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THE VALDOSTA TIMES, 8ATUKDAV, DECEMBkk 2, 1905,
7
GRAND JURY PRESENTMENTS WITH THE JUDGE
All of the Affairs of the County
Looked Into by Committee
We, the grand jury, chosen and | County Commissioners continue the
f
sworn for the November term, 1905,
of the superior court of Lowndes
county, beg leave to make the follow
ing report: »
The committee appointed by the
grand jury for the last May term
submitted to us the following report:
Valdosta, Ga., Nov. 18, 1905.
To the Honorable Grand Jury, No
vember Term, 1905:
Gentlemen: We, the committee ap
pointed at the May term of the
grand jury ,to investigate the books
of certain county officers and report
to your body, beg leave to report as
follows:
We have examined the books of the
sheriff and find tuem neatly and ac
curately kept^ so far as we could ac-
certain,
We have examined the books of
the clerk’s office, his papers, his mode
of keeping records, and find that our
county’s clerk is doing his full duty
as clerk; the books, with the excep
tion of a minor clerical error are
neatly kept, and the vouchers shown
in accordance with the bills passed
lor payment by the county commis
sioners. We observe that in record
ing and signing the name of the clerk
of records, that it is done in various
hand writings, which we think Should
he signed by the fcleirk or his duly
sworn deputy clerk.
We examined the ordinary’s books
as best we could, and with the Infor
mation our ordinary could furnish, we
are at a loss to report upon these as
lull as we would like. We find it im
possible to furnish any report as to
the official returns to the ordinary,
as the law requires, of quite “a num
ber of administrators, executors and
trustees, who have failed for years
*jjy to make any returns. We think it the
duty of the ordinary to force admin
istrators, executors and trustees to
make annual .returns.
We examined the treasurer’s
and voucher# and found them
v»tth the exception of a lew
Wo would recommend 1st
^honorable body that the county com'
mlssioners keep minutes of all their
transactions In detail, showing all
* jfelr orders and the amounts that are
paid out to commissioners for duties
performed by them, and that no com
missioner present bills for approval
for services only as authorized by the
commissioners while in session.
The mere fact of taking up these
.examinations of the county books
5 from where the last committee left
H off and skimming over them in such
a manner is very unsatisfactory to
your committee, and therefore, we
would recommend to your honorable
body .that it is the consensus of opin
ion *0t x this committee, after examin
ing the books of the various officers,
that it .would be profitable to our
county’s welfare, to Its progress, that
there bo appointed by his honor, the
Judge, an auditor for the county,
whose business it shall be to audit
w the nooks and accounts of all the offi
cers and make statements to each
grand jury. We think this would
save many inaccuracies and would
furnish to our citizens at any time a
statement of the county’s affairs.
All of which we respectfully submit
H. F. Tillman,
A. E. Dimmock,
J. H. Dasher,
Committee from May term of Grand
Jury.
Accountant.
We recommend the employment of
an expert accountant to examine all
county officers’ books and records
and that the expense of same be paid
out of the fund if the county.
We further recommend that this
examination be made in time to be
submitted to the next grand Jury of
the May term, 1906.
We further recommend that a com
mittee composed of B. L. Thomas,
J. G. Stevens and J. M. Ashley em
ploy said accountant; the said com
mittee to aerve without compensa
tion.
Weights and Measures.
We recommend that the law
quiriag the Ordinary to inspect
scales, weights and measures be en
forced and strictly complied with
and that the County Commissioners
provide, If required by law, the nec
essary test weights and measuers for
the purpose, and, if the test weights
and measures are to be furnished by
the Ordinary, that he provide them
at once.
Roads and Bridge*.
We have looked Into the work be
ing done by the convicts on the pub
lic roads and note the good results
of same. We
this plan and recommend that the I tricts four months.
system. We also find that the bridges
over several small streams In vari
ous parts of the County are in bad
condition and in some instances dan
gerous. We recommend that same
be given attention at once by the
County Commissioners and suggest
that they have the superintendent of
roads, with such force and material
necessary, go over the entire county
or such portions needing the atten
tion and make the repairs.
County Convicts.
We, the committee appointed to In
spect the County Chain Gang, find
the camp clean, prisoners well fed
and cared for.
T. M. Smith, H. L. Boone, W. A.
Sims, R. I. Hineiy, C. K Howell, J.
