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THURSDAY. AUGUST 11. 1949
THE JACKSON HERALD
$1.50 A YEAR IN ADVANCE
PUBLISHED WEEKLY
Entered at The Jefferson Post Office
As Second-Class Mail Matter
ALONG THE WAT
Three days last week we attend
ed sessions of Jackson Superior
Court. Five murder cases and one
seduction case were on the calendar.
We knew that eoui# proceedings
would be very interesting. Sheriff
John B. Brooks or assistants, Dutch
Alexander and Worth Wilkes, pro
vided us a seat each day near the
Judge’s stand so that we could lis
ten to his charges, hear the testi
mony of witnesses, questions and
speeches of attorneys, see and hear
jurors take the oath of office. In a
murder trial these questions are
asked jurors by the Solicitor Gen
eral: Have you from having seen
the crime committed or heard any
testimony delivered under oath eith
er formed or expressed an opinion
of the guilt or innocence of the pris
oner at the bar? Is there any preju
dice or bias resting on your mind
either for or against the prisoner at
the bar? Is your mind perfectly im
partial between the State and the
accused? Are you opposed to capital
punishment? No juror disqualified
himself on the first three questions,
but on the fourth, two gentlemen
serving as jurors always answered
the fourth question in the affirma
tive and were disqualified.
Of the five murder cases, three of
the defendants were women, one of
whom was colored. While the testi
mony in the trial of the two white
women was almost identical, jurors
who tried Mrs. Anderson caused her
to receive a life sentence, while
Mrs. Day escaped with three years.
In the trial of these two cases some
great speeches were made by attor
neys who represented the State and
the accused. These were new kinds
of cases—ones in which mothers
were accused of the death of their
children by neglecting them and
failing to provide them with nutri
tion. We have been attending court
for sixty years and we can say that
the speeches in these two cases, of
Hope D. Stark and Henry W. Davis,
representing the State and George
W. Westmoreland, representing the
defendants, measured up to the
highest standards of logic, argu
ment and eloquence.
The charge of Judge Clifford Pratt j
in these as well as other cases over
which he presided, was clear, brief
and easily comprehended by all who
were under the sound of his
voice. After listening to him we be
gan to ruminate over the number
of judges we have known who had
been chosen to preside over the
Superior Court of Jackson County.
According to our recollection they
were as follows: Clifford Pratt, W.
W. Stark, L. C. Russell, B. E. Fort
son, Andrew J. Cobb, C. H. Brand,
R. B. Russell, Sr., N. L. Hutchins and
A. S. Erwin. Preceding Judge Er
win was Judge George D. Rice. We
do not remember seeing him pre
side. Jackson County was in the
Western Circuit until about twenty
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Fire, Windstorm and Hail, Crop Insurance —
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Prompt and courteous adjustments on all losses.
Careful attention to all business intrusted to us.
H. T. MOBLEY, General Insurance
Randolph Bldg.
Office Phone 211 Home Phone 228
Jefferson, Georgia
Official Organ of Jackson County
John N. Holder Editor
Mrs. John N. Holder Asso. Editor
JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY, GA.
five years ago when the Piedmont
Circuit was created and Jackson
was placed in the new circuit.
When the seduction case was call
ed against Ralph Dunson he asked
for continuance because of the ab
sence of two very important wit
nesses who were away in South
Carolina. He said he endeavored to
subpoena them, but stated he could
not do so because they were visit
ing in another state. Judge Pratt
continued the case until Wednesday
when the desired witnesses were
present, but the principal did not
appear and could not be found even
with a bench warrant issued by His
Honor Judge Pratt. However, he
was not the only party against
whom cases were on the calendar in
Superior Court but failed to answer
when their names were called and
the Judge ordered their bonds for
feited by the Solicitor Hope D.
Stark. Several bonds were forfeited.
Three white women in Jacksort
were tried for misdemeanors. Myr
tice Smith Wilson and Martha Atta
way of Hoschton and Mrs. Kennedy
of Center. People in these two vi
cinities were very critical of the
conduct of these young women, but
the difficulty the State encountered
was that the homes in which they
lived are owned by others and not
by these women. Each of the de
fendants denied in most vehement
and emphatic language the charges
preferred against them and the jury
in two cases brought in a verdict
of acquittal, while Mrs. Kennedy
was found guilty. It is a most un
usual thing for five young white
women to be tried at any term of
court for any offense. However, this
number were arraigned before the
bar of justice at August term Jack
son Superior Court.
In all criminal cases the defend
ants are not sworn, but under the
law may make any statement to the
jury in their own defense. Neither
attorneys for the State or defense
are permitted to ask any questions
of the person on trial. The jury may
believe any part or all the statement
in preference to sworn testimony.
When these five white female de
fendants made their statements
| some seemed nervous while others
! were as calm and seemed as much
at ease as if in conversation with
some acquaintance.
