Daily Republican., 1889-04-18
CASTING LOTS.
A NOVEL METHOD OF SET.
TLING BILLS.
The Levy Court Estimating Register Me
Whorter's Extra Services-AIr. Roth
well Thinks 1hey Are Worth
S1,SOO, and MIR. shalicross
Thinks 5000 Enough.

a novel experiment was tried In a COM
mittee of the Levy Court on Tuesday
afternoon to settle upon an amount of
money to be paid Register in Chancery
and Clerk of the Orphans Court Charles
IL. Nc cWhorter, for his extra services in
strengthening up the accounts and records
OF tie Office, which had been kept in a
very loose condition since 1860. The
Register is methodical clerk, and he
soon saw that through the want OF order
aud system In the office everything had
been at odds and ends. Many very i'm.
portant accounts, for want of being re-
corded, had been merely pigeon holed,
and many others had been entirely lost,
and there ia no record whatever that they
had ever been settled. Mr.. McWhorter
has opened up book OF record, and now
records all accounts and settlements, SO
that if the loose accounts become mislaid
or lost the book Of record will be left to
fall back upon.
The records thus made by Mr.. Nc
Whorter have been legalized by the pres
ent Legislature, which also authorized
the Levy Court to pay to Mr.. McWhorter
whatever amount it thought was right
and proper to compensate him for his
services. The committee to which the
matter WAS referred consisted of Levy
Courtmen Rothwell, Wier, Eliason, Shall
cross and President Grubb. There were
such differences of opinion in regard TO
the claim that the committee could not
arrive at any definite conclusion, when
the novel method of deciding by lot was
agreed upon, and Mr.. Rodney, attorney
for the Levy Court, being present, 1t was
agreed that he too should put an estim ate
into the hat, and the average of all the
amounts should be the amount agreed
upon. Accordingly each member threw
a slip Of paper containing his estimate
into the hat as follows: Mr.. Rothwell,
81 800; Mr.. Wier, $500; Mr.. Eliason,
$700; Mr.. Grubb. 500; Mr.. Shallcross,
5000, aud Mr.. Rodney $500, the whole
making 1850, which divided by six
made $3.50 for Mr.. McWhorter This be
ing so much more than Mr.. Shallcross
counted upon he Immediately objected ia
the award as being exorbitant, and said
he would be willing to vote for $500 bui
not cent more.
Mr.. Rothwell was guided In his higt
estimate by the tremendous bills that had
been paid the row officers for making
new indices for their Offices, Prothonotary
Maxwell having received $500, and ex
Rec order Holcomb having been pai(
$500, and Mr.. McWhorters work wa
equally as laborious and important. But
compared with Mr.. Wier's estimate O
1Se0, and Messrs. Grubb and Eliason'
estimates of $500 each, Mr.. Rothwer'
estimate of $500 was as ridicuixsa.
high as Mr.. Shallcross' estimate of e2v;
was too low.
Mr.. Shal.cross' estimate was eyldeyuy
made not with view of the real wort
OF Mr.. McWhorter's labors, but more tC
cut down the high estimates that b,
thought his fellow-committeemen would
make. There was some surprise ut Mr.
k0dney's low estimate, as lawyers gener
ally go in for large fees.
But now Mr.. McWhorter appears and
objects to the whole proceeding, eyi.
IDENTIFY looking upon 1t as being nonsensi
cal and unfair to himself He Lad not SO
much objection to the average arrived at
by this process, but the manner In which
the estimates of four members of the COM
mittee were cut down by the fifth mem
beI's estimate of 5000, an amount not
sufficient to pay the clerk he had en-
ployed-that alone being $3.50. He did
not think the average $3.50 extrayagabt
when compared with the labor performed
and when compared with the large
amounts paid for getting out new In
dices, but he DID not like this manner OF
settling an important question. He
would not even have objected to an
award much less than that arrived at, had
the amount been properly computated,
but be did not believe In making farce
OF business affairs. Mr.. McWhorter may
not have used these exact words, but the
same in substance.
What the Levy Court will do in the
matter has not been determined, but that
Mr.. McWhorter will be allowed reason
able compensation there can be no doubt
1t will not, however, run up to Mr.. Roth
wells high estimate nor drop to Mr..
Shallcross' low estimate.