The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1948-03-11
Judge Henderson
Delivers Charge
To Grand Jurors
March Term of Circuit Court
Opens Monday When Investi-
eating Body Begins It's
Duties

Associate Judge George Henderson
delivered the charge to the grand
jury Monday morning as the Garrett
County Circuit court opened its
March term.
Judge Henderson reviewed the
history of the grand jury system, out
lined the duties of the jurors and in
stlucted them to inspect public rec
ords, the Jail and Court House and to
return such indictments as they may
find necessary.
Gentlemen of the Grand Jury:
1t is customary for one of the
Judges at the opening of each Jury
Term of Court to give instructions to
the Grand Jury, or it is termed ito
charge the Grand Jury"
You have been chosen by lot from
among the male citizens and voters
of Garrett County to serve as Grand
Jurors for the March Term, 1913, of
the Circuit Court for Garrett County,
Maryland.
As a result there is temporarily inn
posed upon you a special duty of as
sisting the various State and County
officials in preserving the peace,
government and dignity" of this
County and this State.
The Grand Jury is a very old and
very splendid institution. 1t first came
into use in England, and its begin
ings probably date back to a time
prior to the Norman Conquest in
1906.
AS you know the Grand Jury is a
body of citizens who inquire into
criminal matters in a community and
make presentments or indictments,
called true bills" of those who, they
believe, have committed criminal acts.
Such presentments or indictments
are duly presented to the court; and
upon the indictments the accused are
tried by the court with the aid of
petit jury, or if the accused so elects,
by the judge himself.
When this country was first settled,
in large part by colonists from Great
Britain some three hundred years
ago, they brought with them the
English common law with its grand
and petit jury systems. This law and
this system prevail in Maryland to-
day.
Grand Julies have always been con
sdered- certainly in Maryland-as a
bulwark of liberty to the citizens. Tn
less the grand jurors find that there
is reasonable ground to believe that
an accused person has committed
crime, their duty is to refuse to find
an indictment. They thus prevent IN
nocent persons from being put to the
expenses and humiliation of trial
where there is really no case against
them. This function has been eX-
tremely important in the age-.ong
battle for individual right and liEer-
ties and particularly when arbitrary
rulers attempt to place persons on
trial where no real otfense had been
committed, and to force convictions
of persons whom they dislike and
wanted to get rid of.
Apart from certain specific duties,
which will be hereafter referred to,
imposed upon the Grand Jury by the
Legislature, your function is that of
an investigating and accusing body.
You do not "try cases" and you have
nothing to do whatsoever with the
sentences which are imposed or the
means which may be taken to re-
habilitate person who has been con-
victed of crime. Those matters may
and should be of great interest to YOU
as members of the community, but
they have nothing to do with your
duties as Grand Jurors.
You should consider all evidence
which may throw light on the matter
under investigation, whether it tends
to establish the innocence or the
guilt of the accused If, in the course
of your Investigations, you have
reason to believe that other evidence
exists, not presented to you, but
within your reach, which would quail
fly or explain away the charge under
investigation, it is your duty to re-
quire such evidence to be produced.
After you have heard the evidence