The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1944-03-16
Observation-Disclosures
The Grand Jurors
March Term Jurors Met Monday
Morning To Begin Investiga-
ton OF Alleged Offenses

| The grand jurors for the March
Term of the Garrett County Circuit
Court convened Monday morning in
/ the Court House and after being sworn
in by the Clerk of the Court listened to
the charge delivered by Associate
Judge William A. Hustler.
Judge Huster's address to the jurors
was as follows:
Gentlemen of the Grand jury
! You have been selected grand jurors
for the March, 1914, Term of Court
for Garrett County of the Fourth Ju-
Gicial Circuit of Maryland You have
been chosen from the several election
! districts Of this county and from diff
! ferent occupations, walks in life in
order that you may represent a cross
section of the county. The Court has
faith in your integrity, your sense Of
fairness and sound judgment and that
! your proceedings will not be affected
by fear, favor or affection on one hand
nor the public clamOr on the other
Your duty is to present and indict
! for violations of the Criminal Laws
where the evidence before you presents
| a prima facia case: that is, one which,
| if the evidence before you We're the
only evidence, would warrant a con-
viction. The testimony may be inher-
emily improbable or contrary to the
experience of mankind or its intrinsic
weakness may be developed during the
cross examination of the witnesses
/ who appear before you in support
of a charge and in all such cases, you
should refuse to present or indict. You
! do not constitute a court, and it is not
your function to pass upon the innO-
cence or guilt, and it should only be
after a fair and careful consideration
of the evidence that you should sub
ject an innocent person to the ignom-
my of being publicly charged with the
commission of a crime. If the present
ment or indictment be unwarranted, al
though the accused thereafter should
completely demonstrate his innocence,
the harm has nevertheless been done.
The oath which has been admins
tered to you by the Clerk of the Court
and to which you have assented, is the
guide you must follow and in so do
ing you will fulfill the purpose for
which you have been selected.
By Article 81, Section %, the grand
Jury is required to visit the Jail and
inquire into its condition, the manner
in which it is kept, and the treatment
of the prisoners and report the same
to the Court.
1t is customary also-and grand
juries are generally instructed-to in
spect the Court House and report its
condition, together with such recon-
mendation as may be made for the re-
pair and improvement Of both the
Court House and the Jail.
The law does not require the Court
to especially instruct the grand jury
as to the statute against the carrying
of concealed weapons, but it has
| been the custom to do so, because this
offense-so lightly regarded by so
many persons-frequently has such
tragic consequences that it should not
be ignored. That the Legislature real
fact that it has imposed penalties for
violation of the statute by a fine Of
not more than one thousand dollars or
Imprisonment in the Jail or House Of
Correction for not more than two
years.
1t has also been customary to direct
the attention of the grand iurv to the
liquor laws of the county. In Garrett
County the sale of beer is now author
lied by law, subject to such regulations
as the Act of 1885 imposes. It can be
stated that there is no county in the
State where the liquor laws have been
more faithfully performed and en-
forced than in this county, and we can
assume that there will be no relaya-
ton on the part of grand iuries or en-
forcemcnt officers With respect to it.
Article II, Section lO4 of the Public
ohaI Laws titlo. "Carrn+t County"