The Phoenix herald., 1879-11-07
GRAND JURY REPORT.

l Ol
 The Grand Jury empanneled for
 Maricopa county, and sworn on :he
 14fh day of October, 1879. report that
 they have found the following indict-
 ments, 10 wit:
 Five true bills for grand larceny 7
 I true bill for embezzlcment, one
 true bill for bigamy; one true bill
 for assault with a deadly weapon
 with intent to do bodily injury
 Charges against the following per
 sons were dismissed, to wit:
 The charge against Hickey and
 Mahcw; also, the charge of J. w..
 vanslack against Tidwell, Lemon
 and Fuller.
 The Grand Jury further report that
 they have examined the books and
 accounts of thc Board of Supervisors,
 and find everything in the most crim-
 inal state of neglect and confusion
 Vouchers not properly filed, and not
 sufficient to cover the amount of
 claims audited and ordered paid :;
 leaves pasted together in the records,
 anef etl.eEs torn ont of inc record
 boossr as stated by the present Clerk i of the Board, to hide his own blum
 dcTs and immitatioHsy so far as cut ting out of the leaves of the record
 book of his predecessor in office.
 We find the Board of Supervisors,
 not even the chairman of the Board,
 whose special duty under the law is
 to see that the warrants on the coun- ty Treasury are correct and to sign he same, have never taken any SUI
 pervision of the drawing of said war
 rants, she last two CT three chair mans of said Board, simply signing the warrants in blank, and leaving them in the hands of the clerk to i'll up at his discretion and who has often joined many claims that had been audited and allowed, and drawn one warrant for the same, so that it is impossible to trace with absolute certainty, the claims allowed to the warrants issued and knows that no errors or frauds have been commit ted from the evidence that the rec ords exhibit. Large amounts of war rants have been drawn on special funds, when such funds have been previously exhausted, in violation of law, the Board of Supervisors there by exercising the power ;of legisla-- tfou in taxing the county at their discretion for road building and oth- CT purposes. Warrants have been drawn upon the General Fund of the ! county unwarranted by law, and | large sums allowed 10 officers of the 1 county and others cnwarranted by | law or equity, that eliminates the of ficers presenting the same. If we as sume that those warrants that have been drawn upon the county Treas urcr unwarranted by law a debt of this county, and add them to the amount loaned to School District No. 1, and add the general and bonded of the coun,y, the whole debt of the county will approximate $100, ,00O which, with the heavy tax ation with which, Maricopa county has been oppress ed,and the little we have to show as the re- su't of this large expenditure is a sufficient comment on the crinlinali- " of the expenditure, and those who have advocated the erection of expcn- sive buildings or any want of econo- my in county expenditures Gin our in the opinion of this his Grand Jury have abettcd in this kind of criminality.
 We further find that the sheriff and some other officers of the county nave charged fees, and presented pills that are unwarranted by the aw, and tho same have been allowed oy the Board, ;and in some instances 'ver the expressed opinion and ad- 'ise of the District Attorney, who, re believe, should have commenced egal proceedings to enjoin the pay- , nent of warraDts drawn for such il egal fees or bills.
 We recommend that the sheriff pen book, and keep strict ac- ouAt of all persons put in jail, giv- ng the name, or the name under , which they go, the date of their in- and the date of their dis hargc. ,
 We recommend 10 the Board of , that it investigate and { onsidcr the propriety of purchasing I poor farm, upon which the poor nd sick may be kept, and, by their VII labor, partially pay the cost of I heir maintenance, with the advant- f gcs of comfort and health, far sur f assing the miserable hospitals we T. ave had in the pas. f We further recommend that the 4 lil be more cleanly and neatly kept nd the prisoners be required to work $ much as possible under the exist lg laws, so far as it will be an ad antage to the county. i' This Grand Jury has found one in @ ictment fo- bigamy, and in the in- .' :. of this subject, found u om the leaders of the Mormon iurch in this county. that said lurch, in council to its members in o tah, before their removal to this u erritory, advised that no polygamy o' bigamy be practised by the mem ''' ITS of said church in the Territory P' Arizona, so long as the laws pro- VI - biied its practice in this Territory .,