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Jackson Court.
The spring terra of Jackson superior
court began at Jefferson last Monday,
Judge Richard B. Russell presiding
Never before in the history of the
county have parties who were compell
ed to be at court had so much difficulty
in getting to Jefferson on account of
high water and terrible condition of
the roads, and from these causes fewer
people have attended this week toan
we ever saw there before.
Judge Russell opened court at 10
o’clock Monday morning and the grand
jury was scon organized with Mr. C, F.
Holliday as foreman and Mr. R. L.
Home, clerk. The grand jury is com
posed of representative men as yon
generally see and a body of njen who
will conscientiously and faithfully dis
charge the duties incumbent on them.
The Judge’s charge to tho grand jury
is a document that is well worth read
ing and impressed all woo heard it.
Tho way he dispatched business
Monday convinced every one that h-* is
determined to do all in his power to
cmtuil the expenses of our courts.
A large delegation of visiting attor
neys wt re in attendance from Winder,
Harmouv Grove, Lawrenceville, Athens
and Gainesville.
The following is the charge of Jndga
Russell:
Mr. Forememan ami Gentlemen of tho
Grand Jury:
Your b )dy having been organized by
the selection of your foreman and duly
qualified oy taking the oath prescribed
by law, it now becomes the duty ot' the
court to direct you as to the scope and
method of your deliberations aud thou
to give you specially in charge certain
statutes which the code n quiri-s every
Judge in the state, to lay before eacli
and every Grand Jury.
However familiar these statutes may
be to you, the law in its wisdom com
mauds me specially to direct your at
tention to each of them specifically, aud
you have been sworn to make diligent
inquiry aud true presentments as to
these matters, which I thus give you in
charge.
In compliance witn law you have
been summoned from your honu-s and
tho pursui*. of your own affairs, and by
your oaths consecrated to the service of
your fellow citizens.
in obedience to that law which re
quires that, in every county in this
State, at least two regular terms of the
Superior Court shall be held at fixed
times we have assembled here and about
to organize a court, at which, under our
laws, you form a most importaut part
I trust each of you fully appreciates
the important duties and the high re
sponsibilities which rest upon you.
The State has selected you through
your jury oominissiouors for a special
purpose, and set you apart form
body of the citizons as being amongst
the most upright, intelligent aud expo
rieuced of her citizens In some states
there are no graud juries, but in Geor
gia yon are charged with certain du
ties eutrusted under our laws to no
other power.
The Grand Jurors select all members
of the Board ot E location, and thus the
Grand Juries control through their
agents tie county school system
You select from time to time all the
Notaries, who are Ex-Officio Jusiice of
the Peace in each militia district of your
county.
Yon are charged with the general
supervision of all the property of the
county and of its financial condition.
To you all the officers of the county, en.
trusted with any funds raised by
taxation, are required to report. Aud
it is through your careful examination
and your public report, touching these
servants of the people, that the taxpay
ers generally (each of whom is entitled
to know that every dollar drawn from
him by taxation has been lawfully
spent) are to obta'u their information.
You can aid the courts and tin* country
by enforcing the road laws we have or
by adopting the new road law known
as the alternative road law. In audi
tion to all those civil matters, as no
person can bo tried for crime in this
court except upon an indictment or
presentment preferred by the grand
jury, the duty devolves upon you, wher
ever the criminal law has been violated,
to bring the charge without which
there can be neitner trial, conviction or
punishment. The good law-abiding
citizens look to you for defense agaiust
the evil, the reckless and the lawless,
and this protection depends upon
youi finding out evil doers aud bring
mg them to the bar of'justice.
Your diligent action will bring upon
you the blessings of all good men and
good women as well as light in your
own hearts and that pure aud fervent
glow which comes from the conscious.
ness of duty well done.
Justice then is or ought to be the
prime object in view, the ultimate end
o bo attained in every proceeding in
court, and by every one charged with
the performance of any duty however
► mall or insiguiflcant it may seem or
however great, responsible or important
it may be.
