The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-10-21
Grand Jury
Presentment'
September Term 1908.
State of South Carolina,
Abbeville County.

State of South Carolina,
Abbeville County.
Court Of General Sessions.
To the Honorable Il. W. Memminger, Pre-
siding Judge.
We the Grand Jury for Abbeville County
at this the September term OF the Court OF
General Sessions, would beg TO make the
following presentment:
We have passed upon all bills handed to
us by the Solicitor, dlsposing OF each as,
in our judgment, the facts warranted.
A committee OF our members visited the
Jail, respecting which, We made some allu-
sion in our presentment at the June 1erm
of Court.
This committee reported everything IN a
satisfactory condition i'll and . this
institution.
In our June Term presentment we sug-
gested to the Supervisor that there should
De a new Stockade built out at the Pooi
House, in which to keep the convlcts al
night while out there engaged at work on
the farm.
On interrogating him as to why this
suggestion had not been carried OUT, ut
informed us that he never had more thai
two or three convicts at a time out there,
and that he had a first rate tent which was
really better, from a sanitary standpoint
thai would be a wooden stockaue, as tht
tent could be moved from place to place a.
the surroundings became, for any reason
Objectionable which could not be dOne IL
case vi d wooden building.
We are pleased to be aple to report tha'
tho finances Of the County are IN excellent
condition-the County being free from
~debt-barring the balance oue on the ne"
Court House, which is provided for BY
bond issue.
After allowing about $4,000 per month
for current expenses for the remainder Of
the present fiscal year, it is estimated, by
the County supervisor, that there Will be
ON hands, for repairs to the roads ano
bridges, about $4,000.
We recommend that our delegation tt
IQo LSHISldIuIc SuSCdNSI w b1n SNS N
cessary arrangements to nave the sinking
fund commission lend to the County, sui
fcient fluids to repair and replace all Of
the more important bridges in the County
that were destroyed by the recent floods
The following is a list Of the bridges whlch
we regard as belonging in that class, viz:
Bridges on Rocky River at Lowndesvllle
and Swearengens Mills; Fairs Bridge
Martins Mill bridge, Calhoun Mill bridge
and Pettygrew's bridge, all on Little River
also Morton's Mill bridge and McKltrlcks
Mill bridge, on Long Cane Creek, also
Clinkscale's bridge, over Shankin's Greek
We suggest that the County Commission
ers concentrate their efforts in rebuilding
the above mentioned bridges, even to the
neglect Of other less important bridges.
In our presentment at the June Term Oh
Court, we stated that it was our 1ntent,on
to, have a thorough investigation OF the
= several County offices made, the result Oh
such investigation to be reported at the
present term of Court. This a committee
Of our member has done, assisted by b. f.
Hill, whom they were authorized to en-
ploy for that purpose. AS this lnVestiga-
ton was something more than a mere per-
functory proceeding, and as there we're
some twenty or more offices, including
Magistrates, to be examined, the report Oh
this committee, of necessity, is a pretty
lengthy document, but in view OF the i'm
portance of this matter, we trust your
Honor will bear with US while it is being
read.
The report Of the committee, which fol-
lows, after being considered by our entire
panel, was unanimously adopted as a part
of this presentment.
REPORT OF COMMITTEE.
In the outset of this our report, your
committee would beg to state that we dis
cerned, in the course Of our investigation
a great many instances wherein County
officials have failed to comply with the re-
quirements of the law land this applies
more or less to all Of theml, but as many
of these failures we're in respect to matters
Of minor importance, and as it would have
required too much time and space to v
particularized as to all Of such, we thought
it best not to do so, and accordingly pass
ed them over; merely suggesting to the