is that some of the hamnocks
which the prisoners use are not in re-
pair and should either be repaired or
replacs5
We desire to thank the district attor-
ney. Mr.. ]. M. Foster, and Deputy Sher-
# Gamblin for valuable assistance rem
dered us in the discharge of our duties.
Having no further business before us
at this time, we respectfully ask to be
dismissed.
Z. R. LAWHON, Foreman.