Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1912-07-10
/, SOUTH CAROLINA, Wednesday JULY 10, 1912.
GRAND JURY PREsENTMENT,
Sessions Court Adjourned Wedncs-
day Afternoon.

wednesday afternoon last the
Courtspf General Sessions adjourned
sine DE, shortly after having receiv-
ed IRON the grand jury the following
Final Pesentmcnt.
The state of South Carolina,
Oconee County.
To HisHonor George e. Prince,
Judge of Tenth Circuit:
WsaSthe grand jury, respectfully
beg leaye to report
Thafhwe have investigated and re-
portedAQn all the bills OF Indictment
turnedS9yer to us by the Solicitor.
We8again beg leave to call the
Court'sHattention to the fact that a
very large number (some two-thirds
of the5@hole) of these bills are for
violations Of the dispensary law, and
III eaqhs case quite a large number
of witnesses were bound over. at
great expense to our county; and the
greateEpart OF our and the Court s
time lsGonsumed in the investigation
and DISPOSITION Of these cases.
AZ TIE last term of the Court we
called attention to this matter, and
we noWswi to report the recon-
mendations then made as to changes
Ill theSlaW, and we now wish TO reit-
crate them, and urge them with all
Ihe 1oIce IN our power, and to that
end repqblish the recommendations
then made, as follows:
WeshaVe been impressed at this
Term or@the Court OF the time that
mas peen consumed in the considera-
tloh oGAdlspensary cases, and the
great array Of witnesses brought
mere atkthe expense of the county,
10 aVoid this consumption of time
ana expense we recommend that the
Legislature be asked to change the
law SOFAS to give the Magistrates
jurisdiction Of these cases. In our
humble 5topinion it is the certainty
ana promptness Of pupishment,r ,rat her
IMAM zitsfseverity, that deters crimi-
nails from@the commission of crime
and we believe the Magistrate. whose
court is80pen for business at ali
times foESthe6 trial OF cases in a chean
way canSmore certainly and speedily
mete out$punishme in this class Of
oIenses.M5lt might have been said
When the8law was new and little nm
derstoo dStllat only the Circuit Court;
could ip1 ret5 an Il en- fo, ,e as gb,i4
now that we have ali beco,me so fas
mll1ar with 1t, and 1t has been so
frequently interpreted and made
plaln by the Court, 1t cannot be said
Iiat Magistrates are incompetent to
ENFORCE It, but, on the contrary. they
can better enforce it than the Cir
cut Court, because vio1ators, fined
IN one case,' cannot renew the bust
ness and make enough betwoen
Courts to pay the fines put on then,
and leave profit besides.
If the Magistrate tries, convicts
and fines the violators to-day, and
he enters on the business again TO-
morrow, he can have him indicted
again tomorrow, and so on till the
Dllnd Tiger is put out of business.
ana we, therefore, urge this change
IN the law because it will not only
be much cheaper, but also more ef-
fective."
We take pleasure, in this connec-
tlon, IN noting the fact that the vari-
ons Magistrates Of the county have
needed our admoniiions as to send
Ing up on these liquor cases many
witnesses who would testify nothing.
Nearly all the witnesses who have ap-
peared before us this time have given
important testimony.
We are not yet ready with our re-
port as to the conditions Of the vari-
Gus county Offices, but will have these
reports ready at the fall term.
We report Virgil Cape, negro
man, and Fanny Cape, white wo-
man, for marrying and living to-
gether as man and wife; also, Char
lie Smith, white man, and Della
Smith, negro woman, for the same
ofense, and give the names Of Andy
Cobb, Turner Miller, j. r. Suttles
and Newton Long as witnesses to
prove the same in both cases.
We thank your Honor and the
Sollcltor for courtesies shown us.
Respectfully submitted,
M. l.. Cox, Foreman