Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-10-17
DUTY OF The. GRAND JURY
Judge Prince Discusses the Subject
Thoroughly


Absolute Secrecy 10 One Of the Re-
quirements-Disresard Of Fear, Fa-
vor, or Hope Of Reward arc Others
! Blind Tiger Business Should be
i Looked After and SO Should all 9th
or Crimes and Derelietions.
At the opening of the court Of gen.
eral sessions in Lancaster last Tuesday,
Judge Prince delivered an unusually
clear, forcible and comprehensive
charge to the grand jury, and the fol-
lowing comprehensive summary Of 1t
is reproduced from the Lancaster
News:
The Judge began his charge by call
ing the attention Of the grand jury t.
the carpet on the court house floor. He
said If there is anything in the germ
theory there must be million or
more in it. Little better than a hog
pen," Is the way his honor character
lied It. 1.-THE court house." said he.
should present as neat an appear
ance as any church In the county. This
carpet is an offense to the good Lord,
to say nothing to man." He explain
ed that they need not be costly, but
the furnishings should be neat and
clean. He expressed the hope that the
grand jury would think about this
matter and make mention of 1t in their
presentment.
His honor then proceeded with his
general charge by quoting the oath
which the jury had taken, as follows:
1--WE do soIemnly swear that we will
diligently inquire and true present.
ment make of all such matters and
things as shall be given US in charge;
the states counsel, our fellows and
our own we will we'll and truly keep
secret. We will present no one for en-
Wy, hatred or malice; nor shall we
leave anyone unpresented for fear, fa-
vor or affection, reward or hope Of re-
ward, but we will present all things
truly as they come to our knowledge
according to the best Of our under
standing, 80 help US God"
81 am satisfied" said his honor,
that many jurors do not understand
the full meaning Of the oath they have
taken, thinking that their oath relates
only to the finding Of bills and the ex-
animation of public offices. These
constitute but small part Of your du-
ties the law devolves upon you which
should occupy your attention between
courts. You have solemnly sworn that
you will keep secret all things that
take place in the grand jury room
There cannot be free expression Of
opinion by members of your body If
what they say is to be repeated on the
outside"
AS to how the grand jury stands In
their finding Of q true bill in case OF
a division Of opinion should not be
known on the outside because If 1t is,
the twelve or more who voted for the
| finding will be spotted. You swore that
you would not present any from envy,
hatred or malice, nor leave any unpre-
sented from fear, favor or affection. It
Is a small man who will allow his pre-
| judice to outweigh his judgment. The
average Carolinian is not afraid to do
his duty, so will not say anything
about being afraid, nor will I say any
thing about reward or hope Of reward,
for from many years Of experience
both at the bar and on the bench, /
know Of no single instance where JUS
tice has been bought or sold in the
courts.
| 'T wish I could say the same thing
as to affection. This Is one Of our
weaknesses. We are all averse to get
ting our friends into trouble. We had
rather shield them. But you swore
that you would present all things that
came to your knowledge. I presume
that you are men, well balanced, too,
men of moral courage and that you
will do your duty.
Your responsibility to the people Of
Lancaster county and South Carolina
is measured by your powers; therefore
you cannot afford to fall down on your
duties.
| You have general supervision Of the
official conduct Of all county officers,
from the highest to lowest, as well as
school teachers and trustees. II you
are fully aware of what your duties
are and perform them, you will have
your hands full. The county supervi-
sors office is one Of the most impor-
tant in the county. You should exam
Inc his books, accounts and vouchers.
He pays out large sums Of money and
Is in a position to easily bankrupt your
county. You should see that he prop
erly works the roads Of the county and
this can only be done by having indi-
vidual members Of your body go and
inspect them. don't know who your
supervisor is and know nothing about
him one way or the other, but he
should be a road builder, with knowl-
edge Of civil engineering, soil expert
and one Of the best business men in
the county, and he should be paid a
salary worthy Of such a man. If you
have one of this kind am sure you
are not paying him enough. Such men
are not common; they don't grow on
trees A county supervisor should not
be voted into office, just because he is
a good kind of fellow, capable at shak-
ing hands. The supervisor should de-
vote his whole time to the affairs of
the county and you should see that he
does so.
I'VE have wasted enough money
since the Civil war on our public roads
to have had first-class roads all over
the state. Road building should be
permanent Good roads are Of the
greatest benefit to all classes Of our
citizens. They lessen the expense Of
hauling and driving; next to public
schools they are the greatest aid to
civilization.
But schools are the most import
ant Of ALL Every school in the county
should be visited by at least one men,
Der Of your body: If you do you will