Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-02-06
JUSTICE PHILIPS
Hauled Over the Goals at the Board
of Commissioners.
John P. ST. Meyers Through His Attorney
Prefers Charges Of Misconduct
and immortality.

TTtItIS IfdI see VI H'sNo"oSS
and immortality.
The Beard Of County Commissioner met
Yesterday morning at their room at the
Court House, and transacted the following
business:
Present, Messrs. Boring, Commerlord
Delbruggf, Maxwell, Nichols, Prhce'
Stein. Spiedel and Siocker.
The bond OF Clerk Woods was received,
approved and filed.
PETITIONS.
A petition was read, signed by the Sher.
i'll, Prosecuting Attorney and Assessor OF
the city district, asking for the building
owned by the county, Immediately south
OF the Court House, to be kept and used ~
them as offices for and during their terms
of office, and 10 be surrendered by them 70
tb cir successors.
Mi. SpeideI recommended that the petit
TONERS be granted the use OF the building,
as follows: Sheriff, the lower story 1.-TWO
rooms); Prosecuting Attorney, front room
on second floor, and the Assessor the back
room on the second floor, and that they
pay to the Comfy Treasurer rent per an
mum as follows:
Sheriff, $40; Prosecuting Attorney, SIS,
and Assessor SIS; and further, that ID. T..
Hoge and J. J. Wood, the present occu.
pants, be allowed to remain until the first
DAY of March, 1883, they 10 pay So Tor the
use of the same. Adopted.
The petition of George Hook, County
Clerk, for compensation (SS50l for copying
and making out Land Book was, on motion
OF De.brugge, referred to the Prosecuting
Attorney.
Committee Reports.
PRINTING.
The Committee on Printing recommend
ed the payment Of bills a~ggregating $3.50.
EQUALIZATION y APPEALS.
The report of the County Board Of Equal
ization and Appeals was read, and, after
some discussion, adopted.
COURT HOUSE AND JAIL.
The committee recommended for pay
ment bills aggregating SlS7.4S, and further
recommended that the Prosecuting Attor.
ney be required to attend all meetings OF
the various committees OF the Board for ad-
vice and consultation.
FINANCE.
The Committee on Finance reported as
follows:
County orders handed In by Sheriff
Brown, and paid by him. o..."...--. S2).s.9 u
Interest paid ON ame"""""-""""" OH %
Road certificates paid:
Liberty ohlo 80
Triadelphis district.".......--"."...... lg7 -
Richland district. Sj ~
The committee recommended that county
orders for the aforementioned interest
and Juror certificates be issued to the sher-
in, and also the payment OF bills agsregat-
ing $1,000.
ROADS AND BRIDGES.
The committee recommended for pay
ment bills aggregating 1916 SO, and that the
bill of S. NJ. Thornburgh, for S330.S0, which
is included in the above amount, be paid
out of the Fairmont toll, as the appropria-
tions on said road are exhausted; and, fur
ther, that his contract be stopped, but sug-
gested that all the stone now on said road,
deposited by him, be used.
A petition from John Cox and others, for
a new road, just east OF West Liberty, was
read, and the committee recommended that
a survey be made and reported to the board
for final action. Adopted.
JUSTICE PHILLIPS.
At this stage of the proceedings attorney
II. NJ. Russell appeared before the Board,
and asked leave TO state his business.
Permission being granted, Mr.. Russell
stated that he represented J. Z. st. Meyers,
a citizen of this county, and on his behalf
read The following charges and speCitica'
tons of immortality and misconduct against
William Phillips, a Justice Of the Peace
for Clay district.
TIE CHARGES
were as follows:
To the Hon. Board Of Commissioners Of Ohio
County, ". Va:
The undersigned. respectfully represent
to your honorable Board, that William
Phillips, Justice of the Peace of Clay dis.
triCt, in said county, has been guilty of
misconduct in office, such as TO make it
proper that he should be removed from
mis- said office. The following are specific
instances Of such misconduct:
First-The said Phillips was guilty Of
using his official position for the purpose
Of u~njustly extorting money in the
of one Abbey Jackson, on the I'd day
of October, 1882. Said Jackson was ar.
rested under q warrant issued by said
Phillips for selling beer without license.
Being brought before said Phillips, she ad-
mitted the truth Of the charge. Phillips
had no jurisdiction to do else than
bind said Jackson over to appear at Court,
announced TO said Jackson that he could
not make her pay any more or less than
$50 and costs, and named an amount in the
neighborhood OF $25 as the aggregate OF the
fine and costs; and further announced that
this amount OF money had to be
paid Immediately, and compelled
the said Jackson, under fear of being
sent TO Jail, to pay the said Philips the said
amount of $25, which said Philips received,
well knowing that he had no right to e1tort
or TO receive it. Afterwards, when L.. s.
Jordan, prosecuting attorney asked said JUS
tiCe about the matter, Philips denied that he
had received any money from said Jackson,
but subsequently produced the money in
the Circuit Court and falsely pretended
that said Jackson had voluntarily deposited
the money with him TO pay a fine which it
was expected the court would impose.
SecoRd-He used his official position to
obtain money by false pretences from o.
car Seeley, who was the prosecuting wit
ness against one Patrick Irwin, who was ar
rested about January, 1882, charged with a
criminal offense and confined in the county
Jail under a commitment from Philips.
Irwin having been discharged, Philips re-
quired Seeiey TO pay the costs OF the case,
and represented to Seeley that the %jailOr's
fees in the case were s., and by means Of
WIS representation ObldlIlC vi oCCiNJ
the sum Of s. for said iailor's fees. This
representation was false, as Philips well
knew when he made it, for he had previ-
ously obtained a memorandum OF the Jail.
or's fees, which amounted only to 81. He
afterwards paid the Jailor s. and kept 81
himself.
Third-The said Philips has made cor
rupt agreements for the purpose Of Undue
ing persons to bring suits before him as
Justice, agreeing not TO charge costs unless
the persons with whom the agreements
were made were successful in their suits,
thus corruptly giving to said Philips a d.
rect interest in the result Of quits which he
was to decide, and depriving his judgments
of even the semblance Of impartiality. An
agreement of this kind was made by said
Philips with ]. II. Ferguson, under which
said Ferguson agreed to give Philips all his
claims for collection and suit, and Philips
agreed to charge no costs unless the claims