St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-09-15
HAMMERED HITS BACK.
DEPUTY EXAMINER WEST rs SEVERE
LY TAKEN TO TASK
FOR HIS HARSH CRITICISMS.

The Sheriff and Clerk of Courts
OF Stearns County Speak in
Made Out as They Have Been
for Years-The Examiner Ac-
cused Of Injustice.
The severe criticisms Of Deputy Pub
lie Examiner J. p. West on certain Off
cials of Stearns county have brought Oh
spirited replies from Sheriff John 7.
Hammered and Clerk of Courts Barnum.
! he sheriff was i'm st. Paul yesterday
and took exception TO every point made
by Mr.. West, generally ana III detail.
He says the expense in arreStlng ana
boarding the prisoner in st. Paul, rail-
road fare and telegraphing, is part OF
the necessary expense of criminal work,
and every attorney in Stearns county
Judge Collins. Judge Searle, Judge
Bruener, T. E. Searle. ID. L. Calhoun,
Oscar Taylor and }. ID. Sulliyan-has
approved such expense as proper and
legal, and every sheriff of Stearns
county has always made claims for the
same, and they have been allowed by
the commissioners. ut is simply a
piece of officious impertinence on the
part of MIR. West" says the sheriff, Ito
set up his legal opinion against those of
the above-named gentlemen"
Sheriff Hammered took up separately
Criticism No. /, State vs.. john Roe and
Peter Roe, and Criticism No. 8, regard
ing fees for grand and petit jurors. Of
these he said: The first was a case
where / was sent out after parties sup
posed to have set fire to the Calvary
Hill church and desecrated the GENE
terry at New Munich. My instructions
were to save no expense. and capture.
these parties if possible, and il L had
brought in bill of 5000 it would have
been paid. In the other case he insinu-
ates that have charged for unneces-
sary mileage, and tor each juror served,
which is absolutely and unquaiihedly
false. Had charged as Mr.. West in
simulated, my bill would have been for
1,l67 miles, instead Of for $40 miles,
which latter is the necessary mileage
provided by law.
A DEFIANCE TO PROOF.
"Mr. West also says that overcharged
for serving subppLas, but | defy him
is find a single bill where l have
charged or been allowed for a single
Illegal mile. He makes wholesale
charges, but has failed TO point out
single item wherein | have made an
illegal charge, ana | emphatically state
his charges are untrue.
Regarding the charge that did not
pay over the taxes collected at the
proper time, L will say that IN this mat
ter did exactly as my predecessor had
done. The precedent set by him have
followed ever since have been sheriff.
MIR. West has been deputy examiner
since 1888, and il lie had done his duty
as it now appears to him, and set my
predecessor right, or had called my at
tentIon to it i'll previous years, / should
have cheerfully complied with the lit
eral terms of the law. Bnt in point of
law the deputy public examiner was
entirely wrong in his statements that
this money should be paid from time to
time as collected, and the statutes will
bear me out In this assertion.
'Touching several other criticisms in
Vests report it may be well to state
that L ain now upon my fourth year as
Sheriff of Stearns county. and have pre-
sented good many bills to county COM
miSsiOners, all of which passed through
the deputy examiners hands. and here
tofore he has make no criticisms upon
them. Apubilc officer vino causes the
publication of such outrageous and false
insinuatfOns is unworthy to hold any
position of honor or trust" =;
MR.. sBARNUSf'S KICK.
Clerk of Courts E. p. Barnnm. In
communication. goes over in detail the
charges of Deputy Examiner West,
quotes the law against their cor
Tectness and characterizes them
as unfair and unbecoming in
a public officer. In conclusion
he says: "The bills made out in this
Office have been made as bills have been
made for years, and if | have followed
In the footsteps of my predecessor, |
cannot be far out of the way, as his
reputation not only as clerk of court,
but as an honest, upright aud conscien-
tious man in his dealings with his fell
low men is second to none in the state.
If / have inadvertently received any
fee which is not justly my due. l am at
all times, not only willing, but anxious
to refund the same, and 1t does not re-
Qulre that j should be branded through
out the state as defrauder by public
official in order that should make resti-
tuition"