Baker County GaArchives News.....Grand Jury Presentments June 1846 June 17 1847 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Lindy Hard ssautyvalleyfarm@worldnet.att.net December 10, 2003, 8:48 am Albany Patriot [newspaper] microfilm Apr 16 1845-Nov 1847 17 June 1846 Presentments of the Grand Jury: GEORGIA, Baker County: SUPERIOR COURT, JUNE TERM, 1846: The Grand Jury for the county of Baker, at the June Term, make the following presentments and recommendations: We recommend to the Honorable the Justices of the Inferior Court of Baker county, that they levy an extra Tax for the education of the Poor Children in this county, not to exceed 25 per cent on the State Tax; and we do further recommend that Honorable body, that they do at their earliest practicable opportunity, urge and require the Justices of the Peace in the several Militia Districts to report to them at an early day, the number of children in their respective districts entitled to the benefit of the Poor School fund. Upon examination of the Clerk and Treasurer’s Books, we find a balance due from former Tax Collectors for the years 1843, 1844, and 1845, of $601.81 cents, for the collection of which, the Inferior Court have issued fi fas against them and their securities. An execution has issued from the Inferior Court against the estate of John Sikes for $1358, 68 cents. The probable amount of Tax for the present year is $1000, which several sums when collected, (and we so no good reason at the present moment why this should not be done at an early period) will make in the aggregate, a fund of $2960, 42 cents, for county purposes—the present liablities, which consists entirely of Orders passed by the Superior and Inferior Courts against the county, are $2118, 23 cents—these available means soon to be on hand, are sufficient to pay off the liabilities of the county, and leave a balance of $842, 24 cents. We earnestly hope that these several amounts may be collected, and the county relieved from its embarassments. One great source of expense to the county, and the main cause of present and past involvements, has been the want of a Jail, and this our Inferior Court has wisely remedied. We have examined the new Jail lately built in our county by the Inferior Court, and we cannot too highly applaud that body in the plan, construction and strength of the building. Our county have long suffered many evils for the want of such a building, and among the evils may be mentioned the escape of prisioners charged with the highest crimes. The commission of crime in our county of the blackest dye with impunity, the great expense of guarding prisioners brought to Court for trial, &c., all of which will in a great degree be remedied by this very salutary step of the Inferior Court. The present locks on the Jail are, in the opinion of this body, insufficient, but this is a temporary fault that can soon be remedied. We recommend the Inferior Court that they require the Tax Collectors to furnish each Justice of the Inferior Court and Justice of the Peace in this county with a list of tax defaulters before the first Monday in October next, that such defaulters may be required to pay their taxes before they vote, which will save to the county, in our opinion, two or three hundred dollars, which is usually returned insolvent. The Grand Jury cannot close these presentments without expressing their unqualified regret at the unprecedented occurrence of crime in our county of such recent date as is evident by the great number of indictments and special presentments emenating from our body at this term of the Court—and these offences are not of that trivial and malicious character, on the part of the prosecution, that unfortunately too frequently harrass our Courts and consume our time, but they are in most cases crimes of the blackest dye—crimes that are stains upon our records, and a disgrace to our county. Considerations of this sort have moved us in our suggestions to our Inferior Court, relative to a provision for the education of the poor, sincerely hoping that the mental improvement of our population may bring about a reform so much to be desired by every good citizen. In taking leave of his Honor Judge WARREN, and the Solicitor General, until the Adjournment Term of this Court, we tender them our thanks for their courtesy and kindness to us during this week, and our wishes for their continued good health, happiness and prosperity. JAMES A NEWMAN, Foreman. Asa Sinquefield, William Cooper, Henry Hora, Wm H Luckie, Green Tinsley, John J Smith, Lewis G Sutton, William Gaulden, John Colley, Alexander Goodwin, William H Howard, B O Keaton, John L F Kemp, Robert Hardie, John L Bailey, William G Pierce, Anthony Richie, Morgan Chastain, S B Bryant, Samuel Griner. The above is a true transcript from the minutes of said C ourt, this 10th day of June, 1846. SETH C. STEVENS, Clerk. June 17, 1846. This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/gafiles/ File size: 5.3 Kb