Incident to our courts is a Judge,
Sheriff. ClerkJ Attorneys and Jurors as
well as certain assistants.
The duties of each of these are all
clearly defined and definitely pojltted
ou\ and it is of the utmost importance
that eac i one discharge his specific du
ti. s with fidelity accuracy aud dispatch.
Your body, Mr. Foreman, must at ail
consist of not less than 18 nor more
tiia: 23, and it is necessary that at least
12 members of your body shall vote in
favor of finding a true bill, or a pre
sen tmout before the accuser can bo by
you charged with crime or misdemeau
or. And the names of all those acting
upon the indictment or presentment
shall appear.
Indictments and presentments differ
only in their origin. It' the charge
originates in the body of the Grand
Jury, that is, if s >me one or more of
the Graud Jurors knows of a violation
of tho laws and makes it known to his
fellow Graml Jurrrs aud if after con
sidering the evidence they deem the
m itter sufficiently well founded and
sustained by proof to try the accused,
they report the facts to the Solicitor-
General, and a--k him to formulate the
charge according to law. This being
and me, the paper containing the charge is
called a presentment of the Grand
Jury.
If someone who is not a member of the
the Grand Jury knows o a violation
of the law and sees fit to bring it before
the Grand Jury he goes to the Solicitor-
General, gives him the facts and a list
ot the witnesses and the Solicitor-Gen
eral formulates the charge and attaches
the name of the prosecutor and presents
the paper to the Grand J ury. This is
called a bill of iudictmeut. On eacn,
the presentment and the bill of iudiot
met your foreman must endorse the
words “true presentment or true bill”
and sign tins finding before returning
t!ein into court.
Your proceedings being expart, you
only hear the state’s witnesses in eith r
event, but should the proof be insuffi
cient (in your judgment) to sustain the
charge, then your foreman will endorse
on the indictment NO BILL aud return
it to court.
Your oath sets forth in asuccintfoim
the spirit in which you should act no
less than the scone of your duties as
regards the prosecution of crime. You
will diligently enquire and true pre
sentment make of ail such matters and 1
things as may be given you in charge
or come to your knowledge toucuing
the present service. You will diligent
ly inquire, not glauce at your public
property, nor make a superficial exami
nation of the books and records of your
officers.
By this kind of perfunctory service
ihe taxpayers of more than one county
U - e already suffered great loss. The
soleinu oath you have taken places on
you, the obligation of diligent service
to your fellow citizens. '’’he state’s
counsel your fellows and your own you
will keep secret unless called upon to
give evidence thereof in some court of
law iu this state. This includes all that
may transpire within your jury room
relating to the sayings or acis of any
member of your body in reference to the
matter with which you are charged by
law. It is the policy of ilie law and es
sential to the success of your diligent
inquiry into your public matters aud iu
the ferritiug out of of crime that your
deliberations should be secret. I can
not conceive how any person selected
tor their intelligence and uprightness
and distinguished tor experience can so
far forget the trust with which ho is
charged, and the solemn oath he has
publicly taken as to divulge the secret
oil state with which he is intrusted, and
npou whose inviolability depends our
verv safry Iron* dastardly crimes.
It has some times been a matter of
current remark that the action of the
Grand Jury on bill is known before it
is returned into court. Ido not know
how much truth there was in such
rummers, but this court would cousid
er it a duty not to be shunned to eu
force the maximum 'p&fi<ies for con
tempt, should such a case be sustained
by proof befosc me- . And a Grand
Juror who would thus violate his sol
. *< r. 4
emu oath by divulging those secrets
you have sworn to keep should not oe
in the'jdcy box at all.
The urxt part of your oath puts you
ou your integrity as a just upright
mau You should present no one from
envy, hatred, nor malice nor leave any
one uupresented from fear, favor, af
fection, reward or the hope thereof—
one scarcely be reminded that a position
where one has power over the life, liber
ty, property or reputation of another
Bhoald not be invaded by the detest
able vices of envy, hatred and malice.
