The Portland daily press., 1874-01-12
A Good Record.

Good Record.
The retirement of Gen. Mattocks from the
County Attorneyship gives opportunity for a
review of his conduct of that office, and for
that purpose we have procured from the court
records some tabular statements of the bust
ness during his term, as compared with former
years. to give the public some conception of the
magnitude of the duties of the position and Of
the efficiency, ability and industry manifested
by Gen. Mattocks in his conduct of the Office
1t will be seen by the tables below that the vol
ume of business has very sensibly increased
compelling the appointment of an assistant
which was made last Spring. Prior to that
time the business was done by the County At
torney alone.
Gen. Mattocks entered upon the discharge of
his official duties in January 1871. His signal
success in bringing malefactors to justice is in
Dictated by the per centage of convictions upon
the total number of indictments. before the en-
actment of the SO called ''Sheriff clause" OF
the liquor law, which necessarily decreased the
average. The percentage since criminal Juris-
piction was given to the Superior Court Is as
follows:
1869, So per cent 1870, "a per cent, 1871, 80
per cent.
The average for 1869 and 1870 is Sc. Gen.
Mattocks' first year QS71) shows 49, an increase
of 26 per cent. His average for the entire
term, including the time since the operation of
the ''Sheriff clause is 81 per cent, an increase
OF IL per cent. and very handsome showing.
During his term of office there were 1O5
trials, resulting in 20 convictions, 26 acquitals
and II disagreements. The fact that there ap
pear in some instances more convictions and ac-
quittals than actual trials, is accounted for by
the fact that, in many cases, several persons
were tried upon one Indictment. In three out
of his nine terms there were no disagreements.
Out of the 53S indictments found by Gen.
Mattocks, not one has been quashed, with the
exception of those which were quashed for
want of jurisdiction, which resulted from de-
feat in the act giving the court criminal juris-
diction. Only one case tried by him has yet
come back from the Law Court for second
trial, and that was the famous chop beer case"
in which the defendant has been successful
elsewhere in over dozen jury trials, involving
the same state of facts. In the absence of the
Attorney General, the case of Watson, indicted
for arson, was tried by Gen. Mattocks, with the
aid of his assistant, Mr.. Fox, securing a con-
viction in the first degree. Gen. Mattocks also
argued the case to the Law Court, where it is
now pending.
Since the enactment Of the 'She-iff clause"
in 1872, the increase in the liquor prosecutions
has been quite noticeable as will appear from
the following statement of the business of the
Superior Court:
Collected from liquor prosecutions in 1871. sl57o6o
1872. -. 1S41-74
" g 1873. -. 7599.17
The total collections in the State in the other
higher courts were in 1871, 81, O53O5, and in
1872, $76O6,64 1t appears from this that the
amount of money collected In the Superior
Court for this county in 1873is nearly equal to
the entire collections for 1872 in the whole
State, including this county.
This increase of business has made the office
of County Attorney anything but an easy one.
For instance the criminal docket at the begin
ming of Gen. Mattoeks' term, as we are in
formed, was less than 20 cases, but at one
time since has reached nearly 400 cases. The
continued cases at one term, in 1872, were 262,
while the whole number for all other counties
in the State were only 1876, as appears by the
Attorney Generals report for 1872.
1t will seem from the record of convictions
and collections in liquor cases that the law
against illegal selling of intoxicating liquors
has been enforced with great vigor and eff
cheney, in which work the County Attorney has
been most ably, conscientiously and economical
ly seconded by Sheriff Pennell. For instance,
in 1872, before Mr. Pennell became Sheriff,
$1,S41.74 were collected from liquor prosecu-
tions at an expense of 4,26571, while in 1873
there were collected $7,59917 at a cost of 49,
6562S. 1t is but just, however, to say that the
exhibit for 1872 would have been much more
favorable but for the fact that large number
of indictments of that year were quashed by
want of jurisdiction of the court, thereby caus
ing great loss to the county. The table of
liquor business in our city Municipal Court
since the operation of the ''sherff cause" gives
a good idea of the extent to which the traffic
has been harrassed by Sheriff Pencil and by
Mr.. Perry.
The industry, ability and integrity of Gen.
Mattocks in the discharge of the onerous duties
of this important Office are abundanty attested
by this summary from the court records, and he
is entitled to cordial recognition from the public
as faithful and efficient official.
TABULAR STATEMENTS.
Criminal trials since criminal jurisdiction was
granted to the Superior Court: