Year: 1874

The following is the charge by Judge
Mcnamara, delivered at the opening of
Court at Owenton, Owen county, Ky.,
on the 7th inst:


GESTLENEN OF THE GRAND JURY-It is
perhaps the first time in the history of
Owen county, when citizens have ever
sat in court, where there was not 4 sim
gle man that had concealed deadly
weapons upon his person.


You have been summoned here to-
day on important business affecting the
people of the whole State, and particu-
larly of your own county. 1t has been
heralaed throughout this and other
commonwealth of the Union, that
Owen county is in state of insurrec-
ton that law in your midst is disre-
garded, human life insecure, and the
courts and their officers set at defiance
and held in utter contempt. Now,
sirs, may I ask you, as the grand in.
quest Of the country, is this true !! and
if it be, how lorg will you allow this
state of affairs to remain! May even
express the hope that you, as one of
the coordinate branches of the court.
will do what is expected by the good
citizens Of Owen county; that you will
rise above all personal differences, and
manfully discharge that high duty that
the laws of your State enforce upon
you.


No sixteen gentlemen ever had high
er, more exalted position than you oc.
cupy to-day. As the grand inquest of
your country, the good people every
where, with hope and high expectation,
are looking at you and your conduct
in the discharge Of your duty with feel.
ings Of pleasure and delight. Of this
fact need not remind you, that offend
ers can only be brought to punishment
through the action Of the grand jury.
You are the propelling power; you are
the source from whence the people can
only expect protection. And now l
warn you that unless you have come
for the purpose of patiently, diligently
and impartially discharging your duty
better by far you had remained at
home.


have been member Of the bar is
years, and never have seen a grand
jury impaneled in your county, when
the hotel and saloon keepers did not
send to them whisky and cigars. This
is indeed humiliating; yet there is no
purer truth than this recorded in the
book of books. Not intending wanton.
ly to wound the feelings of any Of your
predecessors, it is to them burning
shame, and to say the least of it disre.
putable to the fair name Of Kentucky
courts.


am but one man. and can do only
the work with which you furnish me,
but if any gentleman expects favors or
considerations apart from the faithful
and honest discharge Of duty, let him or
them, during my official life, be at once
undeceived. Law breakers and male
factors are no associates of mine, and
never receive an official smile. While
| do not propose to step aside from the
line Of duty, do intend to catch and
hold to the utmost rigor of the law ev-
cry one who does not respect, as the
chief rule of human conduct, the law in
all its truth, and without which yon
have no society or protection.


l am informed, and being informed
deem it my duty to state to you, that
nearly year ago poor, defenceless
boy was shot and killed on the streets
of Monterey, in this county, and for
which killing the party was duly and
regularly indicted for murder by
grand jury Of your county. The party
so charged at once fed the country, ,and
remained in exile till but two days
since when he returned to town, and is
now armed with deadly weapons, and