For when they enter wisdom, justice
and moderation leave, Their joint oc
cupany of any portion of t. court of
justice is possible. So if you had any
such feelings, you lay them down when
you take up the Grand Jurors oath aud
the Grand Jurors sacred duties. You
are none the less warned against the
influence of fear, favor and affection.
Fear not to bring into court the richest
aud most influential citizeu as quickly
as you would the humblest negro in
your county. If he be guilty of crime
iu a court whereby justice holds the
scaies ev n balanced, no wealth nor
friends nor influence can save him from
just punishmeut. I fear it is too
frequently the case that grand jurors
strain at the gnat of an infraction of
law by sums of the poor and humble,
aud shut their eyes to crimes on the
part of those whose prominence would
make tho infliction of the just penalties,
a telling example to others iu lik - case
offending. In the words your oath
finally enjoin, you should present all
things truly aud as they come to your
knowledge, so help you God. Thus you
cali upon the great God of Heaven and
earth to witness that forsaking all liu
man influences aud evil motives you
wiU discharge your duties fearlessly,
houestly and justly. Surely no higher
type of man exist than the ideal legal
grand juror snouid be.
Now I am required to specially charge
you as to the laws against gambling.
S.C. 398. If any person shall by him
self, servant or agent keep, have, use or
maintain a gaining house or in any
house or room occupied by him, permit
persons with his knowledge to come
together and play for money or other
things of valua or rent a room or house
with a view of the same being used for
such purpose, he is guilty of a misde
meanor.
Sec. 400. If auy person shall by him
self or servant or agent, keep any table
of auv kind, name or description for
gaming or preside or deal at or use any
such table for playing and betting at
the same, he, his sevant and agent so
offending, shall be guilty of a misde
meanor.
Sec. 401. If any person shall play and
bet for money or other things of value
at any game played with cards or dice
or balls; or shall play and bet for money
or other things of value at any table of
whatever name, kind or description, for
gaming, or shall bet at any game of
nine pins or any other number of pins ,
or at a billiard or pool table, he shall
be guilty of a misdemeanor.
Sec 402 Any person keeping a table
or dealing at a game as aoova spec.fi and
who shall permit or the agent or any
body or a clerk iu a post office, a minor
to play and bet thereat, or any person
of full age, who shall gamble with a
minor, or with any agent of a bank in
terested with its funds or with any
clerk iu a post office shall be guilty of a
mi-demeanor.
Bee, 404. The law fath-r declares that
any person who mav have played and
bet at the same time or table shall be a
competaut witness, and compelled to
testify though nothin jf then said by
such witness, shall at auy time bo re
ceived or given iu evidence against him
in any prosecution uuless it be on au
indictment for perjury in auy matter
to which he may have testified.
lam also required to give you in
charge the law against the carrying of
deadly weapons than, which, there
is no more odious practico, nor auy more
productive of grave crimes. lam glad
to inform you that the recent legislat
ure added metal kuucks to the list so
that the statute now reads:
Sec 341. Auy person having and car
rying about his persou concealed, and
not in an open manner and fully ex
posed to view any metal kuucks, pistol,
dirx, sword iu a case, spear, bowie
knife or any other kind of kuives man
ufactured for offense or defense shall
be guilty of a misdemeanor.
Any seller of liquors or any intoxicat
ing drinks to a person who is at the
time intoxicated or drunk shall be guilty
of a misdemeanor.
Auy person carrying liqfior to a Sun
day school or day school or to a church
for any purpose (unless by a physician
or surgeon or officers of a church for
sacramental purposes) or being intoxi
cated at a church, is guilty of rnisde
meauor.
RAILROADS.
