Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-11-03
JUDGE HILL
ORDERS
PROBE
New Justice Tells Body 1t Must
Not Spare Liquor Law
Violators.

Judge Ben Hill, in his first of.
fetal act as a member of the Su-
perior Court bench, Monday
a campaign against lille
gal traffic in intoxicants, with es
pecial reference TO locker clubs
which may be violating the pro
laws.
Charging his first Grand Jury.
he urged the most careful inquiry
into the conditions under which
the locker clubs are operating,
and If any were found to be dis
regarding the law in any way to
ndict the men operating them.
There are rumors that some of thu
locker clubs are not complying with
the law" said Judge Hill. This NAV
or may not be true but it ia your
duty IS the highest body in the coun
ty to make most careful invest
cation The man who is deliberately
violating the law which rules tina,
whisky must not be sold should be
severely dealt with. be he in a locker
CLUB or a public or private place. No
matter what your personal opinion
may be regarding the sale OF intoxi
cants, YOU are to act as the law die.
tates.
Whisky and the Pistol.
The two great evils of life. the mo-
mentous ones are a whisky bottle
and q pistol. Each OF them is a Ereat
evil in itself but together they form
the greatest menace TO life.
Il urge of you that every man in
the last two years who has been
guilty Of having weapon upon him,
unless he has a permit from the Or
binary, be Immediately indicted.
think there should be a law against
the sale of pistols, for the modern
revolver is the most deadly weapon
ever made. The man who carries ona
IS a menace to the life of the com
munity and should be dealt with in
a manner to make 1t a lesson to 9th
ers.
1T is also your duty to make tho
closest investigation into violations OF
the gaming laws. II there is gam
bling in Fulton County you should
take the step that will break it IN.
In 1880, when Captain English was
Mayor, and was Solicitor General.
we broke up gambling here. and IL the
rumors that gambling is going or
here now are true you are the men TO
be held responsible for it.
Upon a grand jury depends the les
SEEMING Of crime by strict and firm
consideration Of the cases coming be-
fore 1t. ! do not know that crime is
on the increase, but the newspapers
tell us that it Is. The duty of q grand
juror Is most important. His position
is responsible one, for upon him de-
Ponds the welfare OF community"
The organizing and charging OF the.
GTdnu jury was unique In the annals
of Fulton County court history, judge
w. II. Ellis organizing It and then
sending the body before Judge Hi
to be charged. But few formal re
marks were made to them by Judgs
Ellis.
With Judge Hill's assumption to the
Superior Court bench, an old custom
Of the other three judges, Bell Pen
dleton and Ellis, handling the crimi-
nal docket in rotation, with the as
sistance of Judge Room. OF the Stone
Mountain Circuit, is abolished. Judge
Hin viii handle all criminal felony
cases and only in cases of extreme
where the criminal docket
becomes badly crowded, will any Of
the other three judges handle criuri-
nal cases. Judge Charles L. Reid, who
succeeded Judge Roam on the Stone
Mountain Circuit, will not hold court
here.
The entire courthouse In both tha
old City Hall and Thrower Buildings
was in a state OF Suppressed excite
ment all Monday over the revival or
the work Of the felony branch OF thh
Criminal CpuIL. and Lha anifkAnG - i