Lamar Phillips, colored, entered
a plea of guilty to damaging public
property. Before passing sentence,
Judge Pratt said “Lamar, stand ujb.”
The prisoner complied with the or
der of His Honor with promptness.
Judge Pratt then asked: “Lamar,
what was your gainful occupation
when you got into this trouble?”
Lamar answered, “I belonged at
that time to the unemployed.” Judge
Pratt then said, Lamar, I am giving
you employment which will occupy
The Jackson Herald, Jefferson, Georgia
all your time for the next 12 months.
I sentence you to one year at hard
labor in the Georgia Prison Depart
ment.” Lamar answered “Yes, Sir.”
Claud G. Barnett, who served on
the jury last week, said, “I have
served on the jury several times. I
never saw a court operate with less
lost motion and more smoothly than
this one.” The juries were prompt
in making their verdicts, the judge’s
charges were clear cut, attorneys’
seemed anxious to transact business
promptly and all officers of court
acted in carrying on the work of
court with care and dispatch. Mr.
Barnett summed up the situation in
his remarks. Judge Pratt made very
complimentary remarks about the
court officials, attorneys, witnesses
and jurors.
We met in the court room the
Solicitor of the City Court, W. P.
Frost, who said, “We have more
than a hundred cases on the docket
of the City Court. This is a big ses
sion of the Jackson Superior Court,
but the next term of City Court
will have much business and will be
a very interesting session.” The
Grand Jury found a number of true
bills, some of which will also go to
the City Court. In speaking of the
Grand Jury, its efficient Clerk, H.
Jefferson Motor Company
Lee Street Jefferson, Georgia
D. Dadisman, who read the Present
ments to the court, said “This Grand
Jury is unsurpassed. It had as its
foreman one of the most competent,
fair-minded and conscientious citi
zens of this county, C. J- Hardman.
The Grand Jury was harmonious
and every member of the body tried
to perform his duty efficiently and
I know each one was faithful.”
Another body of men doing faith
ful and conscientious work is the
Board of Registrars. They request
voters to register now. Some may
not like the law, but since it is the
law it behooves voters to abide by
it and register. One may not like
law against murder, another may be
opposed to the law against stealing,
another against prohibition. Wheth
er we like them or not, when they
are on the statute books it behooves
all to abide by them. Under the old
registration law voters had to regis
ter every two years. It was consid
ered no hardship then. No complaint
was made about re-registration. It
costs something to execute the regis
tration laws. It costs money also to
execute other laws of the land. It
costs to revise jury lists, to teach
children, to haul them to school and
to furnish them books; operating
courts, the welfare department,
handling state and county affairs,
all require expenditures of money,
but it is all done in accordance with
law and for the benefit of society.
Let us obey this registration law as
we do others. The Registrars are
making it easy to comply with the
Act requiring re-registration of vot
ers. Under the provisions of the
law few if any will be deprived of
their franchise.”
Patronize Our Advertisers
COLORED 4-H‘ERS
ATTEND STATE
SHORT COURSE
(By Colored Demonstrator)
Four 4-H Negro Club girls of
Jackson County attended the 23rd
annual 4-H Club State Short Course
held August 7th through 13th at
Georgia State College, Savannah.
These girls, along with hundreds
of other 4-H Club boys and girls
took an active part in the different
activities carried out during the
week. Among the special contests,
Gloridean Griffith, of Jefferson 4-H
Club entered the Painting Demon
stration; Lily Dell Walker, of Har
rison Club, entered the Poultry
Raisers and Egg Graders Contest;
Annie Grace Morrison, of Hoschton
club, entered the Dress Making and
Hat Making Contest. Among other
contests entered were table setting,
flower arrangement and bread mak
ing.
First Prize was given 4-H Club
Girls of Jackson County for having
the largest number of neat and up
to-date record books. Laurens, Bibb
and Grady counties were the run
ners-up.
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THE DOBBS TRUSS IS DIFFERENT
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txelusiv • Distributora
MOORE & ELLINGTON DRUG CO.
The State Short Course was en
joyed by all who attended and the
4-H girls of Jackson County are
looking forward to man y more
Short Courses of this sort.
DOGS MUST HAVE
RABIES VACCINATION
An Act of the General Assembly
of Georgia of 1945, requires the an
nual Rabies vaccination of all dogs
over three months of age in the
State. It further specifies that an
dogs residing in the state be vacci
nated before July Ist, of each year
except those dogs which are requir
ed to be vaccinated by Municipal
Ordinances already in effect
John T. Scopes was arrested and
convicted for teaching Evolution at
Dayton, Ohio.
Jefferson Insurance Agency
General Insurance
Jefferson, Georgia
DR. W. R. HUGHES, JR.
—OPTOMETRIST
-101 E. Washington St Phone 71
GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA