Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-12-12


November term of Sumter superior
court, having on Wednesday completed
e all business for the session, filed their
general presentments and adjourned
finally The presentments cover many
matters of Importance investigated by
the grand jury and will be read with
interest The presentments follow
We, the grand jury, chosen and
sworn to serve for the November term,
1872 of Sumter superior court, beg
fleave to make the following present
ments
Reports from various committees ap-
i pointed by this body have been re-
A& VI ceived and adopted, as follows:
Committee on Jail and Courthouse.
~ W. We your committee, appointed by
90 ne foreman Mr.. J. A. Pinkston, OF
49, the Nrand jury of the November term
Of uNpter superior court, of 1912, for
A the nu rpose of investigating the court
80 house &nd jail, beg leave to submit
W the folio Awing report
\On DeSIember 2nd we were showa
trough lhe Jail by Mr. Price, depu-
ty jailer, IN very courteous and at
tentiye ma MINER We found the sanl-
tary condition of the Jail to be as good
as circumstS% %ces would permit. We
feel our inabirW to express in words
sufficient to gdNbefore the people, the
condition of ourA jail at present. We
have, as no Doubt other private citi-
zens heard a go9a\ deal being said
about the condition 81, our Jail, but
we we're utterly astonshed to find the
existing conditions. We find that the
steel cages that were once considered
strong and secure, to be in an abb
salute worthless condition, made so by
the laws of deterioration and by the
constant desire of prisoners to es
cape. We feel that no patchwork of
these cages would make them again
sufioio~t'v strong to hold our prison
p~e. therpfc~e we recommend a com
rlete renodel're Of these caeos. g
rnmhers Of them show big holes i"
The foor where various prisoners have
ee-ared We also find in view of this
condition. that our jailer has been
comnelled to put his prisoners no
in the w9mans ward which, for manV
reasons, we consider insufficient This
a~a~tment is crowded beyond the ca
racity of the cages, and some of the
prisoners are in the corridors around
the cages This space being taken ND
for male prisoners We find that that
leaves us at present with no place
for colored female prisoners.
The apartment for white prisoners
is in good shape, so far as we could
determine.
We find the arrangements for heat
ing the Jail are very poor and there
certainly must be a great deal of suf-
fering among the prisoners in very
cold weather, as we understand that
tbev are at times compelled to remain
under their blankets all day, as we'll
as at night in order to keep warm. We
think that this condition should not
exist
In view of the fact that there has
been number of prisoners to escape
of late on account of the deficiency Of
our Jail at present we would recon-
mend that the county provide suita-
bic guard for the prisoners until the
Jail can be put in proper shape In
fact We recommend that the county
have the Jail thoroughly worked over
and put in as good condition as the
best of jails anywhere.
Your committee next visited the
courthouse and we found, with few
exceptions the courthouse to be in
very good shape We found in good
many instances that the weights are
yipsr i'm
possible to raise them; and also some
of the doors work badly.
We also find the courthouse is being
used by good mahy people as stor-
age warehouse; especially did we find
this to be true in the basement, as we
found there, owned by different people,
furniture, sewing machines, mattress
es, etc. We believe that these condi-
tons should not exist as it is very
evident that it makes the danger OF
fire great deal more than it would be
otherwise. Therefore, we recommenI
kthe removal of all such plunder, and
that the basement be kept in much
better condition than it has been in
the past.
We recommend that the room of the
clerk Of the court be made larger by
cutting an arch into the hallway un-
der the stairway This will give not
only more room to our clerk, but will
give him private room where he can
better attend to the duties of his of.
fee ++H7
We think every self-respecting citi-
zen in the county should be more con-
sidsrate of decency and not spit to-