Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-04-19

there is to it, and any man of reason
able intelligence ought tn be able to
make a satisfactory investigation. But
one thing to guard against is the max
ing Of q report without being certain
as to the facts. When a grand jury
| says the books of n county office. for
instance are correct, the public has a
right to believe that report. His hon
or, however, had known OF cases where
grand juries had made such reports,
| yet within short time afterward there
developed information Of bad shortages.
If after a thorough investigation the
grand jury finds everything all right,
| 1t should say so: If it finds anything
wrong, it should say so: if it is unable
| to make heads or tails of the situation,
it should say so. "On one occasion" said
his honor. the grand jury came to me
| with information to the effect that
| they mad found two county officers
| short in their accounts: but both had
made good, and the jury wanted to
know whether 1t should mention the
fact | told the jury to just state the
| facts, say that the officers were short
and had made good. Report what you
| know, and no more. Don't report any
| thing you do not know: but above all
things do not mislead the people. If
you tell the people things are all right
| and they are not it is your fault, and
if you tell the people that things are
all wrong and the people do not look
| into it, it is their fault" His honor par
ticularly explained the duties and res
possibilities of the supervisor, the
treasurer, the judge of probate. the
sheriff, the clerk, ETC., and told how all
| should be checked uD by the grand
Jury. He also explained the duty of the
| magistrates to submit their dockets to
| the county board of commissioners for
examination, and the duty of the cOun-
ty board Of commissioners to see that
those dockets are properly kept, that
the fines assessed by the magistrates
are paid in, and the magistrates pay
| those fines over to the treasurer.
The duties Of the grand jury in the
court house, while court is in session.
said his honor is mere child's play
| moonshine-as compared with the
larger duties of that body during the
balance of the year. The grand juror
Is on duty during the whole year. the
i body can be called together at any
| time, and at all times every member OF
| it should be on the lookout for every
violation of law Of whatever nature.
] If a grand juror knows of any one who
|
have the matter thoroughly investiSat-
| ed, and if he knows Of people who are
living in adultery, he should bring the
matter to the attention of the court.
1t Is the same with any and all other
! violation of the criminal laws.
Referring to the enforcement Of the
| laws by magistrates, his honor said
| that one shortcoming that Is all too
common among them Is failure to take
sufficient bonds to ensure the attend
ance of defendants and witnesses. Too
often the magistrates make bonds too
| light to begin with, and too often they
| take what are known as straw bonds
that are not good. 1t is the duty of the
magistrate to in all cases require good
and substantial bonds, and upon the
| failure of the bonded parties to appear
promptly, the bonds should be forfeited.
1t might look little hard sometimes;
| but few examples along this line,
| will speedily correct very great evil.
and the saving Of a considerable sum
| in court expenses, which amount Ordi-
narily to SIS or $50 a day. His honor
| said that he had made ii a rule on the
| opening of the court to ask the solicitor
and clerk, whether or not all the par
| ties who had been bound over had ap-
peared, and in the case of those VINO
had not appeared, to at once proceed to
| inquire INTO the reason WHY.
| His honor referred to the common
impression that men Of wealth and po-
sition do not come to harm in the Grim
| inal court, no matter what the Offenses
| charged against them, and asked the
reason why. He did not say 1t was
| true: but said that If it was true. the
| inference was that grand and petit ju-
rors were subject to bribes, and ju-
ror who will take bribe, he said, Is
lower than a thief. II the inference OF
sucn an intimatiOn is not that such
men secure immunity by means of
bribes, then how is their immunity to
be explained?
His honor dwelt at considerabl,
length on the evils of the crime Of va
grancy and insisted that the non-en-
! forcement of the statute against va
| grancy is the most prolific source or
| lawlessness and disorder, of which, he
could conceive. The vasrant he de-
scribed rather broadly, including the
fellow who would actually work one
day in order to get enough money to
keep MIN in idleress two or three days
more. He was inclined to think that
the negro vagrarts were more common:
but was not willing to concede that
vayrancy was at all confined to that
class. Ee gave it as his opinion that
| the scarcity of washer women, nurses.
] house girls, farm hands and laborerS
| generally is due TO nOn-enfOrcement Il
| the vagrancy law than to any other one
| thing The worst and most dangerous
yagrantS are not necessarily the loaferS
about the streets and public places: but
the loafers in the suburbs-tne trif1ing
men and women, who lie up in the day
| time and go wandering about at night.
They are plentiful in almost every
part of the state, and they constitute
| most serious menace to the honest,
self respecting industry Of the land.
| But we have no good ground for com
plant except against ourselves. for we
| have plenty of law to correct the evil
| The only objection | can find to the law
| is that the penalty Is not severe
enough: but even as it is, if the grand
jury will try to enforce it, they can very
easily rid the country of vagrants, and
bring about a condition Of much higher
security to life and property than now
prevails The theory of this law
against vagrants, is that the man wh"
will not work for himself or his family
should be made to work for the public
After reading the entire statute with
interesting, running comments on va
rious parts. upholding it all very en-
pnaticaly. his honor suggested to the
members of the grand jury that 1t
might be well for each of them to get
copy from the clerk of the court. and
better still it might be published. The
statute reads as follows:
Sec. 499. All persons wandering from
place to place, without any known res
| idence, or residing in any city, county
or town, who have no visible or known
means of gaining a fair, honest and
reputable livelihood; all suspicious
persons going about the country, swap
ping and bartering horses, (without
producing a certificate Of his or their
good character signed by magistrate
of the county from which said person
last camel: likewise all persons who
acquire a livelihood by gambling or
horse racing, without any other visible
means Of gaining livelihood: all keep
erS of gaming tables. faro banks. or
other banks whatsoever used for gam
ing known under any other denomina-
ton: also. all persons who lead IDLE
and disOrderly lives: all who knowing
" harbOr horse thieves and felonS, and
those who are known to be OF that
character and descriptions; likewise all
persons not following some handicraft,
trade or profession or not having some