Railroad companies shall keep in each
passenger car, or in any car in which
p issengers are transported, an adequate
supply of good pure driuking water at
all hours during the day and the night,
aud lights during the night for the use
of passengers, and upon failure thereof
shall be punished as for a misdemeanor.
Any conductor or agent of a railroad,
who, after being requested by a passen
ger to furnish a sufficient supply of
water to the passengers in each car in
the day or the night, or light at night,
shall pasß any depot or station without so
and oing may be indicted iu any county
through which the railroad runs of
which he is agent or conductor and
shall be punished as for a misdemea(upr v
In addition to your duties as indicat
ed in your oath it is your special duty
to * inspect and examine the offices,
books, papers, and records of the clerk
of superior court and ordinary and the
books, papers, records, accounts and
vouchers of the county treasurer, and
cause any such clerk or comity treasu
rer who shall have failed or neglected
to do his duty sre quired by law to be
presented for non performance of offi
cial duty.
And in making up your general pre
sentments you shall tuke proper notes
of the matters brought to your atten
tion by the reports aud books of the
county school commissioners.
Appointing citizons to'examine rec
ords etc,
I am required to charge yon that it is
the duty of the clerk to keep well bound
books for recording all deeds, mortgages
and other liens and bills of sale separ
ately; aud I call your attention to Sec,
4360 and 61.
All county officers on or before the
loth day of January of each year shall
make a report of the condition of all
public property in their charge, and
shall enter the same in a book kept for
that purpose. When any officer shall
vacate his office he shall take a receipt
from his successor for all property,
which receipt shall satisfactorily ac
count for all property turned over. See
that this is done
The ordinary, county treasurer, clerk
of the superior court and sheriffs, shall
make a return, under oath, to the grand
jury of their respective counties on the
first day of each term of the superior
court A just and true statement of the
amount of money received by them
from the county, the source from which
the same was received, also their expen
ditures accompanied by proper vouches.
If they are found corre&t, endoiee
your approval thereon and attach them
to your general presentments, but if in
correct, your foreman returns them,
setting forth in writing your grounds
of disapproval and requiring said officer
to explain.
Failing to make these returns, judge
issues order requiring the report or at
taching for contempt.
Sheriffs jail record.
TAX C OLLECTORS.
Statement of special taxes to the
grand jnry:
It shall be the duty ot the tax collector
of each county iu this state to lay be
fore the grand jury, ou the first day of
each term of court, a full statement of
all special taxes received by him for the
six months immediately preceding said
report, and to state fully the date of
said payments, from whom received and
also the amount received.
Inspection of jail read Sec. 840Penal*
C. Every man presumed innocent.
Grand juries shall carefully inspect
the sanitary condition of the jails of
their respective counties at each regular
term of the superior court and sha’l
make such recommoudations to the or.
binaries in their general presentments
as may be necessary to provide 'or the
proper heating and ventilation of such
jail, which recommendations the ordi
nary shall strictly enfoice Said jury
shall also make such presentments as to
general sanitary condition of the jaq
and treatment of the inmates as th H
facts may justify.
It is the duty of the grand jury to
inspect all the public buildings and
other property of the county and coun
ty records and to report in their general
presentments, their condition.
The law gives you also the power
geutlomeD, to recommend the building
of Justice court Houses in each militia
district at a cost not exceeding $1(J0.
Obstructing order of sentence after
trial:
Auy person who shall, by violence,
threat of violence, or auy other means,
hinder, obstruct or interfere with any
sheriff, constable or their deputies,
charged with the duty and engaged in
the business of carrying out aud exe
cuting the sentence or order of court,
after trial of criminals, while they are
in the custody of such officers, shall be
punished as for a misdemeanor, or by
imprisonment in the penitentiary for
no. less tnan one nor more than four
years, in the discretion of the court.
This setcion shall in no way interfere
with nor affect the penal laws relating
to obstructing legal process before trial
of the persons charged with crime, nor
shall it free the officers aforesaid from
penalties imposed by law for failure to
discharge their duty..
