Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1912-11-29
TOTAL OF ONLY 81 CASES ON
CALENDAR FOR JURY TERM
OF DEPARTMENT NO. 4, or
CIRCUIT COURT.
4 AWAIT GRAND JURY PROBE
Two Assault Charges and One Larceny
and One Forgery Charge to Be In
vestigated; Two Damage Suits Stir
Interest of Court Attaches; Term
May Soon Close.

With one of the smallest dockets in
several terms and with prospects that
the entire session may not last over
six days, the December jury term of
department No. /, of the Polk County
circuit court will open in this city on
Monday, with Judge Percy R. Kelly,
of Albany, on the bench. The jury
has been summoned to report at 1
o'clock on Monday afternoon, immedi-
ately after which the grand jury will
be drawn and take up their investiga-
tions. Judge Kelley will arrive in the
city today and hold court this after
noon for the purpose of hearing mo-
tions and demurrers.
-Four Await Investigations.
In the county Jail are four prisoners
whose fates will be decided by the
grand jury which convenes Monday.
They are Thomas Baker, bound over
from Justice Hardy Holman's court
on charge of larceny; he is accused
of stealing a shotgun and a watch
from the residence of Loe Bros, east
of the city. M. Hibbard has a charge
of forgery hanging over him, and was
sent up from Independence. Clifford
Young is charged with assault with a
dangerous weapon, and was committed
from Holman's court. He was jailed
late in July, along with H. Bristow,
for beating up companion in West
Salem, as the result of what was de-
clared to have been a drunken row.
Bristow, however, succeeded in fur
nishing bail and was released in Octo-
ber, pending the session of the grand
jury. Tom Homer, the most recent ar
rival, was sent up from Justice Will
sons court in Independence for as
sault with a dangerous weapon upon
the person of one Mcdonald, foreman
at the "Wig-Rich ranch, south of
Independence.
Interest in Damage Suits.
All told there are only 81 cases so
far on the docket, and the majority of
these are actions for money or simple
suits that will require but a few min
utes to dispose of. There are, howev-
er, two damage suits that may occupy
the attention of the court and jury
for the major portion of the term.
One is an action brought by Sanford
Snyder, of independence, against the
Salem, Falls City & Western Railway
company, for alleged damages sus-
tanned by Snyder when an engine of
defendant company struck his buggy
at the railway crossing in West Salem
on Sunday, May 26, 1912. He thinks
that $500 will heal his hurts.
Another suit which has aroused con-
siderable interest is the action brought
by Lydia M. Howard, of Independ-
ence, against Ben ]. Werner, of this
10 fn ha Of
$4,000, as the result of an alleged au-
tomobile accident at the Southern Pa
cific station in Dallas early in April,
when, according to the complaint, de-
fendant's machine struck plaintiff
while she was running to catch a
train and threw her forcibly to the
ground, whereby she Sustained injur-
les of a serious nature"
Wright Damage Suit.
There is is also the action brought
recently by w. DI Wright against
Sheriff John NJ. Grant and Justice
Hardy Holman for damages in two
causes of action. aggregating $4,000
for alleged false Imprisonment. There
are those familiar with the details of
this case who do not believe it will
progress to the trial stage. At any
rate, Grant and Holman do not ap-
pear to be worried over the outcome.
When the sheriff is arrested in Ore
gon the law makes it the duty of the
coroner to serve the papers, and the
alleged culprits in this case declare
that they have no fears of the result
this time, as the coroner has no jail,
and will have to lock them up in the
morgue, from which they declare es-
cape will be easy-for live men.
The contest case brought by Arthur
r. Allen against Frank z. Meyer for
the office of assessor is also attracting
much attention. This case is set for
hearing on Friday. Dec. 6.