The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-02
Jurymen Criticise Solicitor and Find Much Fault
 With County Affairs
BOARD OF REVENUE
 IS NOT SYSTEMATIC
County Jail Is Called Disgrace to Ciyilization-Alms House in Deplorable Condition = Per
 sonnel of Grand Jury

q hope the grand jury has been fair | CT to the persons they have indicted than they have been to me" said so- .icitor H. P. Heflin in his reply to the grand jury's report for the January term, which was made yesterday aft ernoon in the first division of the crim- inal court before Judge Samuel E. Greene.
 At 4:sO o'clock the grand iurymen announced they were ready to make report. Judge Greene suspended the trial in progress and the grand jury filed into the court room.
 Judge Greene asked if they were ready to make report and the fore man, Rigdon E. Orr. stated that they were. Deputy Clerk Dave Williams was then requested to read the report.
 Crowd Listens to Report | The report was commendatory in some of it's findings and scathing in its denunciation in others. The throng | that crowded the court room listened with much interest as Clerk Williams, in clear and deliberate manner, read section after section of the report. The grand jury was in session 26 days, tried 342 cases, heard 1136 witnesses, found 196 true bills, found 13e mo- bills, and continued for further inves- tigation 10 cases.
 They characterized the county jail as "a place unfit for the confinement of human beings and disgrace to our boasted civilization" but gave Sheriff MeAdory credit for doing his very best to house, feed and preserve the health of the prisoners.
 Courthouse Firetrap
 They stated that the only favorable thing that could be said about the present courthouse was it's artistic eX- terior and denounced it as a fire trap and constant menace to life and property. They recommended the erec- tion of a combination jail and court house of the modern skyscraper type of sufficient size to meet the needs of the county for the next 50 years.
 They were unstinted in their praise of the IIillman hospital but condemned the almshouse as disgrace to mod ern civilization
 | board of revenue in reference to keep ing records of disbursements and in spection of the work done on the coun- ty roads.
 The justices of the peace of the county came in for the usual roast and the establishment of inferior courts was recommended.
 The official conduct of the coroner was the suject of comment.
 Enforcement of Vagrancy Law
 The grand jury urged more wig orous enforcement of the vagrancy law, recommending penal servitude for a certain class who infest the alleys near the business district.
 Gaming, automobile speeding and carrying concealed weapons were em- bodied in their report and the national war department was condemned for the indiscriminate sale of old army rifles The bloody beat 22" of the Lewisburg district was the subject of strong com ment and the impeachment of one of the justices was recommended.
 The solicitors office came in for a fair share of criticism as did the local l military COlllDdnltS. lHe ItDOih cur cluded by a recommendation that the pay for future grand jurors be in creased to $3.5O per day. The report concluded with the usual compliment ary mention of those assisting the grand jury in their investigation.
 Heflin Makes Reply | At the conclusion of the reading of the | report Solicitor Heflin was on his feet, and speaking with intense feeling, he | addressed the court "l desire to reply to | the ensure of the solicitors office by the l grand jury. l want to say your report 1 Is not true. l have asked to be allowed 1 to explain fully all the facts connected 1 with the solicitors office but you gentle men have been so unfair as to deny me l that privilege. So far as the nolle | pressing of capital cases is concerned, If am extreme in anything it is in the pros 1 ecution of the mankiller."
 | Here MT. Hehin introduced typewrit- 1 ten statement giving the history Of every | murder case nolle pressed or abated. He | also commented on the figures given by the grand jury and said the figures showed only 9 per cent Of convictions in murder cases.
 q offered you gentlemen every assist ance to get at the facts" he said. 'If there was anything you did not under ---------------~----~- ~->--~~~~~-----~---~- |