Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1896-03-04
A STARTLING EXHIBIT.
Report of the Special COMMITTEE
Of the Grand JnrJ, March
Term 1896.
STATE OF South CAROLINA,
CrI;NrY oF EDGEFIELD.

CuuNrY CT EDcEF1ELD.
To Your Honor Ernest Gary Judge
Presiding at this the March
Term of Court 1896:
We the Grand J7ry for said
county beg leave to submit below
as our presnntment the report OF
our special connli tee:
Gentlemen of the Grand Jury
Your special committee, to inves-
tigate the books of the different
county officials, have submitted
reports at.pach term of the court
since our appointment, but on ac-
count of the delay OF the Shsriff's
returns on tax executions and the
Treasurer's final settlement we
could not make our report COM
plete in November.
Commencing in the Office of the
Treasurer with the fiscal year '92
and '93 we ascertained that the an
nual settlement with the Treasurer
had been made from the original
assessment furnished by the Audi
tor, and knowing that money had
been collected from parties whose
property had not been assessed, we
proceeded to the laborious task of
aggregating the stubs Of every re-
ceipt given in the county for mon
ey collected as taxes. We find that
the sum of the stubs amount to
$1O43.23 in excess of the amount
that had been charged IN the orig
inal assessment.
For the fiscal year '93 and '94
the same state of things exists, and
with a similar investigation as we
made of the previous years, we find
that The Treasurer lad collected
$5OS.37 more than was charged to
him by the assessment thus max
ing for the two years 1551,6O
that has been collected by the
Treasurer and has not been &C
counted fer. These amounts for
both years were collected from
parties whose property had Lot
been assessed, but voluntarily came
forward TO pay their taxes. Upon
examining the settlement sheets
we find no addillonals reported.
The present Treas urer has alr"ady
collected from similar source
about six hundred dollars and has
the amonnts aud names of parties
properly entered upon a book for
this purpose; this fact Itself bears
out the correctness of our sxaml-
nation.
The lax executions are given cut
by the Sheriff to lot OF Deputies
and in a great maHy cases to men
unworthy OF such trust as the facts
below Will show. From various
townships without expense and
with very little a.fort we have the
following facts: ln Higgins School
District all exec ion for taxes
went out against West Samuels
and the books of ne Sheriff and
] lIteasurer are both. marked nor
est, nulla bona, and we have in our
possession the receipt of the Depu-
ty ]. r. Webb showing that he COZ
lected $7.4O from the said Samuels.
In Pine Cove Township the tax
of Sophia Burt is marked nulla
bona and we have the Deputy j. @.
Cogburn's receipt showing that he
collected $500 from the said So
phia Burt. In Mobley Town
Ship D. w. Harris is returned
on the books nulla bona. We
have the receipt rf w. L. Rhoden
Deputy for $9.35 collected from
him for tax and penalties. w. G..
Wood was given the tax execu-
tions for Collier Township. Execu-
tons were given to him against
himself and his brother T. b. Wood.
Instead of paying his he marked il
as having been paid by receipt ITO
of the Treasurer and he marked t.
T. Woods with the receipt Of
Treasurer 5O53. We examined
these stubs and they show that the
receipts for these numbers were for
other persons and that Wood has
defrauded the county. This same
Deputy had all execution against a
negro Lewis Holmes, sold his clock
for taxes, bought it a d he. OR his
father has the cock today and re-
turned Lewis Holmes cant be
found"
These facts gathered without ex-
pense convinced us that something
should be done, and not wishing TO
assume the impossibility Of involv-
ing the county in the expense OF
Investigating every Township in
the county, decided to investigate
one Township thoroughly. We
employed a reliable man and sent
him to Meriwether Township, with
no intimation from any one tha-
it was worse than any of the 40
Townships and School Districts in
the county. We find in Meriweth-
er Township on the execution
look, Jesse Schultz marked non
est, nulla bona "cant fnd," and
we have the receipt of the Deputy,
w. E. Bussey, for $500 collected
.from him for taxes and p nalties.