The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-05-10
GRAND JURY CHARGED
BY JUDGE v. \. COOK.

| knowledge ana making preSentmentS
Direct attention was called to the duty
of causing inquiry to be made into vi
olations of the law within the person
al knowledge of the juror, who was
not to be swerved by favor or affec
| tiOn. The court said that if any meE
Der found that he could not truly
live up to his obligation to tell the
court and he would be excused. The
grand juror could do only one of two
things, keep his oath or perjure his
own soul.
The court directed especial attention
to the violation of the law known as
"raffling' saying that this violation
had been common in the county and
directed the jury to investigate the
violations.
Dealers in cartridges and concealed
weapons were given attention and the
grand jury was directed to ask for
the public record made during the
past year by the dealers. These
should show a complete record of the
articles sold and to whom these arti-
cles were sold.
Attention was called to the fact
that owners and lesses of buildings
in which gambling was done were Ii
able to ten years Imprisonment in
the penitentiary The punishment
being made more severe than the vi
olation of the man who gambled. The
severe punishment to men who gam
bled knowingly and unknowingly with
minors was also cited.
The possession of concealed weapons
by minors with permission of their
parents or guardians was a point made
because of the fact if a minor carried
concealed weapon with the know
ledge of his father the father is to be
where testimony can be found.
Records of public officials, county
or city were to be investigated and
where found to have been improperly
kept the grand jury was to act. This
came under the head of embezzlement.
Indictments are to be found against
property owners who make false re-
turns on their property.
Under the head of burglary the
court said that the past two grand
iuries had done much to break up this
crime and directed the grand jury to
follow up the good work.
Illegally securing the right to vote
in taking out registration papers the
coutr called attention to the fact that
punishment was en- years in he peni-
tentiary.
Disturbing families and public wor-
ship was commended on.
The duty of enforcing the laws as
10 fire escapes and fire protection
was called to the attention of the
jurors and institution to investigate
violations and to see that buildings,
public and otherwise were not allow
ed to become death traps.
Judge Cook closed his charge with
the blind tiger as his subject. This
animal was denounced in unmeasured
terms, one, if not the most dangerous
of all crimes. The danger that lay
in the blind tigers" lay in its power
to breed crimes of all kinds. That
wherever the blind tiger" was permit
ted to locate his lair it was there that
all kinds of base and bloody crimes
were to be found. The court cited All
example in its own district where in
one county two communities of the
same size, one where the law was en-
forced, there had not been committed
one homicide in twelve months, while
in the other where the "blind tiger
had been allowed to roam there had
been committed eight homicides.
The court having told the grand
jurors to retire to their room atten-
ton was given to the justices of the
peace, the constables and deputy sher-
lffs and to the sheriff personally, all
or whom the court congratulated for
their good work in enforcing the law
in Forrest county.