L. Sims.
County Poor Farm.
Your committee finds the poor farm
in a dilapidated condition. We rec
ommend that a new roof be put on
main building and a piazza on west
side of corner house. That a new and
substantial fence be put up from the
east side of farm on the south side
to a point west of main building, and
that other buildings be repaired and
that the commissioners require that
the yards be kept clean.
We find five initiates: One wfiite
Jim Waters was Convicted of Volun
tary Manslanghter and Was en«
tenced to Serve Fifteen Years on
the Chain Gang—Other Cases That
are on Trial Today.
Jim Waters, the negro who was on
trial on the charge of murdering Hen
ry Griswold, was found guilty of vol
untary manslaughter and was sen
tenced to fifteen years in the peniten
tiary on the spot The case against
him was hardly as strong as it was
expected. He showed that he and
Griswold had been quarreling and
that the killing occurred while he
was in a fit of anger.
The next case that was called was
against J .A, Morris, who was accus
ed of picking somebody's pockets on
circus day. The evidence against him
was hardly as direct as in the case of
the others who were convicted, but it
was sufficient for the Jury to find a
verdict of guilty, though it was ac
companied by a recommendation of
mercy. The Jury in this case was
out for several hours.
Will Stevens, a young negro, WM
on trial this morning on tho charge
of asSanit with intent to murder Char-
_ a , * I lie Shoats. Verdict was not guilty
woman, two wkite men and two n0- , t , a that the caaea agaln ^ t
James King and Ed. Col*, accused of
gro men. They seem to have very
good attention.
C. B. Peeples, J. G. Stevens, S.
Dowling, Committee.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
Court House.
We find that our magnificent piece
of property has been greatly abused
through lack of proper care. Since
Its completion It has been left In the
hands of a negro janitor, who has
never given It a single cleaning.- The
windows have never been washed,
floors, are filthy and dust Is to be
id; everywhere. We, therefore,
mend that tttd* Custodian of
itt oricej nnd that when
d,_lt be Jcept cleaned;
the Janitor’s entlro time he
given to the keeping the building
and grounds. We reepmmend that
the County Commissioners immedi-
ately provide the Tax Collector with j • f m ned *
a suitable safe for tho safe keeping I U ,ooks now 88 lf court w111 corae
of any funds of the county received I to 80 end tomorrow 8nd th8t thc Raw *
robblng W. W. Ashburfl, of Moultrie,
will be tried-'this aftemooii. The
cases would have been called thl*
morning, but Mr. Ashburn could not
reach the city until about one o'clock.
These are the men who he says ha
"phOTDgraphed” on his mind when
they robbed him. r .
The next case was that of Will
Ford, accused of assault with Intent
to murder two women at Dasher. He
hit one of them with a brick and
throw an axe at the other. Verdict
was agreed upon for assault and bat*
tery. '*
Frank Turner will be given a
trial tomorrow ini
the Carter child!
portant witness for Off state, who la
now sick, is able to come Into court.
There may be one or' two other
cases, though this Is not definitely de-
COTTON GROWERS TO
PERFECT ORGANIZATION
Called to Hold Militia District Meet
ings on First Saturday In Decem
ber, at Which Time Delegates will
be Elected.
The sea island cotton growers of
Georgia and Florida, met in conven
tion at Valdosta, Ga., on November
23rd and perfected a permanent or
ganization as a branch of the South
ern Cotton Growers’ Association.
In order to thoroughly perfect dis
trict and county organizations of
growers of sea island cotton, it is
urged that local meetings bo held lu
each of the militia districts in Geor
gia and voting precincts in Florida
on the first Saturday in December,
for the purpose of electing, from two
to five delegates in each district or
precinct to attend the county meet
ing to be held at all county seats, or
other convenient place in said county
on the second Saturday In December,
for the purpose of perfecting county
organizations.
It is highly Important that these
meetings be held as called for, la or
der tnat the Sea Island Cotton Asso
ciation may be fully perfected at the
earliest possible ,date.
All county organizations that are
A DAY OF THANKS-
orally Observed Here.
Business la Suspended and Many of
The People are Observing the Day
at One of Rest and Thanksgiving.
Tho Services at the Presbyterian
Church.
Thanksgiving day Is being general*
ly observed In Valdosta.
