The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-02-25
GRAND JURY CONCLUDED ITS WORK
SCATH|NC REPORT is SUBMITTED

The grand jury submitted the follow
ne report to Judge Quinn, late ye'
erday afternoon;
The grand jury upon February
9l0, at the opening of the regula
February term of the district court
md for Blue Earth county, Minnesot
vas specially charged by the court, I'll
Ion. James H. Quinn, presiding, anon
'ther things, as follows:
Charge BY the Judge.
81 regret very much TO be COM
PEELED To call your attention to
certain matters that seem TO exist
in your community. If there is
one thing above all others that the
citizens are deeply interested in.
it is the faith that they repose
in the court and the machinery of
the law. A condition seems to
have arisen here that seems to
have called these into question, and
to such an extent that a mass
meeting has been held by the dis
satisfied community, because il be-
lieved that in some way, somehow,
the wheels Of justice in this coun-
ty have been interfered with. 1t
can be said that this feeling eN-
lists here, notwithstanding the fact
that we regret it more than any
thing else, and this sentiment has
given rise 10 some terrible accusa-
tons on officials of the court.
county attorney, jurors, and all
connected with the machinery of
the law.
NO one regrets this more than
! do. for this may be called my
home county. Such condition has
never arisen before, and l hope
never will again. | refer to this
because You have yonr dnty to
perform in connection with these
matters, and you are to do it with
out fear or favor. You should
subpoena those persons who have
made charges and examine them
and compel them to repeat their
statements and to give the source
of them. and then follow this up
no matter where it leads.
III the wheels of justice have
been ham oered by outside interior
ence. we ought TO know it, and
determine who are the guilty par
ties, and the only place to deter
mine it is in the courts. There
ought not to he any interference
with the courts. and every man
should stand in the same light rs
every other man before them.
when crime has been committed
in the county, the grand jury
should make such n thorough in
vcstigation that the guilty parties
may be brought to Justice. You
should be governed by the testi'
monv of the witnesses and not by
rumors.
You must not for one moment
go out upon the street and fill
yourselves mp with gossip, and
come back and act upon that, hut
YOU should 60 to the bottom of
every one of these charges. If you
find that any criminal laws OF the
state have been violated, you
should do your duty.
1T is necessary and essential to
the preservation of society, that
law be enforced, especially where
acts of violence have been done.
II we should preserve society and
the rights of individuals, the law
must be obeyed, and violators of
the law punished, and so | say
gentlemen, you as grand jurors
would be faithless to your trust
if you fail TO thoroughly investi
gate into every violation of the
criminal laws of this state occnr
ring in this county, to which your
attention may be called, and this
applies. gentlemen, no matter
whether such investigation, should
involve the highest or the lowest,
the richest or the poorest of your
citizens. They all stand as equals
before the law. They should all
be treated fairly, the rights of one
are entitled 10 the same protec-
ton as another.
81 have said this to impress you
with the sense of responsibility
which you owe to your conscience
and oaths, that your acts should
be honest, intelligent, and in con
formity with the evidence and the
law. Do your duty honestly. con-
scientiously and justly, rs you see
it. under the evidence that may
come before YOU and the laws of
the state.
while acting as grand Jurors,
you arc to consider yourselves set
apart solely for considering what
You hear in your jury room, seeing
what you see there. You are not
to pay any attention to outside
pressure no matter from what
source it may come. Be Oblivions
to all outside pressure and noise.
You are kings in your capacity,
and mortal man cannot question
yonr judgment, neither your acts
while in the grand jury ROOM
"You should listen to nothing
that is being done or said on the
outside. Your cars should be deaf.
and your eyes blind to all except
what happens in your jury room
save alone, that if you have cause