The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1909-10-05
JUDGE HOPKINS
ADDRESSES JURY
SPECIFIES LIQUOR TRAFFIC,
GAMING, PISTOL CARRYING.
Scores Vagrants-Urges Citizens Not
to Evade Responsibility for Sell
fish ReasOns-ShOuId DO Full
DUTY.

morning at nine o'clock. the first
matter to be taken up being the i'm
paneling of the grand jury. the two
jurors needed to complete the panel
being secured from the special venire
summoned for that purpose. ne
grand jury for the term is as fol-
lows: Aaron Turk, foreman; Mi
I guel Fernandez, A. Wayne Wood
( Henry Krausse, Joe Kowalski, Chas
I Champion, A N. Deyo, j. c. Ben
! nett, Walter Shannon, Benjamin Ko-
WALSH and Santos Valdez, Victor
/ Fernandez and James Conner were
/ sworn in as foot bailiffs to the grand
I jury.
The following is part of the charge
I delivered to the grand jury this
morning by Judge W. B Hopkins,
after which they retired to the grand
jury room:
Gentlemen of the Grand Jury
Except TO call your attention gen
orally to the law regulating dis
orderly houses, that regulating cleo
lions, that relating to Confederate
Pensions, that relating to and regu-
lating corporations and public car
Tiers, all being laws upon which the
Court is directed to charge you, and
for more complete information | re-
fer you to the specific laws them
selves, | shall confine my instruc-
lions to you to the few laws that ]
desire most particularly to call to
your attention, and to impress upon
you the necessity of fully doing your
duty in case there has been any
violation thereof.
The laws that | desire to impress
upon you most, and to urge your
careful and rigid investigation of,
are embraced in three classes, the
violation of which, in my judgment,
is responsible for more crime than
any other three laws upon our
statutes, and they are the laws reg
ulating the liquor traffic, gaming
and pistol carrying.
Any reasonable mind Will be ir-
resistibly brought to the conclusion
that all three of these laws are be-
ing constantly violated. Common
sense an common experience com
pei the ordinary mind to draw con
illusions from certain facts, and it is
useless TO say to any intelligent or
observing man that these laws are
being lived up to in this countE.
Why should those who persist in
violating these laws be exempt from
punishment any mora than oae who
commits other crimes be allowed tC
go unpuniSheGS 1t IS no excuse to
say that we do not believe ia such
laws, and that they ought not to be
enforced When we get to talking
and acting that way, We are border
ing on anarchy. AL law-abiding
people should be willing, to obey and
enforce the laws of the land.
The Baskin-McGrego liquor law
was prepared and drawn up for and /
at the instigation of the liquor men
of the State, and passed at thei1 so /
then why should they not /
be willing to abide by II? The law /
does no decent dealer any injuasdce- (
No man who violates ii day and /
night, who sells cheap cOmp@nnd /
liquors, who sells to drunkardS and
IN kuths, has any rights that any
fht to respect, and it mazeTSS
not how he is put or kept out ON
business, because he is the foe OF /
the body polite and social. So long /
as tue sale of liquor Us authOuze.t
and men obey the law, they shslll. /
be dealt with fairly The restri,
tons thrown around 'the bushes
by the new law are best for the sci
Ter and for the people The descent (
dealer does not have to- WOrk ALI day
Sunday because the dark alley viO-
Iator of the law Will not close. ide
law Is wise and just. and yet W. see
il cast to the winds, because for
sooth, few saloon msH defy IL and /
rely on it's unpopularTlT to evade it.
The law relating to- the sui. ysct OF I
gaming declares that any person who
shall directly or as agents ~ en-
pIOyee for another, at through any
agent OF agents keep OF EXHIBIT for
the purpose of gaming any policN
game, any gaming table. bank, wheel
OF device of any kind or description /
whatever regardless of the name CT /
whether named or not, s5Iall be
guilty of felOnN and punish I'd
therefor; and it = likewise made a /
felony for any person to rent amy
premises, building, room gr place to
for the purpose. of being
used as a place. 20 bet or wager, or
to gamble with cards, dee or com
inoes, or to keep or to exhibiE for
the purpose q gaming any device
whatsoever, 81 as a place where
people resorc 70 gamble. Various
other infracUIons of the gaming law
are defined and clasi lied as misde-
meanors ard for such definitions l
commend YOU to the law itself
The Law prohibiting the unlawful
carrying OF pistols is one than is
commonly violated. and [ especially
charge YOU to investigate thoroughly
that class of persons and give them
no rest. and show them by your &C
ton that they VIII not be permitted
to violate the laws Of the State with
impunity and go unpublished. The