Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-05-26
INSECURITY OF VALUABLE COUNTY REC
oRDS AND PROPERTY.

EDS. REcoRD-UNIoN Perhaps the fact
that tie Courthouse of tSis county was bur-
glarized last night and about $500 worth of
Opium stolen-property in the custody Of the
Court--will justify few remarks upon the
general careless and insecure manner in
which the records snd property of the county
are kept
this kind have happened. 1t will be reeol-
lected that a few years ago an indictment In
an important felony case-the Bodega matter
was mysteriousiy marred. Several years
ago, during the trial of an important murder
case, an unmistakabls attempt was made by
means of nippsrs to enter an othce In which
was contained material evidence connected
with the case. The Courthouse building Is
situated in q comparatively remote part OF the
city, and it il, compared with the business
houses ridiculously insecure. The doors
throughout, except in the Jail, are OF wood
and, judging from the results OF .ast night, g
burglar Of second-Iate ability could gain an
entrance into any room in it in an hours
time. With one exception there is not safe
in the building for the stowsgs Of valuable
public papers that would be used by any busi-
ness house in the city. The safe OF the
County Clerk, in which is contained bondss
indictments, etc, is an old rattle-trap con-
Germ that in the commercial market eould not
be sold for more than its weight in old iron.
This safe is in the room into which the burg
lars of last night effected an easy entrance
by crawling through the transon, and
through which they passed in going
into the Courtroom. In that same Clerks
Office are contained the records OF all N the
Courts of record that have existed in the
county, and any gentleman who has had the
misfortune to have bad Judgment rendsred
against him by our Courts can with very lit
tie trouble visit this isolated building during
the night and carry away and o6literate
every record concerned in the suit There IS
no public record in the building that could
not be taken ou5 or married within an hour bE
burglar of average ability.
Some people suppose that the county prem
Uses are guarded by watc5 man. This, how
ever, is an erroneous impression. The janitor
sleeps up stairs in the building. and he is re-
quired to attend diligently to the Court
house, Hall OF Records and DispensarY, and
to the personal knowledge of every officer in
the Court house he faithfully employs him
self in that service from as early as A. NJ. to
10 P. ". He, of course, is not expected to do
the watching at night
The County Jail, Jam told, is separated
from the Courtroom from which this opium
was taken by an ordinary wooden floor. In
1873 very desperate attempt vas made to
rescue Mortimer from that Ill. There are
now six accused murderers in confinement
there-two under death sentence. Ii four or
flve friends of any one Of thete men are par
ticularly DESTROYS of freeing these gentlemen.
o burglars jimmy, an augur and a saw will
at short notice gain them an easy entrance
into the jail, and they would not have to
take the chances that are customsrily taken
=. u II L--~s = suaHa %
to this matter, bat l make the statement
on the authority Of man who has had
abundant opportunity to observe the lay OF
the land"
The county treasury is in the Hall Of Rec
ords-a building whicd is not occupied by
human being after nightfsll & light is kept
burning in the treasury, but it is not watched,
and 80 far as being secured at night by ltd
Publicity, l will venture to say that OIL an
average, between II P. Il. end a. N three
persons do not pass over the sidewalk III front
Of the bulldog. 1t is block on which peo-
pie do not travel at late hours, and no bank
ing house would allow its treasure without a
wstchmsn in so secluded place. It may be
that the vault and safe of the county are
"safe, +" but have heard otherwise, and do
not think they are when expert burglars may
have all night to work on them ur disturbrd.
What it seems ia needed IS not what the
intelligent Board Of Supervisors resolved to
do yesEerday-hsve the big wooden tront
doors locked at shutdown and furnish each
officer with key-fo- this will only result in
exhausting about ten minutes Of the valuable
tins of the future burglar, and he might
break the lock as he did last night and put
tue county TO additional expense. What the
county needs is 10 have It's business STAIRS
administered as She business of a private
business man is administered, by tbs exer-
else of intelligence ana prudence, and with
out regard for this cheap "hunoombe,"
which has for its aim the future prefernent
of officers without regard for the permanent
interests of the county. No business man
would allow property SO valuable as that con-
tanned in the county buildings at Seventh
and | streets to reu ain ung1arded
by nocturnal wstchmal. Some Of Il sse days
the county will lose ia one night enough
to pay watchmsns salary for ten years. II
the county funds are too Low 20 pay watch
man, l would suggest that 800 per month Of
its money goes to pay sever nen for about
four hours work ten Gays each month-the
Supervisors. They get mere money for less
service than any oficers wLo render public
service. Some OF them are vealtby-as a
Board they represent more wealth than any
government. They are pronounced FOR econ
omy-as 60 everything except as to their own
income. These gentlemen, who as good as
find these S700a MONITOR they do not have
te neglect their outside business to attend to
that of the county-would not feel the pit
tance cut of their abundance that would sal
any watchmsn to guard the county e prop
erty. WHITFIELD J. DAVIS.