The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-12
DALLAS GRAND JURY
JUDGE MABRY DELIVERS AN ABLE
 CHARGE.
He Urges fnvestigatSsn of AsNeaf Beer'' Sales and An Embarrassment ef
 the LAWS Axsinst Li-
 auorF aelling.

Selma. Jan. tSpecial.)--"f do
 not know what near beer Is or what
 1t is made of but think if 1t Is .
 violation of the State laws for this
 beverage to be sold that it is your
 duty to investigate the matter and that if the selling Of this beer is .
 violation of the law you should return
 indictments against those who are vi-
 plating this law"
 This was the climax of the chargr
 which Judge J. W. Mabry. of the city
 court of Selma, this morning delivered
 to the grand jury which had just been empannelled.
 After the grand Jury had been em-
 panneiied Judge Mabry tegan his
 charge. He first took up the prohibi-
 ton law and dweit at length upon
 the evils which would accrue from
 the constant violation of this law. He asked the members of the grand jury to investigate thoroughly all viola lions of this law and urged that in- dietmsnts bs returned against ali who
 were found guilty of violating 1t.
 He spoke at length in this connec- ton of the blind tiger" evil and stat- cd that he thought these places were iKeiy to become numerous through. ut the county unless the law abidink cnixens took care to enforce the law 70 the letter and to report and have arrested all who violated this act.
 He next read sections of the law prohibiting the sale of malt beyer- ages in the State by which the jury should guide itself in its delibs era tions he seems to construe that the law prohibited the selling or the giving away of near beers" or other naif beverages and said that if the seIlinr or near beer was a violation of Inc iaW mat Indictments should be re- , .afns1 against those who are engaged
 seIung tnis beverage. He said that anarchy would result if inc lsy, ,,as not obeyed. "as
 After talking to the grand turv sor aoout thirty minutes on the prohib,tton .sw .s ana the sale of near beer" Judre Mapry took up the gambling ouestion he said that gambling was d yioIation ot the Jaw and that there must be in selma several places where there was sahoAns ana that possibly some mem. some of these places are: that the grand Jury had the right to summon any per- son ana that the one summoned had no riSnt fo refuse to answer questions. H.. said that 1t was intolerable that sucI, places should exist where mere boys and men could so and gamble at any tune of the day or night.
 The evil of carrying concealed weap- Mabry told the jury that inc law against carrying concealed weapons should be strictly enforced and that d recent law had been enacted which made 1t felony to carry a pistol with barrel less than twenty-four inches In length. He said that If intoxicants and concealed weapons could be elim- mated. crime would practically cease; xxFht aw.A \. ceaied weapons had in the past been the cause of the greater per cent of the crimes In the county committed by ne- groes, and that the white man had also been influenced in crime to c great de- gree by these two evils.
 He asked the members of the grand jury to investigate all breaches of this law which were brought to its atten- tion, and stressed the thought that but for the carrying of concealed weapons there would be few murders committed in the State or county.
 He asked a rigid investigatiofi Of all violations of the State game laws and I told the Jury that 1t waRa violation of the law for anyone to bait fields and entice birds there to be killed.
 Judge Mabry called the attention of the jury to the State health laws in regard to contagious and infectious dis- eases. He said that these laws provid- cd that all physicians should report such cases to the County Health odicer: that some of the physicians fin the county might be guilty of the non-ob. servance of these laws and if they were they should be punished
 The law prohibiting the sale of CO., caine and morphine was next taken up, He said that he was afraid these laws were also being violated; that the law was that these drugs could only be sold upon a prescription from a reputable | physician. and that the same prescript- l lon could not be filled twice. He safn | that the use of cocaine was prevalent | among negroes and that the strict law | the sale of these drugs did | not seem to keep them from getting 1t. l
 Judge Mabry told the jury that there | Is a law on the statute books which re- | quires the sheriff to secure a copy from | the government of all persons in the | County who take out revenue licenses | and that this list should be printed | twice a year in a newspaper; that if l the sheriff does not carry out this law | that he is just as liable to punishment l as Is any other citizen for the viola ton of law.
 tLn