Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1910-01-15
u s. COURT IN
BUSY SESSION
Judge Dayton Delivers Impressive
Charge to Grand Jury.
WORK DONE WITH DISPATCH

|NearIy Three Hundred Witnesses to
4 Be Examined--John Marshall Deslg-
mated as Assistant to Attorney Gen.
eral to Give Him Power to Aid Mr..
Waugh.
. Parkersburg. w. Va, January Ii
United States court convened here
| for the January term at ten O'CLOCK
(Tuesday morning. That the term VIII
! be as large and important as has been
fpredicted was presaged by Tuesday
scenes. The custom house was nlled
! with grand jury witnesses.
The attaches of the court were all
Epresent, including U. S. Attorney ii.
Troy Waugh, Marshal c. d. Elliott and
Jas. e. Doyle, appointee; Clerks s. Il.
| Harrison and C. B. Kefauver and AS
assistants L. v. G. Morris and Edward
FNeal, Deputy Marshals e. D. Hupp,
,Elzie Williams and Brown.
Judge Aston G. Dayton opened the
STERN with one of the most impress
sive grand jury charges he has ever
delivered here. Beginning with his
torical review of the origin OF the
lgrand jury as a judicial institution.
which was as clear as it was compre-
hensive, he impressed the body or
men he was addressing with the grave
importance of their function, drawing
A picture of the law as the invisible
but potent bulwark between the citi-
zen and criminal, which brought
home to every man in the court room,
as we'll as the grand jurors, the i'm
perative duty OF all citizens uphold
ing, assisting and respecting the force
that holds off the forces of anarchy
and lawless license as the dykes OF
Holland hold off the mighty forces of
the sea.
"These duties of yours said Judge
Dayton, ARE not perfunctory. 1t is
alone through the enforcement OF the
law that the peaceable citizen may go
through life, pursuing his vocation
and reaping and enjoying its just re-
wards, unmolested and safe from
those who would unrighte ously wrest
from him either that liberty or that
property. A good definition of law is
that old one, Law is beneficience act
ing by rule
"Only fragile pane of glass is be-
tween the sleeping citizen and the as
sassin or the robber-but, behind that
trail pane of glass stands organized
Ar = TO- hof xxyht oh,
ters the would-be murderer or thief
and gives You that security that en-
ables you to go to your slumbers in
peace"
Judge Dayton then spoke in success
sion of the offenses that it came with
( in the jurisdiction of the court, deal
ling with the liquor traffic in his usual
scathing terms. In speaking of coun-
terfeiting, he said it was as impera-
lively necessary that nation should
preserve the integrity of the currency
as that woman should preserve her
chastity and The one should be as free
from suspicion as the other. He spoke
of offenses against the postal laws and
in doing so, called attention to the
vast extent OF the postal service and
it's great Importance in the CONNER
+ cial ana social and intellectual life of
the nation. He referred, especially to
the gravity of the offense of imperson-
ating postofiice inspector, pension
agent, a deputy narshal-or, in fact,
any federal officer. Speaking of Of
lenses against the interstate Gem
merce laws and those concerning
trusts, he severely arraigned those
combinations which sought to freeze
out competition and to guage the pub
lie by extorting excessive prices from
the consumer. In This same connec-
ton, he referred TO the offense of rail-
roads discriminating in the supplying
of cars and making of rates. The
whole field of criminality as covered
by the Federal statutes was embraced
( by the charge, each class of offenses
being touched upon in such lucid
way that though the reference was
{ necessarily brief, it was adequate and
gave a clear idea and conception of the
same to the men who might be called
upon to investigate cases within its
bounds.
Silas M. Hoff, prosecuting attorney
of Richie county, was made foreman
Of the grand jury, which at once adj
journed to its room and began its de-
iiberaticns, in charge of Clerk John
Marshall of the district attorneys Of
Zee.