Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-09-08
Opening Of the Septem-
Der Term, Tuesday.
Session Of Grand Jury Will
Be Important One.
Bound Over Prisoners in JAIL.
List Of the Jurors.

| The September term of the Kenne-
bee superior court, Judge Oliver G.
| Hall presiding, convened at the court
house at 10 o'clock Tuesday morning
| Prayer was offered by Rev. c. G..
| MOsher, pastor of the Penney Memo
rial Free Will Baptist church of Au-
gusta. -----.
| Shortly after court convened the new
| grand jury began it's deliberations 1t
| is expected that the jury will be in
| session for at least a week as there
are several matters to be considered
by it.
Judge Hall, in addressing the grand
| jury on the matter of secrecy on what
| transpires i'll its room, said:
Tile necessity of secrecy as to all
matters of the grand jury room must
| be apparent to you when the nature
of your service and the object to be
attained is, Ior a moment considered
The attempt to bring violators of the
law to Justice would be effectuaily de-
| feated, in many instances, were Of
Tenders to be Informed of the proceed
| ings against them before being taken
into custody, and great injustic would
| often be done to innocent parties. who
may :vrongfully be accused of crime
| through malice or mistakes were the
doings of the grand jury room to be
publicly disclosed.
| 1T is for the protection of your
selves, individually, also against the re-
suits OF malice or the spirit of re-
venge. from parties accused of crime,
Or from their friends, that the law de-
manGs that each juror should keep
locked up within his own breast all that
| transpires. before them, and all that
they do or say in the jury room indi-
| viuualIy and collectively. This obliga-
! ton of secrecy does not end with your
duties during the year of your ser
| vice, but continues during life, for it
never can be definitely known when
disclosures of what transpires before
you, or what any of you may do or
SAVIOR how you voted in n particular
case may or may not prove injurious to
some one of your panel, or to some 9TH
err individual.
1T is to guard each individual of the
| grand jury against absolute identity
that several more than the II, who
must concur in an Indictment, are re-
qured to serve. AS more than II must
|
an accused party for trial, the accused
can never be sure which of the panel,
| if any, may have been opposed to the
indictment and hence can never be GER
| tain who made w the IL who con-
CURED against him.
| so careful is the law in guarding
grand Jurors, the public and individ-
uas who may be affected by disclos
ures of the proceedings of the grand
| jury room that it does not permit them
to he given in evidence in court, OK
cept to a limited extent in cases where
the evidence is required for the pur-
pose of public justice or the establish
ment of private rights.
| In addition to the obligation i'm
posed by your oath, the statutes prof.
vide that no grand juror or officer of
| the court shall disclose that an indict-
ment for felony has been found, against
| any person not in custody or under re-
cogriZarce, until he is arrested. eX-
cent by issuing process for his arrest;
nor shall any grand juror state how
any member of the jury voted. or what
I opinion expressed, or any question be
fore them; and the court, in charging
| the jury, is especially required to i'm
press on their minds these provisions
| of the law
| "BTt this care to prevent disclosures
of the Goipgs of the grand jury, while
! protecting the juror from the results
of malice or i'll will Of accused persons.
| IS not necessary for the purpose or
| shielding the jurors from any legal
| consequences Of their acts. as body
or as an individual for the law protects
| them completely and gives them the
most perfect immunity from any La
filty, either 20 the public or to the
nnrsons aggrieved. for their official
acts. Being thus independent and their
| proceedings secret. the grand jury be-
| comes the safeguard of innocence. 1t
stan.k like a bulwarl. between a citi-
zen and a malignant prosecutor, set
ting bound to the rancour of parti
zanship or the malice of private enc
mics
The following members of the bar
were in attendance:
| Charles F. Johnson. Warren c. Phil
brook. C. W. Hussey, Fred w. Clair,
J. A. Latourneau. Carroll w. Perkins,
john E. Nelson. Norman x. Fuller,
Dana p. Foster, Frank Plumstead. Wa
| terville: George w. Field. n. l.. Hun
| ton. Oakland: l.. T. Carleton. H. T.
Foster. winthrop; George NJ. Chap
man. Fairfield; Ellsworth f. Peacock.
Readfcld; Fred Emery Beane. Emery
o. Beane. Hallowell: Will c. Atkins. A.
c. Stilphen. Charles A. Knight, Oliver
B. Clason. George w. Heselton Gardi-
ner; Benedict F. Maher F. G. Far
rims. ION. Melvin f. Sawtelle.' M. H.
simmons, Walter NJ. Sanborn Joseph
r'yiIliareon w II Fisher. E. NJ.
Thompson, E. w. Whitehouse,' Angus
/ "a ..u.n =. Siattcry. Lewiston.
| The following traverse jurors were
ordered to report at the opening of
| court at 10 o'clock Tuesday morning:
<ll,aa 4nursfS. Charles