Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-12-19
TO SETTLE CONTESTS
JUDGEsHIP FIGHTS TO DE ADJUST
ED ny TOMORROW NIGHT.
RUMOR OF WOODHOUSE RETIRING.
Those Interested Heticent, lint This.
Believed to he the situation-The
Carroll Observation-Disclosures OF
Committee on Criminal Expenses.

1HEfVh "
. Committee on Criminal Expenses.
; The General Assembly win not trans
; act much of importance before 1t ad-
journs Wednesday for the Christmas
holidays. except the election of several
county judges. The nominations for these
counties have been delayed by reason OF
contests, two Of which are being settled
by caucus committees, and will be dis
posed of In the caucus tomorrow night
1t is understood that the Princess Anne
contest, In which Judge j. ]. Woodhouse
Is so vigorously opposed by Mr.. b. d.
White. will be adjusted tomorrow WITH
out the Committee Of Investigation ap-
pointed few nights ago taking 1t under
| consideration at all. All of those in
terested in the matter were very reticent
| yesterday, but the impression prevailed
around the Capitol that Judge Wood
| house would withdraw from the race.
| The caucus committee appointed TO in
vestigate the charges brought against
Judge Oglesby, a candidate for re-elec-
ton to the Carroll judgeship, has held
four sessions. going exhaustively into all
the evidence. Judge ID. Bolen appeared
for Judge Ogesby and Messrs. +. NJ
Nuckols and w. ID. Tompkins, OF Car
roll, represented Mr.. Foster, the other
candidate. The committee will meet in
secret session at 10 A. NJ. tomorrow and
formulate report Judge Oglesby and |
Mr.. Foster and their counsel left for |
nome last night. Each side was as con- |
fdent as could be of success.
CRIMINAL EXPENSES EXCESSIVE.
The counties of which the legislative
committee is investigating the criminal
expenses for the purpose Of ascertaining
how far the judges are responsible for
the excessive charges, have all been
passed over except Greenesville, Patrick,
and Scott. The committee yesterday
submitted in the House a partial report
covering only the counties of Warwick !
and Scott The committee finds the ,
charges in each county to be excessive.
The report speaks Of the great labor in {
volved in making the investigation, and :
continues regarding the county of War
wick the first taken up:
]. 1t appears from vouchers in the Audi
-or's Office that during the fiscal year !
ending October l, 1897, the justices Of the
)eace of Warwick county tried and inves- 2
igated 500 cases, goa OF which were mis-
The justices, who reported them, were Z
'aid from the State Treasury 81 for each 6
nd every one Of these cases. OF the so
we are informed by the q
majority of them were for charges Of ;,
agrancy. These charges, it seems were y
referred by the constables. and possibly q
[ the suggestion of the justices without | a
ny comDialnt from any other person. In 4,
lost cases, We are informed the cases .
ere dismissed at the cost Of the Com O
and the defendant discharged y
pom simple promise to leave the coun- q,
DIFFERENCE IN FIGURES. o
q During the fiscal year above men =
oned the Clerk OF the County Court .
'esen'ted bills, and was paid for docket =
& 5S4 cases, which he claims were GER v
lied to him as having been disposed OF y
2 justices of the peace. All Of these bills y
ere itemzed, except one, which was for n
'cketing $40 cases, without in any way q
dicating what the cases were. This bill n
as approved by the Judge OF County V
'urt On January %, 1897, and paid by a
e Auditor on February 4, 1897.
This discrepancy between the 30 cases r,
own in the reports Of the justices them -
Ives and the 5SS which is seen from the n
counts of the Clerk were tried by JUS
es during the same period, has not n
en- satisfactorily explained, though the -
ERIK says the difference between the 800 a
d 53f was the number Of cases which he
d docketed prior to the fiscal year 1897, a
d for which he had not been previously y
ID. His bills before and after this time, a
wever. were itemized.
On October 30. 1896, the Clerk was y
d 81 for docketing returns Of justices -
m November Z, 1895. TO September rs, n
). This bill was itemized. and gave the y
mes of the parties tried by justices and -
dates of trial. On November 2S 1884, "
Clerk was paid another itemlzed bill a
docketing returns from justices, and
this latter bill were dates and names a
TO seventeen items on the
paid the month before. Indeed. II is a
lr that these seventeen cases were the
ne. and were paid twice. "A
In a number of cases the certificates
witnesses before the grand jury do not a
W that ten miles was deducted, as re- -
red by law, before mileage wGs allow n
Tn many misdemeanor cases payment "a
witnesses was allowed without the GER
ate of facts required by the Code. a
In some cases fees have been paid for =
rds in carrying prisoners to jail, with n
the certificate of the justice, required y
aw, that the guard could not be safely q
ensed WITH etc.
On August %, 1897, the Judge of the q
nty Court approved a bill for medical -
ices in favor of j. II. Crawford, in a
ch fees In excess Of those allowed by y
were charged, and in which, also, n a
'ge Of 81 for medicine was made at =
date OF each visit, except i'm very a
cases, in which the charge for medi-
was either 80 or IS cents.
WHERE THE TROUBLE LIES.
thout going further into details the
nittee unanimously reports that. in
Judgment the criminal expenses Of the "
ty of Warwick have arisen not so y
\ from prevailing lawlessness, as q
a disposition on the part of certain ~
rs to use every frivolous or technical
zee as a means of pecunary benefit. ?
this evil could be largely diminished
firm, careful, and intelligent dis y
&c of the duties devolving upon the y
e of the County Court we firmly be- %
but to what extent the excessive V fr
1ses of this county are due 10 the % llI
n of the present Judge of the County o II
we are not prepared to say. % iii
THE ACCOUNTS IN SCOTT.
m hurried examination of the ac- @
s of Scott county, covering several
hs we found the conditions even .
than I'm Warwick. In many cases
anne parties were repeatedly arrested
-ealing peaches. and other frivolous q
eS, and almost In every case there "
charges for boarding and guarding | y
wo or three days before the trial
was the case, even, where the de- y
hts were women.
asses where prisoners were sent to = v
lder guard for misdemeanors, a ply
c was h ALMOST P ny ria called in as
Inc. The charge for medicine in y
however, was Is cents for each .
IS nothing II 50 far as we have been s4e
1cessive criminal expenses of the -.
unity, and subject TO the incursions except
minals hordes from the adjoining Court
In fact, the same names repeated was &C
r in the various accounts for crimf- | court