The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-06-25

The report is here given in full:
The Report
Hon. p. c. Richardson. Judge OF tn
Hastings Court Of the City O
Richmond:
Sir.-The special grand jury sum
moned by YOU TO take under consid
GRAFTON matters concerning the efF1
cheney Of the police force OF this cit!
and certain other matters, begs e
make report as follows:
| The grand jury met on Monday
June 3, at II A. NJ. and, after beint
sworn and charged. took up at once
the matters referred to them Thes
have met since almost daily and or
some days have had morning and af.
ternoon sessions. till this. the fourth
week OF their Investigations
/ We beg to say that in all matters
hereinafter referred TO we have acted
Many--indeed. nost--of the princips
and Witnesses were previously un
known to the members Of the jury
either by sight or name. Scores OF
witnesses have been examined Some
OF them repeated mere rumors. Others
presented testimony which did not
stand confirmation. from many VIC
secured subst sntial evidence support
cd ny subsequent witnesses.
Our findings are based only on the
last mentioned class Of testimony NJ
merous anonymous letters and phone
IA ssa ges were received One usually
throws such letters into a waste bas.
kct and turns a deaf ear 10 such in
formers In this investigation. how
ever. we have given due consideration
70 all such. but considered none as tes-
timony Anonymous letter writer's
good citizens who wink at law viola.
lions and umid jurors are aiding and
abetting these law breakers
Good Men on Police Fore.
There is no greater fatincy than 70
man is an evil-doer There are over
900 men on the force most OF whom
Wa believe. are men good and true
! The finger Of accusation has been
pointed at bat few.
Most Of these cases have grown out
of violations Of laws regarding the
transportation or selling or liquor
gam bling and intoxfcation
The state or Virginia. has. from Its
earliest history. legisiated on these
subjects The first general assembly, Of
Virginia tthe first on this continent)
convened at jamestown in 1919. en-
acted laws and penalties on these mat
ters Suoh laws, modified TO suit the
changing times. have been in effect
ever since Under state authority. the
courts have always had the authority
and power to grant or not 10 grant q
license To sell liquor and to punish
those who violate it's mandates
The evils of the traffic in liquor were
apparent more than a hundred wears
ago and movem ent was started 10
influence public opinion on the ques-
ition The war OF t9st-'sh caused u
halt in those endeavors. hut long since
the subject was again taken up and
public opinion asserted itself In a
series of years nearly every county OF
the state voted against the liquor IL
cense within its boundaries At length,
the general assem- bly, OF Virginia en-
acted n bill submitting the mater 10
the electorate OF the state The people
themselves in their sovereign right
voted in 1914 by a majority Of over
30. 900. to abolish the sale from the
state, to take effect November J. 1915.
liquor and Gambling.
The state. in Its sovereign capacity
has spoken, through the general as
sembly and through the electorate. Its
word is. there shall he no more grant
ing of licenses for the sale Of liquor.
The state of Virginia has. from one
generation to another. forbidden
gambling No license exists in the
state; the penalties are on the statute
books
on these matters personal liberties
do not exist, and never did.
| II is the duty of all good citizens tc
uphold the law. il is the duty of al
state officers to enforce an observance
on all who resist, Believing the foun
dalton of enforcement lies in an eff
cient and interrupted police force. We
| have conducted our investigations
more particularly along that line.
That there are bad spots and law
| less people in our city none will dis
! pute. but the city should not bs
I judged by them. our city justly
| claims to excel in many things, and
We protest against the unenviahlt
claim of excelling In wickedness ant
lawlessness Since the gathering o
thousands OF soldiers in a nearby
county began A year ago, new pro-
lems In vice have appeared which re
Quire new methods OF treatment. The
! Jury has not felt IL incum bent or
hem to take up This matter in add
ton 10 the matters already before
them. To purge the police force is
the first step in the direction of better
enforcement OF law.
! Wilfui Law Breakers.
/ In defiance of law and order in g
| good community. a few wilful fner
have set themselves in array Against
constituted authorities Chief amongst
these we point TO man passing by
the name OF II. l.. Price. who owns OF
Occupies farm on the Nine-Mile road
a few miles northeast of the city. This
man is said to be the Same az Lewis
Rogers. alias II. Mcclure, who was
several years ago charged with the
theft of many valuable trunks from
railroad stations. He was tracked
from place to place. at length capture
here. tried In the hustings court. con
victed Of grand larceny and sentenced
to serve five and ono-half years in the
penltentiary. He served two years and
six months and was paroled January
1903.
Indictments for Price
This man, whose criminal record Is
apparently known to all who know
! him at all. has apparently gathered
around him a, circle OF men mostly
young men. whom he In coaching 10
be criminals, by teaching them how
to go TO other cities, buy liquor and
get by the police here. In his trafic
he has even corrupted certsin police.
men who hitherto have borne good
regulations. His example and sue
cesses have induced others TO try his
short cut to fortune or to the peni-
Tertiary This man we have indicted
for felony. charged with biting of a
part OF the ear of another with whom
he had a dispute over the division OF
liquor, We now indict him for trans
portation OF liquor also.