Evening journal., 1890-03-27
THE WHATC0AT SCANDAL.
s4HAT sAERIFFS GET IN KNIT
AND SUSSEX.


Two ex-sherins Approve the Position Of
the evening Journal" and Tell this
Various Duties OF the sherif, and the
meagre Fees He Gets-Charge of Lying.
Special Correspondence EVENING JOURNAL
DOVER. Del, March GA party Of
gentlemen, among whom were two ex-
sheriifs, eee discussing the agitation now
going on ia Wilmington regarding the
sherifl's fees for feeding prisoners, and
the EVENING JOURNALS position on the
question was unanimously upheld though
two Of them were not only farmers, but
Republicans as we'll The fees of the
sheriff Of Kent county for the various
duties he performs, and they size up in
about this way For administering cor
porai punishment on prisoner ST. so.
This includes lashing the prisoner and
placing him in the pillory
al well. At most three or
tour prisoners are thus punished each
term of court. say hslf-a dozen year, so
there doesn't seem to be exactly fortune
in this line for performing very distaste-
full work. For hanging q man $16-a
princely sum. There mighty few men
who would do It for $50, It's strange
though. said one of the gentlemen. that
these agitators don't trot out somebody
who's willing to do IL. say for IS, so. For
attendance upon court $1.5O per day.
Few laborers get less and the sheriff
during court works a good deal harder
than most laborers.
For summoning witnesses before each
session of court, l3 cents each and 3
cents per mile. There isn't horse hire Ia
.. .t@. C. - L
has to 20 to Milford, twenty miles; that's
forty miles for the trip. He gets $120
mileage and l3 cents for the summons
making $l.33.. You couldn't hire horse
in Dover to day for the trip under So. go
The sheriff certainly isn't in much on
this line of his duty.
For holding a general or special cleo
tion, $40. This includes proclamation,
the placing and distributing of the bal
lot boxes. and means several days Of
hard driving. II let out by contract,
with the responsibility attached you
couldn't get one man out of fifty to take
it.
For servinga writ Of dispossession, 81.
This Is princely sum for the very worst
work a sheriff has TO do. He may have
10 drive miles and then turn a
family out Of doors on the highway with
all their goods and chattels and give
somebady else possession OF their home
There Is not man of feeling In the
county who would not give somebody else
4l0 60 tske the job off his hands But
then it's the sheriffs duty. And other
stems for serving writ Of garnishee, 13
cents, and cents a mile; writ Of
~eplevln, rs cents and mileage.
These we're some OF the items given
and they show that there Is a mighty
rough and poorly paid side to the sherin's
office. Now take up the feeding Of the
prisoners, The sheriff doesn't keep an
ordinary restaurant. Hes got a set OF
boarders that he net only has to feed, bat
to watch as well, night and day and he's
under aaO, 600 bond to see that he keeps
them there. Is there hash mill
owner In the state who has to give
$40, 700 bond for the safe keeping Of his
soarders le must pay men 70 aid him
Ia watching them and II they do escape,
as two did for Sheriff Fennimore not
long ago, II costs cash to get them back
again. His two birds fight cost him in
ronnd figures about $500. Now itll take
good i-sny 30 cent meals to pay this
sum back
~ has always been understood that by
economical management a sheriff can
make money of his prisoners food and
in the name Of all that's sacred, eiacu-
lated one of the gentlemen present
should not the man be allowed some
change This agitation strikes me IS
having good deal Of humbug about it.
This conversation goes to show that
when men meet privately their opinions
are grounded pretty deeply on common
sense.
Theold Whatcoat colored church trou-
bile is again stirred up, This time I. B.
Snowden and Joseph p. Bell are going
for the Pastor Shockley before Delaware
annual conference now in session la
Philadelphia They charge him with
partisan administration, defamation
and 'lying" on the last charge. They
say:
Charge 3-Lying. Specification l.
The said A. r. Shockley, on January IL.
1890 did write and publish in the Will
mington EVENING JOURNAL that T. b,
Snowden said: ut is not inconsistent
with Christianity to lie A man can be
q good Christian and practice lying at the
same time.
Whereas, T. B. snowden never said
anything of the kind He said, There
are men who lie and yet seem to b,
Christians. A man who lies, may lose his
Christian attitude for the time being
and yet not lose his religion, or still be
Christian
Specification 2-The said A. r. Shock
ley, on July 30, 1889, at Dover, Del, die
say that Rev L. Y. Cox was not clear as
30 whether T. B. Snowden had been
member Of cambridge Street NJ e
Church in Philadelphia. and that Rev. 4
E Parker was not clear as to whether h
gave T. B. Snowden q certificate of re
moval to Whatcoat AZ. E. Church, Dover
Del
Signed joseph p BELL"
Mrs. Samuel Burton Of Linwood, Pa.
is visiting Edward Hama and family.