Bulnesss is almost entirely bus
pended, a large majority of the stores,
all of the banks, depots and post*
office being closed or observing Sun
day hours.
Only a few of the stores remained
open, the most of them giving their
employes a day for rest and thanks
giving.
It Is generally conceded that never
before has so much Interest been
perfected on the second Saturday in I shown In Thanksgiving day and nov
December should promptly notify F.
G. Schell, secretary Sea Island Cot
ton Growers Association, Lake Butler,
Fla., with full list of officers elected
and the names and postoffice address
es of fill members enrolled.
Constitutions, by laws and othtr
literature will be furnished upon ap
plication secrelarjr or president of
the association.
Harvle Jordan,
President .Atlanta, Ga.
F, G, Schell, Secretary,
Lake Butler, Flo.
Snow's Patent Diary.
We have received the pocket diary
and memorandum book for 1906 of
C. A. Snow & Co., patent lawyers of
Washington, D. C. This urm will
send It to any subscriber of The
Times for two cents postsge.
It la a diary, with pages for memo
randa and cash accounts; the census
of state* and citlaa; calendars for
1906-07; distances by miles and time
L to .cities of the world and business
_ court decisions for Invent
Kffl
for Tho Dally Times.
er before has the occasion been so
generally cclobrated.
The day has been a beautiful one
and many people were on the streets.
The union services at the Presby
terian church wore largely attended
and the sermon by Rev. Richard Wftl>
lace was appropriate, eloquent and
patriotic.
ThO Church was crowded to Us full
iapaclty and an excellent musical
program waa rendered.
Judge Mitchell announced a recess
of three hours in til© superior court
in order that the Juror.? and others
might attend the service# 3 n< * ^ ave
plenty of time for the feast .^hlch
nearly every household enjoyed.
There was no trouble In getting tha
merchants to close their stores and
It Is probable that it will be & rule
In Valdosta for business bouses to
suspend business on the day of thanks
giving.
FRUIT BRINGS BETTER PRICES.
Scarcity of Applet Causes Higher
Pr.ce—Oranges Plentiful.
The price of fruit this year as com
pared to this time last year, varies
very little with the exception of ap
ples, which are selling for a better
price.
The high price of apples generally
contributed to their scarcity and the
high cooperage. The growers claim
that very little, If any profit, is real
ized on app'.es by shipping them as
far south as Georgia, on account of
the high cooperage. The quality of
all kinds of f-uits that are being sold
by Valdosta dealers Is not as good as
former years. The apples are not
only hlg’h, but their quality Is poor.
One prominent dealer said this morn
ing that it was almost impossible for
him to get first class apples. On ac
count of the fact that few apples,
that is to say apples of medium qual
ity, are raised in Georgia. Valdosta
has to depend largely on eastern
growers to supply the demand for this
fruit. So far very few barrels of fine
apples have been received by the lo
cal dealers.
Although the report was given out
that the Florida crop of oranges may
fall possibly one hundred and fifty
thousand crates below last year the
Valdosta market is already flooded
with this fruit, and as a consequence
tho price on them is a trifle cheaper,
than last year.
Never before In tho history of Val
dosta has the market been so flooded
with Florida oranges as It la this year.
The reason for this is that the
growers in Florida are determined
to have All of their oranges picked
and packed by the first of January
if possible. This is done to prevent
losses on account of freezing. In for
mor years a considerable bulk of th©
crop has been gathered in -Tflmiary.
Disastrous frosts and freeze* ****’’
continually occurred during this
month and as a result the growers
have suffered extensive losses. Espe
cially so, was this the case last year
^hen the big freeze occurred.
Chickens for 8#le,.
White Plymouth Rock doctftrels for
sale by Joses & Waldorf^* 28-w3t
Syrup wanted i
A. J. Strickland.
The Dalton Grocery fid.
WV have been informed that thd
Dalton Grocery Co. of Valdosta, have
applied for a new’charter with a cap
ital stock of 1250,000 and for permis
sion to open up stores #t .Quitman
and Perry, Pla. Jt. fa* said, that the
company will hane’-i largo building
here and make ■*'
point Th<gl|
in eoUou.—Qullmau,
by this officer after banking hours.
We recommend that ~ the county
court-house be used for no other pur
pose than public business, either by
that any leases, rents, agreements or
that any lease, rents, agreements or
permits now existing, be cancelled
and the purpose and Intent of this
recommendation carried out.