Mr. Foreman:—The iutegral unit of
government is the family, the sanctum,
the sanctorum, the holy of holies in
every true man’s heart is his home and
mother, father, wife and children.
They hold absolute title to and
enjoy citizenship without need of any
human laws. In the home center allour
first interests and onr holiest affections.
Radiating from thence comes next
love for one’s neighborhood or his
town, next love for ones conuty and
immediate section, then love for our
state and as the circle widens, love of
country.
Now, whether as judge, court, offic.-r,
grand ju -y or citizeu, we are all inter
ested in the welf ire of our county and
should be devoted to whatever will con
tribute to the happiness and best inter
ests of its cit'z-ns for here rests the
happiness of our several homes and our
love t ones.
And at this njy first term of court in
th : B my owu conuty, 1 desire to
sly to you as my fellow citizens, that
it is my purpose sustained, I trust, by
the Great Judge (the Judge of all the
earth) to fulfil in the fear of God every
line, every syllable, every letter of the
solemn oath as Judge, I have called
him to witness and asked his help to
discharge.
A similar oath you have this day
taken and called upon the same power
fci witness.
In tfiis court all shall receive equally
their rights and none shall have any
special privileges.
In the operation of a court, each of
us, whether Judge, juror etc., has his
share of duty to perform aud in the
s me spirit that I off ir you mine. I
ask your cooperation not only as grand
jurors but as good citizms to aid me to
enforce the law.
For the co operation of every good
citizen is required to make the law a
success.
Iu the common interest of our coun*
ty, I feel that I can freely address you
aud ask your cooporation, for we are
alike interested iu whatever conserves
to advancement of Jackson county and
whatever appertains to enforcement of
law and order (without, which there can
be neither safety nor happiness in civq
society.)
As the first citizen of Jackson county,
who has filled the judgeship, and as one
proud of my citizenship, I feel that I
represent you and the noble citizens of
our common county as I discharge the
duties of this high office, and if I shall
be so fortunate as to gain auy honor in
the performance of this trust, I shall
experience gratification in the fact that
I am thus enabled to reflect credit oa
this noble old county among her sister
counties, aud add my little mite at
least to the houor of her past history.
Many, if not all of you have happy
homes, and your mind tnrns to them in
all you do. By sustaining the lay, up
holding the baud of the court, and aid
ing iu the enforcement of the law you
remove the temptation of evil example
from your boys and insure the happi
ness, comfort and protection of your
girls.
While fully conscious of the heavy re
sponsibilities with which I have been
entrusted I do not conceal the gratifi
cation I feel iu the fact that I shall not
discharge these duties among strangers,
but among those who will gladly aid
the court rot only from a high sense of
duty but from friendly femi ig.
Give me your cooper ttion and then
we can best .show the interest we all
feel isi a com no l co in ry bv diapatciug
the public bisiuess of our c <u isy with
economy to the overburdened t ix- payer,
with convenience aud savin g of time to
all who have to attend court;.
A.d let us all acting together so en
force the laws as to guaranty to every
citizen, the riche’st and the poorest
alike—to the humblest, as well as the
highest, every right of life, liberty,
health and reputation to which he is
entitled under the constitution and lavrs
of our state.
Tetter, Sail-Rheum and Eczema
The intense itching aud smarting
incident to these diseases, is instantly
allayed by applying Chamberlain’ 3
Eye and bkin Oiiltmeut. Many very
bad cases have been permanently cured
by it. It is equally efficient for itching
piles and a favorite remedy for sore
nipples, chapped hands, chilblains,
frost bites and chronic sore eyes. 25c
per box.
Dr. Cady’s Condition Powders ar e
just what a horse needs when in bad
condition. Tonic, blood purifier 9r
vermifuge. They are not food but
medicine aud the best in use to put 9
horse in prime condition. Price -G
a package For sale H. C. FoolCi
Winder, GaJ