Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-11-20

There was much interest in Green
vile last Tuesday, on account OF the
proceedings in the matter OF rule
that had been issued against Sheri..
j. Hendrix Rector, to show cause why
ne should not be presented for con-
,empt or court in the publication III
The Greenville News Of an assault on
the grand jury because OF alleged re-
nections upon himself. 1t appears tnat
the grand jury, had in its report, re-
nected very severely on the sherin,
and in the newspaper next morning,
after the grand jury had been dischare
I'd the sheriff came back in an article
in which he replied in kind. He cnarg-
ed in the article that there was abso-
mtely no foundation in fact for the
structures of the grand jury and that
the grand jurors had merely suffered
themselves to be used as tools by Rec
.or's enemy, ex-Sheriff Gilreath, who
Rector said, had been busying himself
for a long time spreading slanderous
and derogatory reports over the coun-
ty for the purpose of inJuring hlm'
Rector. Because of the article. the
rule was issued against Rector, OF
course by the other side, and when the
case came up before Judge Shipp,
there was a lot of matter that showed
abundant evidence Of the personal ami
mus: but very little bearing on the
main issue which appears to have
been whether the judge had power to
punish for contempt for alleged offense
against the grand jury, which alleged
offense was committed after the grano
Jury was discharged. His honor dld
not care to go into the question as to
whether there was foundation 1or tne
aspersions cast upon the sheriff by the
grand Jury: but held that after the re-
port of the grand jury had become
public property, 1t was subject to pup
lie criticism or reply, and accordingly
he dismissed the rule against the sher-
iff. In arguing the case Sheriff Rec-
tors attorney held that while grand
Jury was supreme and could say What
II wanted to say without being held to
legal responsibility the individual who
felt himself aggrieved by 1t could de-
fend himself before the public without
incuring legal responsibility other than
might be adjudged by petit jury.
The foregoing was put in type Tor
last Fridays issue Of The Enquirer;
but was crowded out Of that issue as
It was out Of Tuesdays issue. 1t Is
important, however. AS to whether
Gilreath or Rector is the greater SIN
ner. is not for The Enquirer to say.
There are lots of good people over In
Greenville who insist that Rector Is
most disreputable kind Of a fellow
and that Gilreath represents the sum
total of all that is good and noble
There are people, the majority that
voted in the primary as well as in the
general election Of two years ago, who
seem to prefer Rector, good or bad
That, however is not the point OF the
greatest Importance in the story
above. The main thing is the allega-
tion of undue influences brought to
bear on the Greenville grand jury for
the promotion of private ends, and to
bring out the suggestion that If 1t Is
really fact that Greenville grand ju-
ries are sometimes tampered with,
Greenville is not the only place where
such things are done, even though as
yet no big row may have been made
over the same situation in other
places.