The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-04-09
THE PARISH OF ST. CHARLES
JOB.
The Facts and Figures Of the
SWindle.
How a Judge and Tax Collector
Go In for the Spells.

tho case OF flapB VS.. tue IdfiSu OI 81
I Charles, exposing an attempt to fleece tn
parish out Of large amount of money. w
: herewith give full and complete statemen
e OF the facts from the records of that parish:
G It was cleaned that the warrants upo1
which judgments were rendered against tn
parish by the Fourth Judicial District Cour
in the following suits. viz: Suit No. no Iii
favor Of Morgan Morgans, tax-collector
member of the Police Jury and ex-Sheriff)
suit No. $50 Gin favor of Miss Darlington
sister-in-law of the District Judge), and sui
No. 794 Gin favor Of 0. J. Flagg, Judge Of thu
Fourth Judicial District), were issued under
| the following circumstances: In suit No. IA
Of the amount of the ju 'gment, say $500 10
all but Sl377 IS was for warrants issued il
the year 1872 and previous thereto. Of these
warrants many were for salary drawn by the
officer to his own order, and no mention is
found Of their issue, either in the books OF
the Police Jury or Of the Parish Treasures.
Six of these warrants, amounting in all to
$3.50 II, purpcrt to be based on resolution
of the Police Jury, adopted November 6,
1871, and bear no numbers except those OF
registration The books of the jury show
no minutes Of any meeting on that 4 .te
Another warrant for Sl57 90 was found
never to have been signed by the President OF
the Police Jury, although registered like all
other warrants.
In suit No. $50, Judgment was rendered for
the sum of S2225 y. OF this sum, SIGH 80
represents the amount Of warrants bearing
date since January, 1873. Most Of these war
rants are for officers salaries, and no mention
is found OF their issue in the minutes OF the
Police Jury. or the books Of the Parish Treas
urer, except for purposes of registration.
The salary warrants in some cases were
issued by the officers on their own order, and
in others, by the President and Secretary Of
the Jury, like ordinary warrants.
in SUI OF 79l, the judgment amounts to
| S7OOf 80. Of this amount, $500 IS repre-
sents warrants issued in 1873 and 1874. One
warrant, dated Nov. H. 1871, for $50, regis
tered as No. 1885, purports to have been
issued by virtue of a resolution passed Nov.
s, 1871. There are no minutes Of any meet
ing held on that date.
'Fifty-two warrants, amounting to 1852 Il,
bear unmistakable marks OF having been can
ceiled; they bear marks Of the punch or file,
and in two cases words were erased from the
backs Of the warrants. There is no hesitation
in pronouncing these cancelled warrants null
and void.
"It will be seen, that out Of a total claim
in the three cases to SD 200. 05,
only S6S2l u are based on warrants issued
in 1873 and "a, the balance representing, in
some cases, warrants issued as tar back as
1866"
''On the minutes Of the Police Jury, on the
demand Of the jury, April 26.h, 1873 the then
parish treasurer reported under oath and il
writing that the whole amount Of warrants
outstanding at that date Was ST., 6S3 60, and
on tie - day OF May following the Police
Jury proceeded, under special act Of the
Legislature introduced by Mr.. Hahn and
made law by his exertions) to levy tax for
the purpose Of redeeming all outstanding
warrants"
This tax made ample provision for all
warrants issued prior TO April g. 1873, and
under no circumstances could these warrants
form the basis OF claim against the parish at
present. In cases 779 and $50 the levy Of
this redemption tax was one OF the grounds
Of defense presented on behalf of the parish
BY special resolution, and for reasons un-
known, this ana the other defenses were all
Withdrawn, and judgment was allowed to be
taken by default.
In case No. 79i no defenses whatever were
filed and the case went to final judgment
without contradictory evidence, Judge Flagg
refusing himself and appearing as his own
Attorney The parish was throughout con-
demned without asking hearing, and the
result Of it all stands out to-day in the shape |
Of an exorbitant tax imposed upon the ci:i- |
zens Of this parish, not for any purpose Of |
and for the personal benefit of certain public |
officers. In any other State in the Union
such a course on the part of sworn public |
officers would not be tolerated for moment. |
The taxes levied by this parish for the year
ending June 1st 1874, amounted to 25 mills !
the regular parish tax for the remainder Of
the year 1874, amounts to 4-1O mills; the |
judgment tax to eoter three judgments
amounts to "A mills; add to this the State
tax OF Ia mills and tie grand total of taxa
ton in the parish of st. Charles. payable dur
ing the year 1874, and up to January |, 1875,
is y $40 mills, or 81 % on every 500 Of
taxable property, and this, too, when the law
las decided by the Attorney General, and
acted upon by the State Auditory limits the
whole amount of legal taxation, both State
and parish, to % mills, or 81 80 on the $780,
At q special meeting Of the Police Jury,
held October 18th, 1874, many months after
the judgments had become final, and two
weeks before the election, it was resolved to
'nbmit to the vote ofthe people of this parish
whether or no special tax of "a mills should
be levied to cover the amount Of the iudg-
ments in cases 10, 800 7?4, which is S15-
200 05.
The tota! valuation Of property assessed in
The parish is Sl.1S0,36 05, consequently a
tax OF - mills would amount to SIS 32S So.
The question now arises, what is to be done
with the surplus S13, l2S II?
Ihls resolution was passed and was pub
shed once only in the proceedings Of that
meeting which appeared in the official jour
lal on the 3lst day Of October, two days be-
fore the election. No notice whatever was
given to the parish OF the intended vote, as
required by law, and up to the last mo,nent
he resolution itself was kept profound
secret from all except the interested.
Atfar investigation ha wa IRAN y thar,caIrac
IS well as the records end history OF the three
'uit>, one is forced to the conclusion that the
hree claims in snits Nos no, $50 and 1874 are
ainted with fraud
Some one has written Col. Fornev. at Nice,
sklng i the vile stories about his pocketing
hat s25, 600 have any foundation il fact, and
he Colonel III very gentlemanly manner re-
Mes that 'the very air is heavy with the fra
rance of mmosa and orange blossoms -
-hicay0 -jcH5atl.
a M.ssourian, who attended praver-meeting
With his daughter. one day last week, felt
rs rSa md rn-,snrl-. u.r+ n, ba 4