The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1929-12-05
JUDGE SLOAN CONVENED
DECEMBER TERM MONDAY
Jurist In Charge To Grand Jury
Scathingly Arraigns these Who
Seek To Obstruct Justice
CONTINUED from Page One)

in your communities carrying deadly
weapons it will be your duty to make
"a thorough investigation of such
cases. While the public generally is
inclined to regard the carrying of
concealed weapons as a slight Of
fense, we know in this Court House,
on account of the results following
in the past, tina tit is really one Of the
most serious violations of law that
may come before you. It, is one that
involves the safety Of the citizen more
than any other offense because it is
the cause of so many disastrous trag-
edies following upon its practice.
You are required at each term to
examine the books of the County
Treasurer and to report your findings
to the Court. Now we realize that
it is impossible for you to make
complete audit of the Treasurer's
books in the short space of time usu-
ally taken by the Grand Jury, but
you can see that they are properly
and accurately kept, and that ne has
on hand the balance that his books
call for. The State has provided by
law for an audit of these books, so
that it has relieved the Grand Jury
in great measure of this RESPONSE
bility.
We are required to call to your
attention the statute forbidding and
providing for the punishment of abor-
ton. These are matters which not
often are brought to the attention of
the public, and it is altogether un-
likely to be known, until there is an
explosion, that such a crime has been
committed.
A vicious practice that has grown
up in many communities is that OF
the use of drugs and narcotics such
as cocaine, opium, morphine and such
substances, and if you hear OF or
know of any addicts of these drugs
and narcotics it is your duty to sum-
mon them in and try to ascertain
where they are getting their supplies.
At each term of the court it is the
custom for the Grand Jury to inspect
the Court House and Jail to see that
they are being properly taken care
of This will be one of your duties.
The Mine Inspector is also required
by law to appear before you at each
session of the Grand Jury and it will
be unnecessary for me to go INTO de-
tails, but you will examine him IN
order to determine whether the vari-
Gus sections OF Une OIdIe Mining laws
are being observed.
1t is also the duty of the cOnstables
to appear before the Grand Jury at
each term of the court. The consta--
bles ought to be able to give you real
information about what is going on
in their respective communities. II
they are attending to their duties at
home they undoubtedly can be of
valuable assistance to you.
The thing, according to the metro
politan papers, that causes much
more disrespect of law than any other
is the repeated and continued viola
ton of the prohibition law.
We have no State prohibition law
applicable to Garrett County as such,
but we have in this county law for
bidding the sale, manufacture or pos
session for purposes of sale OF lntoXl-
eating liquors and no doubt some OF
these offenses will be brought to your
attention.
One thing l want to call to your
attention especially in regard to this
question is that the most brazen Of
tenders against this law have been
tampering with witnesses, and II you
have reason to suspect that any OF
the witnesses appearing before you
have been tempered with there ought
to be some action taken about that
and the Court will be glad II you
would call its attention to this matter
if such suspicion should be aroused
against any witness. This is thing
that hits at the very fundamentals OF
society and there is no obstruction OF
Justice that is quite so serious as that
and these offenders seem to be the
class that are especially prone to at
tempt such things
At the last term of court we were
compelled to carry over several cases
because the witnesses were not avail
able They had escaped out of this
jurisdiction before summons could be
served on them. The result Of such
practices, if permitted to continue, it
is unnecessary to comment on to you,
because you know the seriousness Of
this offense.
| think it was just last June that
was here during the trial of the Grim
inal docket and we had witness here
who had been summoned four times
and each time got out of the way,
and on this occasion an attachment
had to be issued and he had to be held
III jail W avail CllS VI lol VI WV vi
tenders against the liquor law, other
wise they might not have been tried
yet.
There is something about the bust
ness that makes the offenders more
brazen than any other class of crimi-
nails we have. They stop at nothing
to accomplish their purposes and to
continue in the business.
Let the investigation of the trade
these men ply be a matter of very
serious concern to you and especially
the question as to whether or not
there are among them offenders that
have been trying to interfere with the
attendance or with the testimony of
witnesses who may be summoned
against them.
1t is desirable that you be as ex-
peditious as possible, but do not sacri-
flee thoroughness to speed. The en-
ergy and completeness with which
the Grand Jury pursues its investi-
cations is the best security that the
citizen has. Criminals invite such
action, and the good citizen has
right to expect it from the Grand
Jury.
Mr.. Orval A. Welch, cashier of the
First National Bank at Friendsville,
is foreman of the Grand Jury, his as