The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-03-27
The New York ShrlevaIty,

1t is well known that the sheriff of New
York county holds the most lucrative Office in
the length and breadth of the land, but the
extent Of his legal renumerations, to say
nothing of the pickings and stealings, was
not generally understood until the grand
jury which has been investigating the office
reported to the court few days ago. The
item of transportation of prisoners shows well
the liberal scale on which the sheriff is paid
For every prisoner conveyed from the city
prison to the court and back he gets s.. so.
The distance is half mile and from twenty
to forty prisoners are carried in a single van,
making the sheriff's receipts from this one
branch of the business from $50 to $50 a "trip
This transportation business alone cost the
county of New York last year nearly ST., 900.
But much less indefensible than this fee are
the fees which the sheriff gets out of the
auctioneers to whom he gives the business of
disposing of goods taken under execution.
During the first term of the present sheriff,
goods were disposed of in this way that real
lied $550,979.8S, and Of this sum $12, 800 IA
were divided between. the sheriff and auc-
tloneers as commissions, besides the sum of
S7,107.70 expended for disbursements. This
sum is practically stolen under the forms of
law from the persons entitled to the benefit
OF the sales. During 1889 the grand jury say
the sheriff's profits, after deducting from the
fees received by him from all SOURCES the
legitimate expenses Of his office, were fully
$4,000 The jdry suspect that a great deal
more than this has been received in the way
OF extra compensation. but the books have
been SO loosely kept that 1t cannot be deter
mined definitely
Excessive fees, however, are but a small
part of the abuses Of the Office. Deputy
sheriffs and their subordinates have been ap.
pointed without regard to the qualifications
for that office. and have habitually practised
the grossest corruption with no apparent OBJ
lection by the sheriff. One of the most staff
ling and scandalous facts so far calculated is
that during the whole period over which
this investigation extended, deputy sheriffs
have been appointed upon the understand
ing that they were to receive no regular or
fixed remuneration for their services; that
the fees provided for by law for their off.
cial services should be paid in to the sheriff.
except very small part of the so-called
''poundage," being the percentage allowed
the sheriff on the amount recovered and in
addition. they have been required to employ
clerks and pay them salaries, and to expend
other sums of money for various purposes.
as condition of their employment and re-
tention. In many instances the deputies
have conducted their business almost en-
tirely through clerks, and some of these
clerks receive share of the profits accruing
from the deputies business. Summing up
the results of their investigation, the grand
jury says:
The sheriff's office, at the present time and for
long time past, is and has been tainted and cor
consistent with official sworn duty, and The legal
rights oil others, that office has been brought into
public scandal and intamy. The administration
Of its affairs during the past twenty Years has
been characterized by all utter subversion of the
public interests to personal gain and the employ.
to discharge Its ordinary du tRs cuPidfty
regard has been paid to the interests Of
custody have been persistently ignored. The
management OF the Office has been, and is at the
decent, so that no confidence whatever attaches
to us acts. While It would be difficult to prove
within the narrow technical rules of criminal evil
dence the sherin's personal knowledge of any
particular case of actual crime committed by one
OF his subordinates, there is doubt of his know
euge OF Ine Systematic ABUSES Wnlcn are the natu-
raj Inducements to such crimes. Public policy
the administration of justice and the rights Of
litigants, demand prompt action. Legislation, it
is believed, can effect speedy remedy.
The specific remedies prescribed for the ex-
listing state of things by the grand jury are the
abolition of fees and the payment of fixed sal
aries to the sheriff and his deputies; a def
milton Of extOrtion that would make it cover
the acceptance by the sheriff or any of his
suoordinates of any money or property ex-
cept ior the county; and definition of bri-
perry tnat shall make it include the asking or
accepting OF sum of money, or any proper.
w by sheriff or any of his subordinates
LOT doing or emitting to do any official act
or IN respect to any matter in which s5sris,s
once mas or may have any official concern.