The Opelousas courier., 1892-11-26
The Jail Painting Job.

the session of the Police Jury last week
whichsgoes to show the true awardness
of our goody goody sberiff's little
game with the Police Jury On Tues
day evening the sheriff presented him.
self before that body wearing a look
OF injured innocence that would have
done credit to calf with the collie, and
claimed that he had been done an in
justice by recent publication "in one
of our local papers in reference to
the jail painting job, and wanted the
Police Jury to resolute to that eff.
feet and to be sure that it was done
according to his wishes he had actually
written it up himself and begged one
OF the members to offer it to that body
Here is the document
Whereas, the attention of the Police Jury
has been called to certain article lately
published in one of our local papers that the
Sheriff had charged an unreasonable sum to
clean and pain the Jail and that the same was
done to favor some of his pets, be it
Resolved that said article is pronounced
unjust and unfounded because the Sheriff
made no claim for said work, and the amount
placed to his credit for same was allowed him
through sense of justice after soliciting and
obtaining from him the amount he had paid
ent for said work.
We happened to drop in as this pa.
per was read, and being somewhat in
eterested, naturally requested that the
article referred to be read for the in
formation of the Jury and the fact
was developed that the sheriff had not
only failed to accompany his little pre-
amble aud resolution with the article
on which it was based, but even had
failed to mention in what paper it had
appeared. We here suggested that
perhaps the COURIER was the offender
and offered to procure a copy for the
Jury, which offer was accepted, and
the following article read:
Some time since correspondent in sheriff
Fontenot's organ INDUCED in some very
hatterng comments towards that official for
having had the parish jai painted red etc.,
and gave him the exclusive credit for the
% thoug and consideration display
ed" One would have supposed on reading
this complimentary effusion that our sheriff
had struck a streak af generosity and was
having this work done at his own expense,
but imagine our surprise when only a few
weeks later we fiud published in the proceed
ings of the Police Jury the following claims
against the parish approved:
7. s. Fontenot, cash paid to clean and
paint .jail-$65.
We will remark en- PEASANT, that Mr.. 7. S.
Fontenot had other claims approved at this
same meeting, serving notices, arresting
prisoners, attornSy fees, sundries, atten-
dance on court" etc, amounting to the
snug little snm of $366.53, and we would be
curious to know how much of said amount
could have been saved to the parish if be
did not have the monopoly" of controlling
a. tl,e4 liz,
of the Jail has cost more than it would had
the work been open to competition, instead
of being controlled by the sheriff in the
interest of some of his pets. 1t should
be borne in mind also in this connection
that the sheriff receives from the parish
outside of bis many other revenues, the sum
of $2O0000 per annum as Jail fees.
After the reading of this article we
stated to the jury that it was neither
unjust nor unfounded, that the main
facts were gathered from the oficia
proceedings of the Police Jury, anG
what other evidence was needed tt
substantiate the statements thereir
made could be promptly furnished. W.
called attention of the Jury to the fac
that if Mr.. Fontenot had statement
to make to that body. he could do so
and if it was satisfactory to them, i
could go down on the minutes and bt
published in the official proceedings
but that he could not sneak in resolu
tion refiecting on anything contained il
thtst article, without at least a protes
from us, as we were prepared to sub
stantiate every charge made therein
The gentleman who offered the resolu
ition by request, then withdrew it ant
the following explanation was sub
| stituted
On motion of Mr.. Courtney, whereas, an al
| ticle has lately appeared in the Opelousas Cou
| rier relative to the account approved in favo
of the Sheriff for cash paid for painting tn
/ Jail, and whereas we wish to remove misaI
/ prehension of the facts of the case by the put
| Tic; therefore be it resolved that the followin
| statement be spread upon the minutes, t0-wlt
Sheriff Fontenot brought bill before tn
committee on claims for paint, oil, ETC., used il
! said work, and when requested to state wha
was the amount charged for the work th
sheriff stated that he made no claim for th
amount paid out by him to have the wor
done, but would accept anything the Jur,
might judge right. The chair requested Mr.
| Fontenot to state what amount he had pai
out, he said $685. and the committee approve,
that amount as an act of justice TO the Sleriff
We thought We had made fina
disposition of the Jail painting jolt
but ss the sheriff has seen fit to reviv
! it, We are nov in Il position TO asser
that it is considerable more of jo
than we had thonght. The sheriff no
only gets $65 for piece 0
work that experts value at abou
4 $50, but we find that bills t
the amount of $9I43 for "sun
dries, etc., was approved to t.
Fontenot at the meeting of Sept. 18th
and a bill for paints, turpentine, etc
including whisky, for S6.65 to MI
Robert Chachere. In trying to locat
that $91.43 for '.sundries" we foun
a bill of Mr.. Jos. Lasalles' for $64.8
for paints, oil, turpentine, brushes. etc
ETC., (which also includes several en-
tries for whisky and we suppose ther
is where part of the S9I.43 for sun
dies comes ia, which, however
still leaves $26 go of " sundries'' nc
accounted for.
i It would seem to be in order now fo
the sheriff to get up some m ore pream
bles and resolutions, or at least to offe
some more explicit explanations.
According to the documents on filt
and the official proceedings of the Pc
lice Jury, we figure out that the paint
ing of the jaiT-and "sundries"-(an
/ whisky has cost the Taxpayers of thi
parish just about $163 08, which
pretty steep for q job that was bosse
by one who has always pretended to b
so extremely solieitous in the matter {
Heconomizing pnblic money.