The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-03-16
Grand Jury Presentment.
At February Term Of Court for
the Year 1910.
The State of South Carolina.
COUNTY OF ABBEvILLE.
Court of General Sessions.

COUNTY OF ABBEvILLE.
Court of General Sessions.
To his Honor, Chas. g. Dantzler,
Presiding Judge:
We, the Grand Jury for Abbeville
County, at this the February term of
Court for the year 1910, beg to make
the following presentment:
We have carefully considered all
bills of indictment handed us by the
Solicitor and have made such endorse
ment thereon, respectively, as in our
opinion the testimony submitted to US
warranted.
Agreeing fully with your Honor,
that one of the most important duties
devolving upon the Grand Jury is that
of investigating the official conduct OF
our County officers, to see whether
they discharge the duties epjoined by
law upon them, We determined to
give that matter special attention dur.
ing our term Of service, but realizing
that such a thing could not be done in
addition to our other duties, in salts
factory manner during the present
term of the Court, we concluded to
delegate that work to a committee OF
our number, who should be charged
with making such investigation be-
tween this time and the June term OF
Court, the result of such investigation
to be incorporated in our presentment
at said term of Court; that said com.
mittee should have the right, il
deemed advisable, to engage the ser.
vices of an expert, provided such ex.
pert could be had for the limited com.
pensation allowed by law, viz: $40.
We visited that institution where
are maintained those unfortunates
who are the wards Of our County-the
Poor House-as also the County Jail.
We have no fault to find with the
management of either Of these insti.
tutions.
So far as we were able to zee and
learn everything is being conducted
in satisfactory manner.
We would suggest to the Supervisor
that he have the dwelling house OF
the overseer at the poor farm repaint-
ed as soon as practicable.
Our attention was called to the un-
tidy condition Of the water closets in
the basement of the Court House.
When spoken to about this matter
the Supervisor said that the present
condition was largely due to the fact
that some of the water pipes had burst
during the recent freezes and that he
had been unable to have the same re-
paired but hoped to do 30 soon.
While this may in part account for
the unsatisfactory condition existing
down there, we are of opinion that If
the janitor were instructed to report
to the town marshal parties who are
In the habit of resorting there for the
purpose Of drinking whiskey, espe-
cially in wet weather with their feet
covered with mud 1t would doubtless
have a wholesome effect.
We have seen the Supervisors re-
port for the fiscal year 1909, which
contains a good deal of information of
a public nature, from which 1t would
seem that be entered upon his official
duties consid ersbly handicapped by
debts contracted by bis predecessor.
He omitted however, to state the
financial condition of the County.
What the public desires to know Is the
present Indebtedness Of the County.
This information we hope to be able
to furnish in our next presentment,
through the efforts Of our special COM
mittee which we shall appoint.
There is another matter to which we
desire to call attention and that Is the
fact that scarcely more than one-half
of the taxpayers make their returns
to the County Auditor within the time
prescribed by law, especially does this
apply to the colored taxpayers. The
result is that the Auditor is kept busy
during the time Of the collection of
taxes, to the exclusion of other impor-
tant duties, IN making out supple
mental returns or assessing such tax
payers whose names do not appear on
the tax duplicates for the reason that
they had failed to make their returns
when the books were made up. While
this applies more generally to the COL
ored people, as before stated, there are
great many of the white who are
also derelict m that particular.
The law prescrlbes that when tax
payer fails to make his return at the
proper time, the Auditor shall make
the same from the best information
obtainable. or shall copy the return OF
the preceding year and add so per
cent. thereto as penalty.
We recommend that this provision
of the law be rigidly carried out by
the Auditor, as we are satisfied that II