The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-06-20
REJoINDER OF THE EXPERT
A Few Words i'm Reference to Judge
Lyons Statement--.The Sheriff and
the County Commissioners will
Receive Attention next Week.

The county officials having made reply to
the charges contained In the report OF the
Investigating committee desire to say few
words In the nature of Tejoinder. l shall
confine myself to the replies Of the Judge OF
| the Probate Court the Sheriff and County
Commissioner Mattison, as there is nothing
in the statements Of the others which neces.
states any notice from me-
am induced to notice the replies of these
three because there are statements In each
which cannot allow to go on record uncon
tradicted.
am especially induced to notice the reply
| Of the "Judge OF the Probate Court because
it's ridiculous character-being contrary to
| the dictates of reason and common sense, and
such defence of his conduct as would not be
deemed sufficient by any court Of justice, Il
set up by the most ignorant and unlearned
person, much less by ajudge.
The judge sets out by seriously stating thai
he knew nothing of the charges that were
preferred against him until he heard the re
port read in Court.
am at loss to know how he couln make
suck statement when he knew that. when
was in his Office, we discussed the matter OF
these certificates thoroughly, and that he
hunted the statutes over and over for his au-
thority for issuing and charging for them,
and that, falling to find such authority, he
fell back upon the defence which he finally
urges in his published reply-namely, that he
hadn't collected near all the costs to which he
and still hold to be totally insufficient.
Then after facetiously thanking me for be-
ing kind enough to compliment him for his
capacity for the work connected with his Of
ice, he again becomes serious and says "Mr.
Hill expresses the opinion and argues with
energy in support thereof that issued certt-
fcates Of various kinds not authorized by
law and not 9T fo
opinion and to enjoy the same right, first as
citizen and second as a judicial officer" and
he further says-"as Judge Of the PROBATE Court
must differ from the opinion of Mr.. Hill as
n q QnfhOritv
necessity for the certificates Issued" When
read the above, Mr.. Editor; when / found
that he differed from me in this matter, first
and third as .'Judgeiof The Probate Court" !
was affected with that feeling which l suppose
Is meant to be described by what is termed,
in patent medicine advertisements, as an "all
thought he had certainly found the law
for which he had so carefully searched when
was in his office and fully expected, IN the
next sentence, TO find myself completely over.
whelmed with citations upon top Of citations
from the statutes wherein the authority was
expressly given-nay more, where 1t was
made his imperative duty to issue these GER
I,tonlshment and great relief he simply stated
that 1.-THE fee OF fifty cents has not controlled
nor perverted my. Judgment'-not even q
hint at any law which gives senblance Of
authority for charging for these certificates.
We stated in our report that II was his prac-
tice to give these certificates and charge for
them and that we did not think he had any
authority of law for ii, unless the certificates
were demanded. Differing from US as he
stated he did in the three fold capacity allud-
ed 10, 1T was his duty, If he could have done
so, TO cite the law upon which he based his
opinion. If he had done this it would have
been conclusive of the matter, but not being
able to do so he should not have denied the
correctness Of the position taken by us in the
report.
Being unable to show any authority of law
for his conduct he undertakes to justify the
same upon the plea that while it may be true
that he had collected from a certain class OF
his fellow citizen, one thousand dollars of
costs to which he was not entitled, IL is equal
ly true that he had given, 10 another class OF
his fellow citizens, at lease five thousand and
five hundred dollars of costs to which he was
entitled-and TO this he says lie Is willing TO
make affidavit. Adopting somewhat the
style Of reasoning Of st. Paul In the first part
Of the 18th chapter of First Corinthians, allow
me to say to the judge, in conclusion, that
though you may have kept the records OF
your office never so neatly; and though you
may have given away not only five thousand
and five hundred dollars but euen ten thousand
| and tiue hundred dollars Of your legitimate
| fees, still If you have eXacted one thousand or
one hundred or eUen one dollar from your fel-
low man to which you were not entitled, Ii
| profieth you nothing, and will utterly fail in
| the eyes of this people to be q satisfactory de-
| fence for your conduct.
They may condone it, but they will never
| forgetit Respectfully.