Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-09-16
PUBLIC LANDS IN ALABAMA.
How the United States Commission
ers Make Money Out of Them.

ers Make Money Out of Them.
! WASHINGTON, Sept. 15.-The United
Stated Commissioners in Alabama are
not behind those In some of the Northern
States in their ability to drum up busi-
ness. There is in that State good deal
OF government land that is so poor that
il has not and probably never will be sold.
The price that it would command in open
market would probably not exceed from
Zoe. to 25c. per acre. The Revised Statutes
Of the United States provide for the pun
ishment of people who trespass upon the
public domain, and it is in the punish
ment OF technical violationso of the statute
on this subject that the commissioners
make their money. Dvery year for
a decade or two the United
States has paid out more money for the
| prosecution of people in this way than
| the land Ia worth. The ingenuity with
whica cases are worked up is beyond be-
| lief until the accounts or the commits
sioners are examined. The cutting of
sapling is a crime under the statute. and
IL Is for otlenses of this kind that people
bought before one of the United States
Commissioners there. The people who
are prosecuted do not feel badly over the
matter, for they get free ride to Mont
gomerv and are almost invariably en-
| ployed as witnesses against some one
else. They draw their fees as witnesses
at the rate OF 81 80 per day aud are en-
titled to mileage at the rate of 90. per
mile. The following are some OF the cases
that are before the Treasury officials for
settlement:
THE WITNESS PAY ROLL.
In the account Of Commissioner Robert
Barber from February to May, 1885, II
| appears from the witness pay rolls that
out of the fourteen defendants but one
| could sign his name. Haulers, choppers
and laborers, probably most Of them me-
groes, We're arrested and put through the
form OF trial for Offenses in reality CON-
mitted by their employers. In each Of
| these fourteen cases, some one OF the
thirteen other defendants acts as wit
ness, and thus each defendant, after
| having been arrested and transported to
| Montgomery, at the expense OF the
| United States, is converted into a witness
and paid witness fees. VIM. McCrim-
mon is defendant, and Jno. w. Martin is
The only witness against him; then Jno.
W. Martin is defendant, and McCrim-
m on is the only witness against him.
Chet. Thompson and Martin Broom oc-
cupy the same friendly relations to-
wards each other, and each sue
ceeds in having the other "held to bail"
Chambers Young, Abraham Peoples
and Anderson Peoples are all defendants
in a single case. When the order 10 made
| out by the Commissioner to the Marshal
to pay witness fees there are three cases.
AbrRham and Anderson Peoples have
given evidence against Chambers, and
! Chambers has testified against Abraham
and Anderson, and thus all three get wit
ness fees.
On March 8, 1886, John Early is defend
| ant before Commissioner Barber. and he
case Is heard. On the same dav he is de-
| fendant before Commissioner Bell on a
| similar charge, and on the same day also
a witness before Commissioner Gardner
against Jim JacksOn-Jim having been a
witness against Early before Commits
sIoner Bell. Thus Mr.. Early's usefulness
seems only limited by the number of
commissioners in Montgomery.
Mr. Barber's witness certificates show
four cases against j. A. PrestwoOd on
March % for trespassng on the public
domain. In one OF these cases Prestwood
is witness in his own case, and witness
fees are certified to be due him to the
amount of $13 30.
On Jan. 80 Frank Perry was arrested,
and B. II. Barnes is the only witness
against him. On the same day these
parties change places and Perry is wit
ness and Barnes defendant. and each is
certified TO be entitled to witness fees In
the amount OF SO 10.
The Treasury accounting officers are
determined to break up such practices as
those. They have written to these COM
sioners demanding the post Office address
and occupation OF all The Witnesses and
defendants, and the matter will DO probed
to the bottom.
When commissioners find they cannot
get such accounts passed, they send them
10 claim agents here, aud they plainly tell
the Controller that If be does not pass
them they will 90 to the Court of Claims
aud get Judgments there. "If the ac.
count is right" said one OF these attor-
neys to-day, "the Treasury should paw
them Immediately. II they are wrong we
VIII go to the Court OF Claims and get
them passed there"