The Sentinel=record., 1915-01-26
GRANDAJURY MAKES
 A FINAL REPORT
DECLARES THAT THERE IS A GENERAL ABSENCE OF CRIME
 IN HOT SPRINGS.
Compliments Judge Mooney and Building Commissioner Cohen on Splendid Job on Court House

The September term of the Gar land circuit court came to an end yesterday when the grand Jury made its final report and Judge Wood re- ceiyed it and adjourned court for the term
 Following is the report in full: To the Honorable Scott Wood Circuit
 Judge, Garland County:
 Dear Sir: We, your Grand Jury ap- pointed at the September term, said court having completed our labor, beg. to submit the following final re- port.
 We desire especially to call atten- ton to the improved condition in law enforcement and the general absence of crime in the county as a whole and the City of Hot Springs in particular, a condition reflecting in our opinion credit on the officials, who have not only to deal with local crime and disturbance, but to further handle a floating visitor element, running into the thousands, some of which are
 
 as a possible field of operation In view of these facts it will doubtless come as a pleasing surprise to some of our citizens who are ready to be- ieye rumors and to our papers who frequently publish articles of de- rogatory character that the result of our labors will show we are far in advance of other localities similarly conditioned that the actual existence of crime, as crime, is almost obsolete, .and the law infractions are confined to individual disputes, petty pilfer- age and other minor offenses Only one case of deliberate or premiditat- ed murder or attempt to murder has come before us, and that by man not a citizen of this county, only one case of manslaughter and that with out malice or forethought, also by a man not a citizen of this county. No case of house breaking or burglary, no highway robbery or holdup, which is indeed remarkable in view of con dtions previously mentioned, and our minimum police protection, and such minor offences as have occurred are lacking in the deliberate or intention al infraction of the law, which we assume shows us to be a law-abiding conservative citizenship going for ward in the march of progress and general uplift to higher planes of civic improvement.
 We have examined 1S7 subpoenaed witnesses and F of whom appeared voluntarily before our body, with the result that 92 true bills of iadlct- ment have been returned and F de- fendants held by examining courts have been ordered discharged
 We find in the present practice in the Justices of the Peace courts that when a person is arrested for a fel- | ony and a preliminary hearing had before the justice sitting in said case, a great number of witnesses are subpoenaed most of whom know know nothing about the case. The Justice of the Peace, in referring the case to the Grand Jury for action, in variably certifies and sends up to the 1 Grand Jury the names of all of said witnesses appearing before him, ma terial and immaterial, with nothing in \ his papers 10 indicate what witnesses \ are material or to show in substance ' what their evidence was before him
 When the papers in the case reach
 the Grand Jury. there being nothing to guide it in the selection of the ma. | terial witnesses in the case, it is compelled to summons the whole \ number of witnesses appearing on l the Justices transcript and by the II process Of elimination. select only | those witnesses who have some | knowledge of the facts Under this | process the Grand Jury is necessarily put to much trouble and waste much valuable time in examining wit nesses who know nothing of the facts in the case and the county is put 10 unnecessary expense in pay ing out fees to these witnesses, both before the Justice of the Peace and the Grand Jury. as well as the ex- pense of the officers fees for serving said witness with process to appear before the examining court and the grand jury
 Under Section 2l4S of Kirbys Di- gest, it is made the duty of Justice of the Peace in all preliminary trials, to make a general statement Of the substance of the evidence taken in | the case and the names and ad- | dresses of the witnesses. and file same with the papers sent up. but notwithstanding that law, none of | the Justices comply with same, and 1 by reason of their noncompliance this county is put to a great expense that could be avoided if the Justices would take the time and do their duty and the officers would think of some thing besides their fees when sub poenaing witnesses.
 We have taken up and carefully reviewed the exhaustive report of the commissioners of accounts and wish to compliment them on their painstaking and efficient service Many apparent discrepancies found by them in the reports of the Con stable and Justices of the Peace Of Hot Springs township we found due to careless bookkeeping of the Con-