New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1912-03-23
GRAND JURY REPORT.
10 the Honorable the Judge OF the
10Th Judicial District Court Oh
Louisiana sitting in and for lbs

Louisiana, sitting in and Tor lpI-
ria Parish, greeting;
We. your Grand Jurors I'M
pannelled and sworn to inquire
IN and for the body of your Par
;sh beg leave to submit this our
final report.
We have been in session for SIX
DAVIS and during that time we
have diligently inquired into all
matters brought before us, and we
have returned into your Honor
able Court the true bills and
no true bills. The reason why
we have been in session so long,
is that owing to the bad condl-
ton of the roads and the con
tinued floods during the month
of january there was no session
of the Criminal Court held In this
Parish hence the large accumula-
ton of Criminal business. we
desire to say that we are graft
fed at the fact that there have
been so few serious crimes com
mitted in this Parish since last
July, the last session of the Grim
inal Court. We attribute this to
the alertness of the officers OF this
Parish who, without exception,
have been very assidious and at
tentive to their duties.
We have had but two eases oil
murder for investigation and one
of those was Of long standing as
the party accused was a fugitive
from justice.
Court House and Jail.
We have examined the Court
House and we find the same III
poor condition; in many places
the plaster is falling down and
the building as a whole is sadly
in need Of a coat of paint. We
also find that the Clerks Office
particularly the vault where the
public records are kept is much
too small to accommodate the vol
ume Of business to be cared for
in our Parish It is but a short
time hence, before the Clerk will
be entirely unable to store the rec
ords unless he stores them upon
the floor. We note further that
the Sheriff's Office is also entire
ly too small. 1t is imperative
that the same be enlarged aud the
the entire office remodelled.
The vault in which is stored
the public records and the mon
ey coming into the Sheriff's hands
is naught but a dark, dingy mus
ty dungeon rejecting very sadly
upon the Parochial authorities.
En- PEASANT, we desire to say
that it had been reported to this
Body that the Sheriff was holding
and had held prisoners in Jail
without commitment and had al
lowed parties who had committed
crimes to escape without proper
charges being preferred against
them. This we have honestly
and carefully inquired into and
find absolutely that this charge is
without foundation either in
truth or in fact. We find on the
contrary that the Sheriff's office
is run in a business-like manner
and that every record is kept
with care and in a business-like
manner.
The Jail.
We have visited your jail and
upon close inspection we find that
il is totally inadequate and unfit
for a Parish such as that Of Ibe-
ria; it is entirely too small and
much too dingy to incarcerate
prisoners. We find that the same
is kept as clean as the building
will afford, and that the prisoners
are properly guarded and prop
erly fed. We have inquired Of
the prisoners as to the treatment
which they receive at the Sheriff
and Jailer's hands and they re-
Piled that their treatment was
good.
We have also found incarcerat- |
d in your Jail in common with
hose accused Of various crimes
light insane persons; this we be-
ieve to be not only wrong, but
nhumane. There is no accommo-
lation for them other than that
t their incarceration, and when
n insane person is placed in that
all rather than benefit him it is
lore likely to make him become
raving maniac. We suggest
1erefore that the Parish authori-
es should provide a building sep
rate, distinct and apart from the
ommon Jail where the insane
lould be cared for, This place
lould be roomy, well ventilated,
can and kept in an attractive
amer in order that the lives of
Iese poor unfortunates should ..
frightened instead of darken-
|. This building could easily be
frame and would IN our esti- ,
alton be of little cost; and no
after what the cost would or
ight be, the end and aim would 4
more than compensatory for s