The Snyder signal. (Snyder, Tex.) 1887-????, 1911-04-07
REPORT OF THE
GRAND JURY

no the Honorable Jno. b. Thomas
Judge of the 39th judicial p'S'
trict of Texas:
We the Grand Jury, empanel,
ed by you for the March Term OIL
the District Court OF Scurry
County. beg leave to submit the
following as our final report'
We have diligently inquired IN
TO all violations OF law, that have
come to our knowledge, and al
ter mature deliberation, have pre-
sented twenty-five Bills OF In
dictment-twenty misdemeanorS
and five felonies.
We find that the local option
law insofar as violations allect-
ing same by sale of liquor in the
County. has been well enforced.
But a large part of our inyestlga-
ton in the matter of misdemean-
ors has been with Illegal hand
ling Of liquors by minors. We
find that the minors of our coun-
ty have generally been able to
procure and have delivered to
them intoxicating liquor in viola
ton of the penal code, which pro-
hibits such delivery to minors.
Recent legislation has made 1t an
offense for any agent Of an eX-
press company to deliver to a
minor intoxicating liquor con
signed to him, without written
consent of his parents or guard
ian. We believe that this phase
of the liquor law should hereaf-
ter be by all grand juries as rig
idly investigated as this grand
jury has done, and that in each
and every instance where the
agent Of an express company has
delivered liquor consigned to a
minor, such agent should be in
dicted and prosecuted to the full
extent of the law. We find that
under the operation of recent
legislation that it is much easier
to investigate violations OF the
liquor laws of the country be-
cause of the fact that express
companies are required to keep
complete record of all consign-
ments. and the delivery of every
package of liquor, as well as the
quantity thereof received. at the
office of such express companies
for delivery; and by an inspec-
tion of their records so required
to be kept, there can he deter
mined the exact quantity of IL
quor received by any individual,
the time of its receipt and the
kind Of liquor that was received
by him. We would suggest that
the sheriff and the county attor-
ney, at any convenient time when
the District Court is not in SEES
sion make such inspection as they
may deem necessary. Of the re
cords required at the time to be
kept by each express company Of
the liquor received at such place.
BY a proper enforcement of the
legislation that we now have.
which has come into effect dur
ing the past two years. we do not
believe that it is hardly possible
that the local option law can be
hagrantly violated as was the
former custom.
One of the problems that the
present grand jury has had TO
deal with was the reluctance on
the part of quite a number of
Young men who have been sub
poenaed before the grand jury.
who have undertaken to evade
the giving Of testimony in the in
veStigationS of our body in rela-
tions of the laws of the country.
We deplore that there should be
such n tendency among the Young
men of the present generation to
even think lightly of their oathS
much less TO undertake TO false /
swearing and perjury before the I
grand jury, under oath. in order .
10 protect or cover mp violations .
Of law. which in many instances
are only misdemeanors. Yet wit T
nesSes are willing 10 commit
felony and run the risk of going
10 the penitentiary, IN order TO
protect one who may be his
friend. from indictment by the
grand jury. for what would pos
'ihly be only a misdemeanor and +.
punishment only by fine. We
would be glad if the parents of
,ur county would take some In
crest in these matters and teach
very child the Importance and
'acrednesS of their oathS which
hey take when they come 10 the
'ourt House. whether To testify
before the grand jury. or 10 les
ifv i'm the trial Of caSr popd