Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-01-03
lancaster f1teIIiqellrer.
TUESDAY EVENING, JAN. 3, 1882
Very Suspicious.

anu COuCIuucU IIlc UuSlucSS VI IuclI
term, and by agreement finally closed
the office so far as they were entrusted
with its administration. In the after
noon Prothonotary McMellen came in
with a bill, which he offered to present,
when he was informed by Coble and
Montgomery that they had suspended
business. Mr.. Coble, however, asked to
see his bill, but McMellen said that if
they had closed their business there was
no use in showing them the bill and
walked out
At some place that day, at some time,
reported to have been at midnight or
some other uncertain hour, the peces-
sary approval of COble was secured to
this bill and others, and warrants were
drawn by Commissioners Coble and
BushOng on the county treasurer for
81 800 in favor of ProthOnOtary Mcneil
len, for Sl,4ll.33 in favor of Sheriff
Jacob S. Strine, and so in favor Of
John II. Barnes, job printer and they
respectively drew this money on these
warrants from the county treasury the
Democratic county commissioner, Mr..
Montgomery, knew nothing of them
until he heard they We're paid. All three
of the bills for which these warrants
were drawn hal previously been refused
payment by majority of the board, that
majority consisting of Montgomery and
BuslIOng, the latter of whom has been
for year or more L" OUT with Mcneil
len. Tie is now - in"with him.
The suspicious change of mind on the
part OF one of the commissioners, the
suspicious circumstances under which
these warrants were secured, the fact that
neither of the Republican commissioners
has been like Caesar wanted his wife to
be, have created a great deal of suspicion
regarding the honesty of these bills and
the honesty of the proceedings attending
their payment.
Mr.. Barnes's bill! was for printing done
for the county, official blanks, ETC., since
November, 1878, and portion of it, at
least, was for blanks ordered by Clerk of
Quarter SESSIONS Urban for his whole
term, Il large part of which were rem
dered useless by a change made in the
rules of court after they were printed.
1t does not appear that the clerk ever
had authority to order three years supply
of blanks or that proposals were ever
asked for the supplies which Barnes was
paid for furnishing. Hence the objections
which had previously been made to pay
lnent for them.
Sheriff Strine's bill was for fees, for
which the county is, we believe, liable,
and the objection to its payment was
an unsettled account against him for
jury fees, for which the sheriff admits
his liability I" the county, but he holds
that he has never received them, as they
were paid to the prothonotary instead of
tohim. We are told by those authorized
to speak for him that the prothonotary
has failed to pay these over to him, but
that in lis settlement with the protho-
notary he will deduct them from his ac-
count; and that he is now, and always
has been ready to account to the county
for them whenever the amount Of them
is ascertained. AS the sheriff and his
bondsmen are liable for this there
cannot eventually he any loss to
the county by the payment of his
bill of fees, if they are legal and proper,
without a settlement, though manifestly
the proper way would have been to have
had square open settlement of both ac-
counts with the commissioners and an
honest bill should not have had to make
a midnight hunt after and have had
other suspicious means brought to bear
upon an honest commissioner to secure
his approval of it.
Prothonotary McMellen 5 bill of 81 500
is for extra services rendered in re-
arranging the papers of his office, 4" by
order Of court and in support of it he
makes statement setting forth the
work done g 10y order of court, relating
the confusion in which he found the
papers in his office, and the labor with
which, since January, 1881, he has put
in order some ,26O 900 papers contained
in some 1909 packages, employing most
of the time Of two clerks. He fortifies
his statement with certificate of
Judges Livingston and Patterson that
q" the work above stated has been
done in a most satisfactory and accept
able manner. The office is to-day one of
the best arranged in the state. Mr.. Nc
Mellen should he very literally compen-
sated.' Notwithstanding this the com
missoners had refused to pay this bill
up to the time of the successful midnight
crusade upon Bushong. McMeilen has
his money, and has another bill for some
S40O, we understand, to present for other
work done in the Office, which awaits
settlement of IN open account between
him and the county.
We present the facts in these cases to-
day. They will admit of future comment
upon some of their extraordinary fea-
lures, notably the extra services claimed
to have been rendered by the prothono-
tary, the remarkable recommendations of
the court and the circumstances under
which the payment of the bills was Sc
cured.
Disgusting.
The Democracy of the country have
good cause to be again disgusted with |
k1,1 1,al, >e l.