The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-03-15

made in a reasonable time.)
Sheriff and Chief of Police:
"When good citizens say they are
afraid for the whole family to leave
their homes on heavily travelled
roads on Sunday and go to church
or any other place during the
week day or night, for fear their
property will be stolen, and when
federal licenses to sell whisky are
nosted in a so-called dry county,
we think it is time for our citizen
shin to wake up, therefore we held
conferences as a body with the
sheriff and chief of police.
"They are burdened with the
problem of securing evidence that
will bring about conviction OF the
ouiltv parties. At times they think
thew have sufficient evidence but
defendants are often permitted to
90 free. They know Of the gen.
oval complaints against notorious
places in city and county, but ma
Il difficult to obtain evidence tnat
will bring about convictions: They
anneal to the law-abiding citizens
70 exercise themselves that justice
NAV be done and that notorious
places be closed or the operators
brought to justice.
At this point we do not consider
Il ont of order for the jury to re-
mind all peace officers that we
stand ready to use every recourse
at our command to cooperate with
them in securing evidence. The
Jury suggests that officers watch
these places more closely than in
the past and turn in a list OF
names of those who frequent them.
These persons can then be sum-
moned for questioning under oath
before. the jury. 49,.
eve believe the matter OF per-
turing on the part of witnesses too
often goes: unchallenged. ,
"The sheriff says that he and
his two field deputies as a rule put
in fourteen to sixteen hours day.
This rush naturally doesn't count
for greatest efficiency in running
down crimes. The public mind, in
our opinion, is not ready for an
additional deputy and the Isherlfts
office. does not have records to JUS,
tify any movement looking toward
adding another. 3 :,
"The jury would not like to
work a burden on the sheriff's de-
nartment. but we believe a system
of records would be a check as to
activities on mileage and neces-
sary travelling expenses and estab-
lish whether the office has too
much help or. too little. A record
of telephone and personal calls,
by whom made, the nature, trips
made and by whom, mileage in
volved. arrests, nature Of trouble,
probably would be an eye-opener
for the department and would give
the public a fair idea as to justifi-
cation of the expense of the de-
partment. We understand it has
never been the custom of the Of
flee to keep such records.
"The public knows there is a
crime wave and is willing to pay
for its control. We know the de-
mands of the department are
heavy. This is not intended as
criticism of the sheriff in any
sense and if he needs more help
he should have it, but the jury has
no records or facts to lead it to
conclusions along this line, hence
our suggestion of records. which
certainly would involve more Ia
bor for the office. There is grave
danger of the public demanding
too much of its servants, expect
ing them to go and come when it
is almost impossible to do so.
previous courts are understood
to have emphasized the importance
of cleaninD up the gambling de-
vices in the county. The sheriff
! tells us that he does not know OF
any slot machines or gambling de-
vices in the county. a notorious
racket. We commend him for hav.
ing the wisdom and courage to