The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-02

sional crooks and thieves find the authors
ties set against them, when they realize
that it is Improbable to operate in a
community. they generally give that COM
munity a wide berth. 1 am satisfied this
county will not be so inviting TO the
criminal fraternity in the future. The
professional law breaker will have an in
creasfngly hard road to travel; for public
sentiment stands strongly behind those
officers of the law who are trying to
stamp out lawlessness and crime.
Other Offenses Defined
1T is unnecessary for me to name ani
CODE This court always stands ready to
aid you in any question of law, which
may arise, and the solicitors information
and experience are at your command.
There are certain special charges,
am required by law to give and empha-
size. A few we'll known evils have be-
come so prevalent and SO universally in
furious to public peace that judges are
enjoned by law to urge them upon the
attention of every grand jury organized.
For the following misdemeanors, which
give you in special charge, you must
indfct, whenever the evidence is sufficient
to justify the charge, and the law re-
quires you to exhaust every resource in
the prosecution of these offenses. D
There is no law more generally dsre-
sarded in this county than that which
prohibits the carrying of concealed
weapons and pistols on premises not your
own. The law is very plain in it's intent
No man can carry concealed about his
person pistol or other fire arm or bowie
knife. If he does, he violates the law.
1t matters not whether he is a deputy
sheriff, policeman or other officer The
only exception the only lawful excuse. is
when a man at the time of carrying the
concealed weapon had good reason to ap-
prehend an attack. We have another
statute on this subject which forbids
carrying a pistol, whether concealed Or
not" about the person on premises not
his own or under his control The statute
especially excepts the sheriff and his dep
uties, any police officer of an incorpor-
ated town or city, the United States mar
shals. rural free delivery mail carriers
and bonded constables. but no others are
excepted
I'm other words, man can only carry
a pistol openly in his hand, on his own
premises or on premises under his con-
troll when he has at the time good reason
to apprehend AN attack, unless he is one
of the above named excepted officers,
and not even one of these officers can
carry q pistol concealed anywhere unless
he can prove he had at the time a good
reason to apprehend an attack l am IN
uty sheriffs disregard this law and regu
larly carry weapons concealed about their
persons in their ordinary duties proceed
ing doubtless, upon the theory that an
officer has always good reason to appre-
hend an attack. This is contrary to law,
and it seems about time to require our
officers strictly to observe the law in this
! regard. They should be examples to
others. The carrying Of deadly weapons
is a menace to those who carry them and
| to every one in range. Something must
be done to break up this perkcious prac-
| tice.
! 'If you, gentlemen, will bring a few
needed indictments and issue clarion
| call to peaceable citizens, invoking their
aid in bringing such offenders to justice,
| the judges of this court will see to 1t
| that the clerk gives all such cases set
| tings as preferred causes. I am sure
that the judges of this court may be
! depended upon to do their part in al
| lowing few continuances and In imposing Z
the hard labor sentences provided by law
| for this offense.
Operating Motor Vehicles
1.-THE second of these special laws is
| that which makes 1t misdemeanor to
operate a motor vehicle upon the public
| highways reckessly or at rate 1T
speed greater than is reasonable ami
| limb or property of another. Our pres
| ent state law was evidently passed at
the instance of the automobile owners,
| for it is totally Inadequate to cope with
| existing conditions. For the first Of
| fense. the highest fine is SIS, and for
| subsequent offenses fine of not more
! than $500 with no hard labor or prison
| sentence provided. So many collisions
| and fatal injuries have occurred in the
| mast wear owing to the reckless running
| Of automobiles, and so many machines
| dash by us each day In their mad work
! OF destruction. that parents fear to send
| their children along the public streets TO
| school, and the average citizen breads
| to cross the street as he would any
| other form Of meeting probable DEATH
! "Resort must be had to prosecutions for
murder and manslaughter. A few con-
! victions would do more than reason or
moral suasion to stay the fatal course
OF these powerful machines and their