The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-11-27

records the other day, Mr. f. NJ. Bray
of the Florida Title and Abstract cor
poration, came across the following
presentment of the grand jury of
/ April %, 1868, when the civil war was
on in earnest. 1t pictures the 1ee..n.,s
and sentiments of the people at that
time, and On that account may be of
interest to our readers.
| The prcGeltuenL follows:
Tuesday, April %, 1868.
Now, on this day came the grand
| jury into open court, and the panel
being duly called, the foreman there
of made unto the court his return OF
their proceedings, to-wit:
Ocala, Marion Co., April %, 1868.
To His Honor, B. A. Putnam:
The grand jury Of Marion county,
spring term, 1868, having conferred
among ourselves anu consulted the
solicitor, take great pleasure in pre-
senting the agreeable fact to the no.
! tice of your honor that law and order
have been maintained within our jul
diery are most heroically enduring
| the privations incident to war-war
! on scale of magnitude unknown
/ since the time of Xerxes, and prose-
! cuted with vengeful hate in it's most
horrible form of rapine and murder;
ruthless destruction of life and prop
erty has marked the progress of our
own fendish enemy. Our gallant ar
mics have faced the storm of battle
on an hundred fields, now become his
toric, and have held in check and
beaten armies who from superiority
of numbers and the perfection of their
| arms and discipline, were supposed
to be inviniible. A benefcent provi-
dence has been our shield and buck
| Ter, the valor of our people and the
wisdom of our statesmen have forced
the admiration of the world.
The minutes Of the board of county
| commissioners show that our finances
are carefully managed, and the fund
for the relief of soldiers families most
! judiciously applied. We advise a
large liberality to them. In many in
stances it is impossible for the needy
ones to procure transportation. We
recommend that authority be given to
the disbursers of the fund to furnish
transportation of provisions and other
necessities to the homes of such fam
lilies. $127G.S7 disbursed to soldiers
families, and $1149.1S still in the treas
ury.
We regard the report and publica-
ton about the planting of large crop
of cotton in our county, as shamefully
slanderous. Such reports are calcu-
lated to produce improper feelings to-
ward a body OF men secNpa to none
| in the Confederacy for patriotic devo-
ton to the cause of the south. The
! plONI OlOpo CdOy P1dAICO VIII
much more than double the quantity
needed for home consumption, with
the ordinary blessings of providence
upon our labors. Our patriotic plant
ers have full cribs and are most gen
erously supplying the wants of our
| gallant soldiers families free of
charge. We feel it but simple justice
to them, traduced as they have been,
to mention this fact. While the press
has been landing the generosity of
some individuals for selling corn at
dollar bushel to soldiers families,
the planters of Marion have made it
gratuity.
The eloquent, patriotic and fOrcible
charge of your honor to this body has
made a lasting impression upon us,
and we think something should be
done to lessen the evil alluded to.
That some among the many blockade
runners do trade with our fiendish
and God-accused enemies we do not
| doubt. We think the extreme penal
ty awarded to the vilest malefactors
should be the punishment for such
reasonable offenses. On the other
hand, individuals of high character
are engaged in the business Our
| government has been supplied with
arms and munitions of war, clothing,
shoes, etc., by the enterprise of these
daring men. We, therefore, find it i'm
possible to agree upon any plan for
the total suppression of the trade on
the coast, but we recommend the for
fixture by legislative enactment of
the villainously poisonous compound
sold to our people by the blockade
runners as rum. and known in the
Spanish islands as "Aquadente.''
Our public buildings require some