The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1916-02-09
I 80 80 ~ " u,
CRIMINAL COURT CoaVENEs.
% 7xft. s,7- fi1!'Tig8'-,
Judge DeVorc Stresses Importance or
Grand Jurors Fulfilling Their Du.
ties.

Criminal court convened this morn.
Ing with Judge ]. W. Devore of Edge.
aeld- presiding. Solicitor. p. H. Stoll in
charge of the prosecutions for the
State and Stenographer Wood on
hand. There We're also the usual
number of attendants and spectators
on hand for the sessions court and
the usual delay In getting court start
ed.
The feature of the mornings ses,
sion was the stress Judge DeVore
laid In his charge to the grand Jury.
upon the members of that body per.
forming their duty. He pointed out
cases where grand jurors had neglect
ed their duty. and stated that he
hoped the ones now on the grand
jury would not be amiss. Mr.. Neill
O'Donnel was chosen foreman of
the jury. u.
! In his charge. Judge Devore point
ed. out the duties of the members of
the grand jury. in that they must in
vestigate and bring In indictments
against all persons committing crimes
or misdemeanors which. came under
their notice, making no exceptions for
friends, or bringing in indictments for
spite, In their examination of the
county offices. he. stated that the jury
must report what it found, no, matter
what It was If the books were so
Kept that the committees examining
them could not tell whether they were
properly kept or not, the jury must so
state; or II there was anything irreg-
ular. the jury must so state; If every
thing was as 1t should. be-, the jury
must state. The presentment was for
the. information of the taxpayers, who
had right to know, not for him, and
II there was anything irregular and
the officer was reelected, il, was the
nsnlt OF the voters. However. IL the
grand jury failed to report any ,ir-
regularity. II they; found It. and the
ofhcer was re-elected, It was the fault
OF the grand Jury. He stressed the
necessity of the. committees finding
out, what the law said that the offlcer
must do before they examined his Of
fce. as II they did not know the law,
they could not tell whether the. office
was run according to law q. not. He
stated that their: duties began with
the convening of court, when they
were sworn 4, in and continued until
their successors were sworn in, not
oilly during the term Of court. as
.grand Jurors very often. thought.
Another matter. brought out an2
stressed by Judge Deyore WIS the
fact that the criminal court was not
~ place to collect debts. He-.-stated
that very often warrants were. taken
out for persons for giving false mort
cages or disposing of property under
lien or mortgage and then. when the
amount due was paid the case was
dropped. He stated that the magis-
trates very often allowed this to be
done. but 1t was not lawful. II a
warrant was taken out for q violation
OF the law, the cause should be sent
on for trial. However, If the warrant
was taken out merely for the purpose
of collecting debt, and the grand
jury SO found or SO decided. the bill
should be- thrown out. as 1t. was a
wrong usage of the. court. He stat
ed that the committees in their in
vestigations should see that all funds
appropriated for county uses. should
DO used for those purposes for which
the appropriation was made and not
for othcr uses. The schools also
were under the supervision of the
grand jury. as was everything in the
county which was run entirely or
partly by expenditure of the public
money ana the grand jury should see
that the schools had competent teach
ers and were doing efficient work. 1t
was better. he said. to have competent
teachers, even If they had to be paid
more, In poor school houses. than to
have fine school houses, and incompe-
tent teachers in them. The money
was spent for the school children and
not for the teachers, as some trus-
tees seemed to think.
In regard to the wave Of public
opinion for law enforcement which,
Judge DeVore stated, was sweeping
the country, he thought that the law
ought to be enforced. Then if the
law was enforced. regardless of