Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1912-09-14

In part the Judge said:
Gentlemen; Ny term expires on
December 31st or course J have been
or the bench q long time was APP
pointed away back In 1892, on the
18th of February. From that time 70
this have tried TO do my duty
Nov yen can see that is a long
time, n all those long years, have
had great deal to do. | have had q
great deal to do with the grand jury,
There has never been a charge where
! have not presided You can now see
the results Of the efforts Of all those
years Even this court house, take
the court houses in Baltimore, in
Charleston compares Wen with
these This Is as it should he-there
are from every part Of the county
leading men who have served on the
grand jur.es ! have always looked to
the grand jury, wherever the public
was concerned, to help me along. In
all that time, OF course, great deal
has occurred.
Il nave tried a great many cases
a great many criminal cases and also
civil, but / must say. gentlement,
have never sentenced a man TO be
hung In Berkeley county. There have
been larger counties where have sen
fenced thin In jefferson there we're
three, one in Hampshire a single
one in this county
1T is true, | have tried people for
murder, and probably some have been
sentenced for life. None of them were
sentenced to hang ! do not know
why that was. or course, ! would
have done 80 If the Jury would have
recommended It.
II am glad to say that | am not
ashamed of my record in the past. 1t
speaks for itself. You can take up any
of the cases. All speak for them
selves. am perfectly willing to
stand for my record ! say. gentle
men. can look back and cannot re-
call in all OF the cases | have decided,
where ] would have changed the de
cision. have had some cases where
would have changed my opinion al
ter new laws were enacted and condi-
tons changed Not in a single one,
either criminal or civil, do | recall
case where | would have reversed
myself. | think / have that looks
very well for a record of nearly II
years.
In all that time / have received
many kindnesses, courtesies, and the
Il
the members of the Bar. but from
every side ! cannot go back and find
fault With anybody or anything. There
is only one instance where | ever fin
ed man, and that fine | have remit
ted. In all that period of time ! have
had no complaint against either wit
nesses, jurors, or anybody else.
Everything comes before you. If
you do not do your duty, il the jurors
do not do their duty what sort of or
der would you have. You are the court
the people look TO. You cannot ex-
pect anybody else to do these things.
You are selected for that purpose.
You call witnesses before you. The
duty devolyes upon you to see that
you have an orderly county. There is
no crime that does not come into your
court. There is nothing that you can
not look into that you think proper to
do so. There are certain classified
tons that you ought to look to.
There is another class-the liquor
license for instance. OF course wnere
parties have been selling in violation
of the law, those are the cases where
you have power | have my own views
on the liquor law. 1t is not a good
law as it is. have never thought so
since | have been on the bench.
THE license is not high enough.
Again there ought to be regulation
as to population. suppose 40 make
application here. What are YOU going
to do about it? What fairness is thar
when .t comes to me granting Of lie
enses Unless there is some regulation
how are you going 10 prevent it? Why
is not one man entitled to a license
as iWell as another.
THE punishment is not severe
enough-and yet too severe. There
ought to be put to Jail, some cases
where they ought to be fned, some
cases where they ought TO be sent to
the workhouse, They say, you are
affecting their personal liberty, Il
you did not deprive men Of these
things, what would become of them?
The law preyehts it. You have got to
have regulation.
what would our fathers have
thought if they had been deprived of
their pistols 80 or 40 years ago.
Things are not rs they once We're
Things have changed We nave to
lleet these changed conditions. can
not think of any other matters of spec
Ia interest, gentlemeat."
The judge also advised the jury
against looking after the cases from
the justices Of the peace, as it would
be a waste of time and they were only
petty charges. In conclusion he said