The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1909-11-11
CRIMINAL COURT.
November Term Now in Session.
Negroes Get Sentence.

NOFemDer Term NOW III SeSSlOn.
Negroes Get Sentence.
The November term of the court
of general sessions convened here
Monday morning of this week, Judge
Geo. w. Gage presiding. The fol-
lowing cases have been disposed Of
up to the time Of going to press, all
the defendants being negroes:
Hosea Odom, murder, true bill.
Not tried.
Rush Dukes, murder, true bill.
Not tried.
Heary Fielder, murder, true bill
Plead guilty, recommended to mercy,
life Imprisonment.
Frank Bennett, housebreaking
and larceny, true bill, guilty, two
years on chain gang.
Albert, r. C. Charlton, King Muir
ray and James Brown, riot, true bill,
plead guilty, nine months on the
chaingang.
John Stewart, assault and battery
with intent to kill, true bill, guilty,
nine months on the chaingang.
Joe Montgomery, administering
glass with intent to kill, guilty, two
years on the chaingang:c
VIII Hay and Hazard Aarons,
housebreaking and larceny, true bill,
guilty, notice of motion for new
trial.
Ulysses May, murder, plead guilty,
recommended to mercy, life i'm
prisonment.
In the case of the State VS.. Betsy
Bull, alias Betsy Holman, the So
licitor mol pressed.
and killed Clerk of Court Causey
transferred here from Hampton
county, will be tried to-day (Thurs-
day.) The grand jury finished it's
work Tuesday and made the follow
ing return:
Presentment of Grand Jury.
Hon Geo. w. Gage, Presiding
Judge: We, the grand jury for
Bamberg county, beg leave to make
the following presentment:
All indictments handed us by the
solicitor have been passed upon and
returned 10 the court.
The Jail has been visited, and we
find the sanitary condition of the
prison department is not good. The
odor was very offensive to the COM
mittee who visited it and must be
worse to those who are compelled to
reside therein. We find the plas-
tered walls very much defaced by
pencil writing thereon, and we rec
ommend a general cleaning up and
improvement in the sanitary condi-
tions. We also find and report the
heating arrangement in a danger
GUS condition, and the Jail is liable
to be burned at any time when fire
is used unless remedied at once.
We have examined the offices of
the clerk, treasurer and auditor.
We find that some of the magis-
trates are not filing their reports as
required by law in not making regu-
lar monthly reports of the transac-
tions of their Offices, and we request
that all of the magistrates of Bam-
berg county be required to meet the
grand jury at 10 o'clock a. m, Mon
day, November 18th, 1909, at the
court house with their books.
We find the Offices of the treas
urer, auditor and sheriff are neatly
kept and in a clean condition.
We think an improvement in the
clerks Office by the use of number
of spittoons would be great.
AS to the Office Of the probate
Judge this grand jury has never been
able to gain admittance, therefore
cannot report as to its condition.
AS to the books and accounts of
the offices examined by us, they are
neatly and correctly kept as far as
we can ascertain.
We reiterate the recommendation
made by the grand jury at the last
term Of court, namely: That the
next general assembly provide for
county examiner, whose duty it shall
be to travel from county to county
and correctly examine the books and
accounts of the various county Offices
and report to the foreman of the
grand jury of the various counties,
and if this is not done that the grand
jury of the county be allowed to
hire an expert accountant to examine
said books and be paid by the coun-
ty.
We have examined the books Of
the county dispensary and find them
neatly and Systematically kept.
1t has been reported to the grand
jury that the court house is con-
stantly left unlocked and that the
lock on the front door has been
forced and broken off and that the
court house is a place of resort for
evil doors in the night time and on
the Sabbath; that the property is
suffering from abuse, such as scrib-
bling on the walls, leaving windows
open, thereby permitting damage
from rain, and that it has been used
by certain loafers to sleep in. The
grand jury hereby urges the proper
authority to have good locks placed
on the doors and keys provided for
each of the court house officers, and
that the building when not in use by
the county be kept securely locked.