Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-04-18
ALDERMAN SPURRIER.
HIS ExAAa1MArIoN cONTlNUkD.

Ing to Law."-An Expensive Gang OF
Tramps, who Cost tho County $500.
The examination of Alderman Spurrier,
by the county auditors, was resumed at 2
o'clock yesterday afternoon. The exam
ination related almost entirely to the nine
teen tramps arrested in Frantz's meadow,
near Wilmer Station, and very few facts
were elected.
Auditor Greider opened the ball by say
ing to the alderman " You stated this
morning that you committed nineteen
men sixty-two times within ten. days.
Please examine the record and see whether
it shows that hearings were had in all
these cases and at what time. Here are
five commitments in the case of Thos.
Bennett commence with them
Alderman Spurrier examined the COM
mitments and answered that they
showed that Bennett, who was one Of the
nineteen tramps, vas committed first for
hearing for drunken and disorderly con-
duct, then for q hearing for malicious
mischief, then for hearing IS profess
sional tramp, then was committed for q
term of days for drunken and disorderly
conduct and then to answer at court as .
professional tramp. He could not say
that the dates of these several commit
ments were entered in his docket, but
they were entered on the stub OF the
commitments.
Q.-How often was this man Bennett
out of Jail to attend these several hear
ings? Ale was out of Jail for hear
ing every time the record says he was. On
the 9th of September he was committed
for sixty days for drunken and disorderly
conduct. The commitments before that
time, on the 5th and 9Th of September,
were for hearings.
Mr.. Reed-Let us see your record of
the cases.
Mr.. Spurrier-There they are you
have seen them.
Mr.. Reed-We care nothing for the
stub book we want to see the docket.
The docket was produced and Mr.. Reed
examined it at some length, turning over
page after page. Tue caption of the sew
eral cases and the entry OF the fees Oh the
margin opposite, were written in very
black ink, and had the appearance Of being
written some months ago; while tho fill
ing in of the disposition of the several
cases was in much lighter cOlOred ink, and
appeared to have been written within a
few days past. After examining the
docket Mr.. Reed said to the alderman,
"On your oath as magistrate, when were
the records here presented entered in this
book"
Mr.. Spurrier answered 81 made correct
entries of the several complaints and the
fees and costs pertaining to them at the
times stated in the docket. The details
were filed in subsequently,
Q.-How long subsequently Was it
soon after the hearings or quite recently?
Al don't know, and it is none of your
business.
Mr.. Reed.-I notice the ink looks fresh
and is of different color from the original
entry. Was not the docket filled up
very short time ago? Al don't know,
and you have no right to ask the question !;
it makes no difference when the docket
was filed up.
A spicy wrangle ensucd between MIR.
Spurrier and Mr.. Reed, but no new facts
were developed. Several other of the
tramp cases were gone over, all of them
being very much alike, each having four
or five commitments for hearings, drunken
and disorderly conduct, &c., &c. The al
derman explained that this gang was one
of the worst that ever infested the neigh
borhood in which the arrests were made,
and that the arrests were made ON conf
plant of some Of the best people in the
neighborhood.
Albert MUIR, underkeeper of the prison,
was the next witness. He testified that
Thomas Bennett was committed on the
4th of September, not the Sd that he was
not taken out of Jail on the 5th or 9Th for
hearing, but was taken out on the 9th
and recommitted for trial. Witness made
similar statements as to Quinn, Munson,
Taggart and the rest Of the gang. They
were in Jail from the time of their first
commitment until they were held to an
swer at court. Mr.. MUIR further testified
that Mr.. Frantz, on whose land the alleged
tramps were encamped when they were
arrested, had come to tho Lancaster
county Jail and declared that the arrest of
these men was a perfect outrage; that
they lad committed no Offense nor dis
turbed anybody; and that it was their
custom to encamp where they were found
for several years past.
]. II. Mentzer, underkeeper of the pris-
on, and Jere Cooper, the clerk, cOrrObor-
ated Mr.. Murr's statement.
Alderman Spurrier cross examined each
of the witnesses, and elected the facts
that it is quite a common thing for officers
to arrest persons and lodge them in Jail
before any commitment of them had been
made by an alderman, the commitment
being received afterwards! This is done
for the convenience of the officers making
arrests in the vicinity Of the prison, as
otherwise they would have to take the
prisoners all tho way down to the alder
mans Office to get a commitment and then
escort them back to Jail ! Tho cross
examination also showed that after a pris-
oner had been sent to Jail Tor one ofense,
it was very common thing to send up
another commitment charging another
ofense, as retainer in case the first
wouldn't hold water. The cross-examina-
tion also showed that Notwithstanding
Mr.. Frantz's good opinion of the gang ar.
rested, several of them had been tried in
quarter sessions and convicted and SEN
fenced as tramps.
Auditor Greider stated that these nine
teen cases had cost the county over $40O,
and asked the question whether one COM
mitnent instead of five would not nave
in each case, and Mr.. Spnrrier
it would not.
"Why not % asked Mr.: Greider.
" Well, don't know how to answer that
question, except by saying that one
do"
Mr.. Greider thought it very strange
that a man arrested for drunkenness on
the Sd Of the month should lie in prison
until the 9th and then be committed for
He must have been very
drunk indeed not to be sobered up in that
time.
"Don't you know" said Mr.. Spurrier,
&C that a man cannot be fully committed
when he is drunk % !
No, don't know that" replied Mr..