Jail.
We find the county Jail to be prop-
lings sentences will be passed tomor
row afternoon.
A recess was taken from 11 to
today on account of Thanksgiving.
Birds Fare Badly Today.
Today Is the day when those sports
who can get off no other time hie
themselves to the forests In search
of something to kill. There are hun
dreds of dogs sniffing the air in the
erly "kept 'anVthe'' prisoner” wen ® e,ds about Valdoa ‘ 8 toda r and moro
cared for, considering the crowded than that many hunters wlth thelr
condition at this time. We recom-1 n™ ***** to sh00t at the flr8t thln *
mend that the commissioners have a e * u ?’ a _
certain leak In tho building stopped j Naxt to the tl,rke ’ r - tho fate ot the
and at the earliest possible moment, I par ' r,d f" 13 8addo8t 08 thl3 da y- Ho
L. Staten, W. C. Willis, G. B. Jones.
County Commlaaionera.
We recommend That the County
Commissioners itemize their accounts
for services and state fully where,
when and for what such services
were rendered.
Special Taxes.
Is hunted for on all sides and If he
should happen to escape the shots
that are aimed at him he Is in danger
of being “laid low” by stray missies
from adjoining fields.
To Rebuild 8tablea.
Roberts, Cranford & Co., have let
tho contract for the rebuilding of the
We have examined Into the mater stables burned four years ago, and
of Special Taxes paid the state, and. work will begin at once on the same*
as appearing by the records kept by The stables will be built on the site
the Ordinary and Tax Collector, find 0 f the burned structure. In the rear
th<* same correct and all monies prop- * of the Roberts, Cranford & Co.,
erly accounted for by the Tax Col- building on Hill avenue, and will be
lector.
We find some irregularities In reg
istering and collecting special taxes
and recommend that all persons or
companies subject to special taxes be
first required to properly register
with the Ordinary, the Ordinary see
ing that same is properly done and
correctly dated, furnishing such per
son, persons or companies with cer
tificate of registration, which on pre
sentation to the Tax Collector, shall
be his authority for receiving such
special tax and properly receipting
therefor and that the Tax Collector
shall not receive special taxes In any
other way.
Recommendations.
Messrs. R. I. Hinley, C. K. Howell
and J. L. Sims, as citizens of the
county, having been appointed to act
with our committeee in the inspec
tion of the county convict camps, we
recommend that they be paid a per
diem as jurymen for their services.
We recommend that the Commis
sioners work the convicts one month
In each district out side of the Val
dosta district each year, and work
unanimously endorse! from Valdosta out to the other dte-
occupled by Cranford & Roberts.
We are grateful to the public for
the generous patronage accorded us
this season, and take this opportun
ity to say that we shall continue to
bend our energies toward pleasing
our customers both In assortment,
quality and prices. C. C. Varnedoe
& Co.
We recommend that the stenogra
pher be paid $2.50 for typewriting
the Grand Jury presentments.
In concluding our duties, we desire
to express to his Honor, Judge Rob
ert G. Mitchell, our thanks and ap
preciation for the noble and forceful
charge given this body.
Also, to Solicitor W. E. Thomas,
we extend our thanks for the many
courtesies shown this body during its
session.
Wle recommend that these pre‘
sentmenta be published In the Val
dosta Times,
Respectfully submitted.
HOWARD W. HARRIS,
• Foreman,
W. D. PEEPLES,
Clerk.
SC H
O
o
L
It Is generally conc
eded that this store
keeps and sells more '
children’s goods than
any concern in this
section. We pay very
special attention to this department of
our business, and we are better than ever
prepared to meet all demands for this
class of -.roods. Our stock of SUITS and OVERCOATS for
ages 3 to 16 is large and comprehensive, covering a wide
range of prices and materials In almost all styles
Suits and Overcoats $1.75 to $7.50
Children’s Furnishings, Shoes, Hats
We have on hand under this head, Hats, Caps,
Shoes, Hosiery, Underwear, Gloves, Neckwear,
Collars, Cuffs and Shirts, and Jewelry. Sweaters a
special feature.
We are pleased to show goods at all times. If
we don’t sell you It will not be our fault.
M. A. BRIGGS
Outfitter to Children. Valdosta, Ga.
