The Mena weekly star., 1913-10-30
GRAND JURY
 MAKES REPORT
Recommends Sale of Poor Farm and Purchase of Smaller One Nearer TOWn-90 Per Cent of In-
 dictments Blamed to Whisky

The grand jury, which made its final report and adjourned Saturday afternoon, found indictments in 149 cases, a very unusual number, but there were but very few felonies. The report states that at least 90 per cent were directly or indirectly attributable to whisky.
 Some complaint is found with sanitary conditions at the poor farm, particularly as regards the care of a consumptive woman in- mate The jury recommends that the present farm be sold and a smaller one be purchased nearer town, the market and medical aid.
 The books of the county officers are reported as in a satisfactory condition, but some of the justices and collecting officers are criticized for failure to make reports and proper settlements.
 The prosecutor is praised for his efficiency and kindness to witnesses, particularly in prevailing on some to tell the truth and escape perjury charges.
 The report follows:
 To the Honorable Jeff T. Bowling,
 Circuit Judge:
 We, your grand jury for the October term of the Polk Circuit Court, in 1913, beg to report as fol- lows:
 We have examined into all crimes that have come into our knowledge and have returned indictments in all cases where we thought the evi- dence sufficient, and in so doing we have examined t45 witnesses and have returned into open court i49 true bills.
 We have, through our committee, examined the county jail and find il in a good sanitary condition, and the inmates well cared for, except in the matter of heat. We recom- mend that the necessary steps be taken to keep the jail at a com Portable temperature.
 We have, through our committee, examined the poor farm and find same in fairly good condition. We found one consumptive woman on the farm whose quarters are not as clean as they should be. We also find that none of the windows or doors are screened so that the in mates are left at the mercy of the flies This is all the more import ant because of the presence of this cOnsumptiVe woman. We recOm- mead that both of these matters he attended to, and also that the pres ent farm of one hundred and twenty acres be sold and invested in a smaller farm of about forty acres located nearer to town, so as to be accessible to market and physicians l in ease they are needed.
 We have also examined the cOun- ty records, and as far as we are able to find, all the books are in a satisfactory condition.
 We have no complaint to make at any of the county officials other than the customary failure upon the part of some of the justices and collecting officers to make their re- ports and settlements as required by law. We have had about the customary number of delinquencies in these respects, but have not in- dicted any of them, with the hope that this condition can be remedied without resOrting to such strenu- ous measures. But if this cannot be done, such a course will have to be adopted by future grand iuries.
 While we have returned quite a number of indictments, most of them are for misdemeanOrs; but we do not regard them as minor of- lenses simply because they are mis- demeanors. Numbers of them should have been attended to in the jus tice courts, but when that was not done, there was no course open to us but to give them the most thor ough investigation possible, and this we have done. We realize that il is only by close attention to mis- demeanors that felonies can be prevented The two classes of mis- demeanOrs with which we have had to deal mostly. drunkennes and gambling, are particularly import ant in this respect. It is the opin-