Wednesday, 3rd September 1913: Judge Condemns Pistol Carrying, The Atlanta Constitution

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Gambling Termed a SenseLess Evil and Grand Jury Is Urged to See That Law Is Strictly Enforced.

When Judge John T. Pendleton, of the superior court, swore in the new grand jury Tuesday he made mention of the crime wave that has struck Atlanta, as told in The Constitution of Tuesday morning, and urged that the members of the grand jury see to it that every man charged with breaking the law, be indicted if the evidence is indicated a possibility of his guilt.

Atlanta, while I have observed the wave of lawlessness here, is no worse than many other cities of its size, the judge remarked, and added:

I do not think Fulton county is worse in this respect than are many other counties.

Attacks Gamblers.

Judge Pendleton made an especially strong attack upon gamblers and pistol-toters, and urged that the officers should go after these law-breakers at once.

He declared that the man who carries a pistol in a civilized community is a coward and deserves only contempt.

Gambling, called by the judge a senseless evil, was also made the subject of part of his address to the new grand jury and he told them that it was the duty of grand jurors and of petit jurors to see that gamblers received a just punishment.

The grand jury, after being sworn in, met and chose H. Y. McCord was foreman.

Immediately thereafter a number of cases were taken up, and nineteen true bills, ranging from murder to robbery were returned.

B. C. Smith, a negro, was indicted for the murder of John Henry Wilkerson, another negro, whom he is said to have stabbed to death.

Most of the indictments were against negroes, and were for burglary and robbery.

Several indictments were returned for carrying concealed weapons.

Other Indictments.

There were other cases on the list.

Three of the indictments found, charged perversion, and two were for assault with intent to rape.

During its session Tuesday morning the grand jury found no no bills out of the many cases considered.

Several of these cases will be given further consideration at the next meeting on Friday, at which time the name of James Conley, the negro sweeper of the National Pencil factory, will be put up for indictment as an accessory after the fact to Leo M. Frank for the murder of little Mary Phagan.

Coming with the large number of cases before the grand jury and the number of law violations, reported by the police dockets, was the condition when Judge Andrew Calhoun opened the criminal division of the city court of Atlanta Tuesday morning with nearly 400 cases on the calendar.