Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-07-01
LOS ANGELES ABROAD.
How Some of the Tourists Lie
About the Scmi.Treptcs.

About the Scmi.Trcptcs'
If the old Sazerac Lying Club, of De-
troit, Michigan, be still in existence, and
ex-Auditor Moran of that city be not a
member of it. the Club should at once
send its Enrolment Committee to that
gentleman and enlist him as thorough
ly active member of that Wolverine Or
;ganization of brilliantly picturesque liars.
Mr.. Moran, judging from his own ac-
counts of himself, would be, from prin-
ciple, very active member of the Club.
Ex-Auditor Moran early last winter
with number OF frozen-out Wolverines,
hastened to enjoy the more salubrious
climate of Southern California. He
claims to have thoroughly "did' the
State, and when he returned to Detroit
in April last, RECALLED his fellow towns
men, through the columns of Detroit
newspaper, called the Courier, with
s,ories of Los Angeles that out
rivalled in the magni6cence Of
their exaggeration the famed
romance of Alladin's wonderful lamp. A
story he told concerning the Los Angeles
County Jail and the Los Angeles con-
stabulary is probably ex-Auditor Moran's
best production. In his recital to the
Courier man, which was published in
that paper on April 23d, Mr.. Moran
asserted that the County Jail was 80
crowded when he visited it last February
that the prisoners were jammed into
space 44x3O feet, like sheep in the
.shambles, and that they had, per force,
to sleep almost on top Of one another.
Concerning the constabulary, the
veracious and versatile ex-Auditor said
they were addicted to the disagreeable
habit of using the lariat or lasso, instead
of their hands, in capturing offenders
against the law. Mr.. Moran told
the Detroit Courier man q whole
lot more of Los Angeles-enough in
fact to fill column of the seemingly
valuable space of that beacon light of
the interests of NIichigan's principal
business center.
The Courier of April 23, containing
Mr.. Moran's story, happened to fall into
the hands of Mr.. Tibbetts, of Santa
Rita, Cal, VINO put himself to the trouble
of conclusively demonstrating that Mr..
Moran is about as versatile weaver of
fabrication as has infested Southern
California in several years. Mr.. Tibbetts
did not stop at this. He sent proofs to
the Courier and showed Mr.. Moran up in
fine style. In it's issue OF June % that
paper gives publicity to Mr.. Tibbett's
saw Mr.. Moran. That ex-official, when
OUT by saying that Auditor Montaf1o had
told him while he was here that Sheriff
Kays' office was worth $40 900 year ,and
that some constables were making $1,000
per month. Also he asserted that Sheriff
Kays over crowded the Jail last Febru-
ary when he locked up 26O prisoners
there. AS to the lassoing of prisoners by
the Constables, Mr.. Moran crept out by
stating that all of them used saddle
horses and that attached to each was a
lasso. He then asked the Courier: "If
the Constables do not use the lasso in
capturing prisoners, why do they each
have one attached to their saddles? 1t
certainly is not there for ornament"
Armed with this issue of the Courier,
a HERALD man visited Sheriff Kays in
his Office yesterday. He showed that
official the statement of ex-Auditor
Moran about the Constables and the lasso,
and NJ. Tibbetts' denial of the gentle
mans lurid yarn. Mr.. Kays knew all
about it. He told the HERALD man that
Mr.. Moran had visited the County Jail
in February last. There were then 260
prisoners in the jail, confined within a
space aggregating about S5x245 feet.
Each had bed and blankets. There
were never more than 266 prisoners in
the Jail, the general average being about
100 for the year. Mr.. Kays laughed over
Mr.. Moran and his yarns, and said he
had written to Mr.. Tibbetts asking him
to advise the Detroit Courier that if Mr..
Moran would make as good a Sheriff as
he has demonstrated he is a liar, he
should be elected to that office.
Auditor Montaflo says he never told
MIR. Moran the Sheriff's Office here was
worth 100000 annually. He says he in
formed the gentleman that possibly the
Sheriffs and Constable's offices, COM
bined, were worth that amount.