The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1930-12-04
DECEMBER TERM OF COURT
I WAS CONVENED MONDAY
Judge Albert A. DOub Delivers
Charge to Grand Jury-Says
Laws Must be Enforced
A. D. NAYLOR is FOREMAN

With Alonza D. Naylor as foreman
of the December Term grand jury of
the Circuit court for Garrett county
which convened Monday morning with
Judge Albert A. Doub presiding, the
jury went into session Immediately
following the charge delivered to
them by the presiding judge.
Judge Doub's charge to the grand
jury was as follows:
Gentlemen of the Grand Jury: You
have just listened to the oath which
has been administered to your fore
man; you have taken that oath and it
is hardly necessary for the court to
remind you or to impress upon you
the dignity and the solemnity of the
obligation which you have assumed.
You have been called from all parts
of the county and asked and are now
required to take part in the admins
tration of justice. Cases will bepresen-
ted to. you by the States Attorney
and you, perhaps, may be able to
suggest to your associate grand Jur-
ors instances where crimes have been
perpetrated in this county. When you
come to pass judgment on matters
presented to you you will be infiu-
enced by nothing except a clear sense
of the discharge of your duty. You
will forget friendship; you have no
favors to extend to anybody: you
have no rewards and no punishments
to give. AS l said, you are very es-
sential part of the administration Of
Justice. You have powers that no
other tribunal of this county and of
this state has. The members of this
court, the clerk of this court, justices
of the peace, have no power to origi-
nate prosecutions against your fellow
citizens. 1t is for you alone to origl-
nate these charges. You can investi-
gate, YOU can summon witnesses and
examine into any crime about which
you may have heard, and get all the
information necessary upon which to
base the indictment, but remember
you are to determine as to whether, II
the case were presented to you as
petit jurors without any other evil
dence in the case, you would find the
!, traverser guilty or not. If on the
States case as presented to you by
the witnesses you, it petit jurors,
would be willing to find the defendant
guilty then it is your duty to find an
indictment; otherwise not. 1t will
take twelve of the grand jurors, more
than half of your number, in order to
find an indictment in any case. l
mention that because it is very ser
ious thing to bring an Indictment
against an individual unless there is
satisfactory evidence to support it. 1t
causes expense to the county and
places a stain on the individual some
times, regardless of the outcome Of a
trial. Therefore you Dug hit to be
careful, but if you have such evidence
as convinces you that a crime has
been committed there ought to be no
hesitation about performing your
duty and bringing an indictment.
There are many things which the
court could call to your attention but
the court is not going to do it today.
Many of you have served on grand
juries in the past and understand
your duty. The purpose and object
of all government is to maintain civil
liberty-not license but civil liberty,
Concluded on Page Seven)