The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-01-28
GENERAL SESSIONS COURT.
Judge Cages Charge to Grand Jury
Goodwin and Davenport Cases
Continued-Other Matters.

pI n'N!"r presiding. Solicitor Coop
cr handed out il number Of indct
mcHtS, and Judge Gage charged tn,
grand jury both as to their genera
and specific duties.
Judge Gage. in his charge TO tn;
grand jury. said there were two mat
lrr> he wanted TO talk about very
! briefly. They were related and yet
widely apart. and yet inirrlcpcndcnt
/ in IAr"r mra,i,rr. The two subjects
We're Iawl"~>nrs:i aah the public
! -@.ho"ls. Judge Ga"r said that ne had
| hurri"lly lorkrd over the calendar
for ten years, and had found that
thr prrd"minalinG offence in New
berry county was against the person.
such rs fi~hiS. brawlS ana murders.
lie had found that there had been
riity~ninr true bills for murder in
Ten years. lie had not had time to
see what disposition had been ma,l;,
of all these eases. lie waS mindful
Of The fact that The great majority
"i these had hcru committed hv ne
"r",'S up"n negroes. but The white
people were "rSpnn~ib,c for the COY
rilm"nt ct The negroes, because ihcv
administered the law. The thing Judge
''"." wanted I" impress was thai
TINS condition. "i' affairs was not con-
fined t" the county Of NrWhcrry. He
had E.l Last fall Il similar condition
IN tol!rtnu. AL last week The same
state "'' aIl'ni,> in lMur,n<. l. was
not cu1iiurl Ia lhr low country or
I" VI" ~ coumrN: II was prevalent
ihruu"hrul Inc entire State. "Thr ~
~l"m~;Ni'i,H.' -ai,| .lud"n Ga9r. lis
III YOU a"d me. II does not Mh,r,
IN ~" law. "r i'm thr administration
uT tLr Law. but in lhr hearts of Ike
Nr"rI.. tur people a> class. he
sand. have n"t the right conception
"i IT," raM,t;lN ct human life. If
~" lul res haI lir roura-c and In.
Jurors the nerve aHd the lawyers the
proper !i-ht they might rise in their
might and put down this iniuuitv.
but II would not b. put down until
tn" people had Il higher conception
"i the rm"rmlly of the sin White
women w"r" virtuou> aud white men
wrr. reasonably honest. Public syn-
lini"ni demanded il. This WAS deter
m!nrd IN The homes and in the hearts
Of the people. When men come Ia
the same conclusion in regard 10 law
lrSsnr>>- that men must stop CARRYING
pistols AMI loading themselves with
rum. and, above all. must stop tax
iny human lil'r-~whrn public Scnii-
men; demanded it. il would be stop
ped
Judge Care said he had watched
"ra@I jWrrS for thirty years. anl no
other Voice WAS 50 potent a> that
"t' a Grand jury.
they r"uld sci lhrir faces ayainS,
|; everywhere, anl sound note
against il. and form public sentiment
4 -Aln>' ii. II the grand jury lifted
lis Voice long rdou%h and loud enough
and prTs,i>trnliy enough the county
would heed.
The r"u>4 ~ schools. said Judge
Gage. w":'r t.lr teachers OF law. He
wanted 10 say that the children Of
-" county were not "uny' 10 the
public >r'""lS aS they ought To-. Be
f"rr III" people knew il the civiIiza-
tlrn of l!Ir south was "uinw to nc
changed. The change was going ON
now gradually. Judge Gage said he
haI secured statistics comparing the
year 1898 with the present, ten
years later. The rcliable gentleman
from whom he had secured the statis-
ties noted that there must be some
mistake. because tht figures for
1907 showed Il decrease in enrolment
under lS0S, ten years ago. The aver
age attendance Of white children this
year, he said, was only 1863. 1t ought
I" be four times a. great. Seventy
hv" per cent Of the children Of New
berry county were not IN the public
schools. The amount paid the teach
crs was $4,000 and the school term
was seven months, the average pay to
thu teachers being about SO per
month. The cash balance on hand
in June. 1907. was $4,000. The main
thin" to which he wanted to direct
attention was that in Ncwbcrry coun-
~ only one fourth Of the children Of
school age were in the public schools
I'nlaSS this ibinU N.oS rnm nl;.,1 on,