The Bessemer indicator., 1894-10-27
THE DISTRICT COURT
Something About the Clerks and the
Way They Run Things.
"Reminiscences of District Clerk George
Seaver.


Seaver.
\ good many people are inquiriny about
the clerk and deputy clerk oi the district
court and wondering who they are,
The clerk, George Seaver, came here early
in the sos, and for some time he ran n saloon
on Santa fe avenue. He took An active part
in politics and In lss4 he started out ss Hill
Pitkin man In the sen ,torial controversy OF
that year. He went to the republican state
conventio. at Colorado springs that year,
Colonel George Il. swallows was candidate
for state treasurer before thar convention and
General +. Is. Sopris, of Trinidad, was his
manager. George found out from II caucus
held by the Pueblo delegation that nine of
l them were going To vote for Swollows, 50 he
wen, To Sopris and told him that for $500 he
could get nine votes OF the Pueblo delegation
for swallows. >opr.s was thunderstruck as
| he had been assured 10y Governor Pitkin.
chairman OF the Pueblo delegation, that these
nine men were Pitkln'- personal friends nnd
would vote for swallows on the governor :
| account. Sopris Immediately informed the
governor and caucus of the delegation was
held and Sesyer called to account. Sopris
! confronted seaVer on the proposition and
Seaver owned up but Justified It on the
ground that he '-wasn'i In politics for his
health" and that he thought he saw chance
TO make Il dollar and didn't propose TO let 1t
| slip. George didn't get along with the dele
CATION during the rest of the convention and
Immediately after II was over weut over Ia
the other faction OF the party in this county
and tn. following winter secured the position
of -enrgen t-at-arms Of the state senate.
After thnt in the tall "f lss. he secured posi-
ton as messenger about the United States
senate which he held continuously until ap-
pointed clerk of the district court by Judge
| Elwell
| lie stored his goods and claimed hi. resi-
dence In Pueblo and every iall used to come
back here and attempt TO dictate nominn-
tions for the party, and after the conventions
were over he would slip back to Washington
and leave the republicans here to elect their
ticket. The only time during the years that
he was in Washington that he stayed ant
voted in 1855 and in 1871. In 1855 n
| United States senator was To be elected and
he was directly interested and in 1891 Elweli
was running for judge and George had been
promised hi, present position If Elweil won.
| In February iss. when he came back from
| Washington he hunted up some Of his old
enemies who didn't like his methods aud
npoogzed for the spO-sopris- wallows in
] cident-and said he going to stop that
sort Of methods and '.e decent. His old enc
mics were inclined 10 take him Mt his word
and give him IL chance. But George didn't
he decent he wasn't built that way
| As as he got into his present position
| the old Idea that he wasn't in politics for
hi, health took "a strong hold un him ms
ever, His salary was $500 year and lie
wanted It 10 be S3,5Oi SO he began 10 scheme
/ In ppt cd II I'm
who would get IL raised for him. When he
came out To take the Office Henry Mccoy wns
! appointed as deputy and Judge Elweli liked
/ his salary at f2.t' per year. and Miss Sloane.
who by the way Is thoroughly competent tu
/ flil the plsc- oI clerk and who is the only ons
about the office who Is competent to MI IL. or
who understands the duties OF the position,
was also appointed deputy and her salary
WIS hSed by Judge Eiwsll at $50 per month
She does more work than both seaver and
MctoN put together. But they were not put
there by Elw"l to work but Ia politics.
Mccoy's appointment WAS entirely superiiu-
Gus Us Miss >ionne and any competent clerk
could have done the work uud with even so
Incompetent seaver there Miss
Sloan" and Seaver managed to get along for
eight months without Mccoy and he held his
old position with the u. y X. Il. nt siss u
up nj the court house daily for IL little while
so as to make II little showing of work for the
800 per month he was drawing from the
county, making the sum of s325 in al, mat
Mccoy drew for his services for eight
months. This grntulty OF 500 per month for
no services rendered became such matter
OF public comment that Mccoy was com
PEELED to resign his place with the ID. Il X. q.
But the fact that he held II for eight months
shows how entirely unnecessary his services
were In the clerks Office and In fnct they
still remain So.
Miss >lonne's pay fixed NJ $50 a- we
have said. But for fear that there might be
ii little left In the fee fund To turn over to the
reliei ofihe over r-burdened taxpayers, Judge
Elweil provided that she should have s25 per
month additional in case there was that
smuunt In The fee fund. There has been but
two month. since when this occurred, how
ever, 80 tint practically her salary has been
$50 per MONTH She has really earned twice
that but "nc deputy was all that was neces-
sary.
The fact that Mccoy WIS getting sE,5 per
month during the first eight months that
seaver was clerk he received only ssUs.si Is
made seaver furious and he he began to
scheme to have his salary raised 10 $500
tn the legislature who would help him out.
but his plans nlseHrried and J. F. Drake was
nominated for state senator. Sewer knew
that Drake would not favor him In any way.
and feared that Drake might try To get his
salary reduced and to use Sewers words he
said that Drake would be on his back all the
time" SO Sehver set to work to beat him II
possible He weut to Denver and appealed
10 men high in the counsels Of the pnrty there
10 help him defeat Drake on the ground that
Drake was unfriendly I" them and their In
terests and they couldn't afford to let him lie
In the legislature. He failed in this and then
he tried another scheme which failed.
In 1898 second Judge was appointed for
this district and Seaver was all in fever
again. He wanted man elected TO succeed
the appointee who would promise him To
keep him in his place. und threatened in ad-
vance to bolt Wick- If nominated. Wicks
was nominated and fairly nominated and
Seaver and Elwell, Mccoy and Dixon all
fought him and beat him. seaver last fall
was radical populist as dozen men can
testify. He ridculc,l every one who sndenv-
ored to say anything in favor OF the republi-
can party and roundly censured Senators
Teller and Wolcott for not Joining the popu-
list party as senator Stewart, OF Nevada had
done. He contributed only $40 to help the
ticket and denounced and vilified Wicks all
through the campaign and even after 1t was
over. After Wicks' defeat seaver began TO
scheme in earnest to control nominations for
judges this fail. He repeatedly said that he
would go broke but what he would do 1t. and
he was broke when the convention was over.
He repeatedly made propositions to others who
We're mentioned as candidates to go In with
Elwell and guarantee him his job and all con-
tribute to pool and get what each wanted
out Of it. hut his propositions were refuted.
He finally formed combination with Dixon.
He left no stone unturned. By some slight Of
hand learned in former days and In direct de-
Dance of law he managed IN wrinv In men nm