, 1890-03-20
CORONERS JURIES.
rhe County Commissioners Re-
y fuse to Allow Coroner Mo.
Leans Bills For Iuluests.
Which They Say Were Unnecos-
sary-The McCrossin Affair
The Coroner Will Sue.
Coroner ]. d. McLean has author

Coroner j, ID. Mclean has author
lied Turner, Forster X Turner to
bring suit against the county COM
missloners to collect the fees In sew
eral coroner's inquests held during
the quarter preceding the last meet
ing of the board.
MIR. BOoGE EXPLAINS.
John /. Booge, chairman Of the
county commissioners, was asked by
IA REVIEW reporter what the trouble
was between the board and the
coroner.
"The situation Is this, - said Mr..
Boogc. SIT has been the custom of
the coroner, not only DIR. Mel .ean,
but his predecessors, to hold inqucsts
In eases when the cause of death
was well known beforehand, thus
incurring unnecessary expense on
the county. The law provides that
inqucSts shall Ice held only in cases
where the cause of death Il un-
known, or where there il reasonable
ground To suspect foul play. Re-
Gently Attorney General Jones sent
a circular to the boards of county
commissioners, coroncrs and prose-
cutting attorneys of the state, laying
down the law, aud stating That no
bills should be allowed for inquest :
unless the coroner had first made u
thorough Inquiry aud found that an
inquest was absolutely necessary to
determine the cause Of death. Act
ing upon this circular, aud the adj
vice of the prosecuting attorney, the
board threw out Coroner McI.can's
bills In four Of the seven inuuests he
had held during the quarter. The
bills IN the McCrossin inquest were
not allowed, hut as Prosecuting At
torney Ridpath was In doubt about
that case It was laid over for fur
ther investigation. Personally,
wns Of the opinion that the bills
should have all been allowed, ~ the
coroner held the inquests under the
same conditions that inquests had
been previously held. aud for which
the bills had been allowed. As the
bills We're thrswn out entire, Of
course the witnesses and Jurors, as
well as the coroner, are deprived of
their fees. AS | said before. | would,
personally, have been in favor of al
lowing all the bills, with an admou-
ition to the coroner to be more care
ful In the future, but we were
forced to act upon the advice of the
prosecuting attorney"
WHAT the CORONER SAYS.
Coroner j. ID. Mclean was seen,
and was very emphatic In cOndem-
nation of the action Of the connls-
sioners in the matter.
al hnN.. L..t, tta.,I.1 II
he said, land I have placed the bills
In the hands Of my attorneys with
instructions tn enforce their collec-
tlon In the superior court. The COM
missioncrs threw out four of the
seven inqucsts held during the quar-
ter and laid over the bills in the
Met trossin Inquest. ! held these In
quests In whnt | believed To bc the
faithful performance of my official
duties, and, while | care nothing
about my own fees, which amount
To very little, the jurors and wit
ncSses, who were summoned In u
luwiul manner, are entitled to their
fees, and | am going to see that they
get them. | am un Independent
officer, am required To give bonds
for the faithful discharge of my
duties, and were to refuse to hold
an inquest when the cause of death
II unknown, and II should turn
out that IL WIS my duty tc
do so, the responsibility would
rest entirely upon me. Upon who's
judgment ann To net If not upon
my own In the matter of holding
inquests? Who shall say whether
or not there Is sufficient cause foI
holding an inquest IL not the coro-
ner? What n the coroner for, any
way? | have followed the law, and
shall continue To do so w long as
nn in office. II would haye been
proper enough for the commission
ers to have directed my attention Ia
Attorney General Jones circular for
guidance In future cases, but when
they refuse to allow bills contracted!
in the performance Of what believe
to be my official duties, and thus
deprive jurors and witnesses Of their
fees. ! most emphatically object. |
have no ilse for the corOner's Office,
for lose money by neglecting my
business To attend to 1t; hut | shall
not resign until this matter is set
tied"