Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-08-01

X
SAINT war, and plundered the public treas
ury in "shoddy contracts" and "cotto
speculations is not dead yet publ
contracts are as eagerly sought for MOI
| as then, perhaps not to the same sdvaI
| tage, but many that seem insignihean
in the letting, assume colossal proper
lions on final settlement. We prOpOs
to notice fer Of these which bring q
first 10
THE JAIL.
This is q magnificent structure, and g
= public building does honor to on
county. The design IL certainly wei
conceived, and so far as We are able &
judge the work Is well executed, but hav
the taxpayers OF Shelby county 90
what they paid for? We find two Jail
oFs at q salary Of S125 per month on
book keeper st salary OF Sis; twelvi
guards 1t salary of SOD per month
an engineer at q salary Of 1925 pc
month. The aggregate cost OF jsilors
guards, etc., at this rate win be 500, 28(
per snuum; add to this the cost Of feed
ing $50 prisoners 1T Soc per day each
S3S, $50; also amount paid for wood
$4,000, and we have q cost of S62, 100, tC
say nothing Of gas, coal, stationery and
other incidentals that necessarily occur
We are clearly Of opinion that the peo-
pls never anticipated such an expense
nor does this jury deem it necessary
one In this, that twelve guards are not
required; that the salary paid is too
much thst good and competent men
can bs had Tor SIS per month, making a
I saving of $500 per annum in this re-
! spect; also the amount paid for feeding
prisoners is too much by 80 per cent.
The original price paid was 40 cents per
: day to accommodate lgdT prices for pre-
( visions It wss advanced to 60 cents per
7 tsy, at which it now stands.
This grand jury took occasion to ex-
anime the food, and were clearly OF the
opinion that as good quality and as great
quantity can be furnished at 40 cents per
day, thus saving So, $50 per snnum this
added TO that saved on guards would
make SIC, $50. Reduce the guards to
force OF six men, in he opinion OF this
jury amply sufficient, at SIS per month,
you have q saving OF SCI $50 per Rnnum,
an item not to be overlooked in the pres
ent Impoverished condition of our county
finances. This grand jury would recon-
mend that the price for feeding pris-
oners be reduced to the old price of 30
cents per day, and that the guard force
be reduced to the lowest possible num-
Der. Another important item in the
county expense account is the
BURIAL OF PAUPERs.
A human, enlightened and Christian
people should have q kindly regard for
their pauper dead, hundreds of poor IN
tortunstes by their dissipGted wandering,
or freaks of the tickle g0ddess-Eortune
die 10 state of restitution, far from kin
bred and home, ard are buried at public
expense.
The same feeling that prompts US to
curry our friends where their silent rest
ing place may net be disturbed, should
also prompt US 10 prepare for these IN
fortunstes such buIial as will not only
secure them against disturbance, but SO
mark the resting place Of each that by
reference to register, kept for the pur- /
pose, the inquiring friend may readily
md the one ne seeks.
But how is 1t here? We find the Com
missiOners have contracted for the burial !
Of psupers, the contractor to furnish the |
grounds, designating no particular place. !
This contractor, instead OF providing |
himself with q suitable enclosure for the !
purpose, appropriated Individual Private |
an open field, inside thecity iin- /
it,. That this is such sn infringement on /
therights ofothers as will only involve \
The county in the payment OF heavy
1Amages, but DecessitRte the removal Of /
hose who are buried there, is certainly
we'll known to the Commissioners, if not,
{ but adds 70 the disgrace Of the semi
barbarian manner in which the pauper
lead are disposed Of, showing that had
hey been tossed into the Mississippi
liver it would have answered the same
urpOse, viz: 10 get " rid OF Them for,
s IL is, old sod young, black and white,
re mingled IN one prOmiscuOus mass,
enderlng it utterly impossible to iden-
ify any particular one. Il also becomes
necessary TO notice the expense attached
o this, ST., ITO was paid from July IS,
S87, to July 10, 1858, for the burial OF
aupers this, at ten dollars each, would
how I'LL paupeTs in one year. That
his number Of actual paupers have been
uried ia twelve months seems almost
being an average Of 4 8 5 per
ay for the whole year. While the
verage inteTments Of one Of the oldest |
nd most prosperous undertakes in the
ity was only three per day, including
ounty psupers, city psupers, and all
Their burials during one Of our most
ickiy seasons. Then how ia 1t that the
urisl OF paupers alone should exceed by
Is the total interments for an equally
ckly year, by firm doing an unques-
Onably more prosperous business?
So loosely has this matter been con :
ucted that hut little is known OF the dc-
sdL circumstances OF the individual {
nTied as "pauper," showing that It
7as such q subject as demanded inter-
lent at public expense and no provis-
N has been made TO guard against any
ollusion that might exist between the
ontractor and the county coroner" =
mother public functiOnsry whom your :
onor will be informed earned the snug
tile sum of $500 last year for holding I
lqussts, showing that that to be an Of :
&c of more Importance than might be
lspected by the uninitiated. Itsppears
lat ii has not been customary until re- z
entity to file with this courts the csrtii- :
.tes Of the Coroner, showing the inquest :
old and the circumstances attending il. 9
nd Of those that have been filed and y
Finished this grand jury, up to the time y
the induction OF the present incum-
mt, nearly, if not all, possess the sig
AZURE OF one and the same man as fore
AN of the jury, while many Of them y
ave the names Of the jurors all in one :"
lndwriting, raising strong presump- y
on at least that some of the CHASTITY !.
,rpsesn ever which inquests are re- a
,rted to have been held were creatures
the Imagination, produced the infiu- L
ice of the paltry sum Of So IS. We are
Apply to state to your honor, however, .
at = decided reformation is proposed in u
ese last named matters, which we sin 4
rely hope will be carried out. N
With respect to the sberiff's Office, we u
EN- 1t just to say that the method in I.
hich business is conducted therein, as B
r as our knowledge extends, is so much 7,
perior to anything heretofore adopted y
the sheriff Of shelby county that we 81
ould mention II as an example for all r
ture sheriffs to follow. e.
Not a process is received from any of Oh
e courts of this or adjoining counties, Fl
It what Is Immediately entered in 5
ok, designating the particular court
,m which the process came, charged to u
g deputy that receives it, and when W
tnrned to the Office, the time of service ].
ted. and returned to the court from %
hence 1t originated, the time Of its re- r
rn being also noted, and, If an execu- J.
n. a receipt received from the Clerk of :.
q court to which it belongs for the Al
me. In case of monies collected, we
a by the receipt book kept for the pur-
Sc that the same Is paid over almost
lmediately to the parties entitled to the hl
me, The system we find 80 complete SD
st we do not know Of any question be