The age-herald., 1897-12-17
Was Found To Be a Treas
 ury Looter.
SHORTAGE IS ABOUT s2,OOO
Imaginary Feed Bills Galore, and Charges Made for Alleged Prisoners Who
 We're Never in Jall.


 almost S2O00.
 "As required by law, I submit report of my examination of the sheriff's office of Lee county during the official term of ". B. Gibson, beginning August, 1892, and end- ing August. 3l, 1896. l find that he owes the state the following amounts:
 Fees for removing prisoners, collected from defendants on conviction sS5.99
 For solicitors fees unaccounted for, s53.
 For feeding prisoners in jail, and to which he was not legally entitled, s1 ,642
 Total, $1, ,7so.99.
 The sum due on solicitors fees are in cases where executions and alis executions have been issued and were never returned by the sheriff, and where a party was sentenced for hard labor for the county in lieu of the fine and costs and the costs were collected by the sheriff and the de- fendant discharged his order.
 The first show the names of prisoners and fees collected in each ease in excess of what was legally due. The second shows the names and fees collected for each, where the sheriff's paid feed accounts that such prisoners had been let out on appear ance bond, but whose names do not appear in any of the criminal proceedings of the circuit and county courts of Lee county, or of the justices of the peace courts in beat three (Opelika), of Lee county
 Group three shows names of prisoners and fees collected in each case, where the sheriff's feed accounts show that such cases were disposed of in courts of justices of the peace, but whose names do not ap- pear in the criminal proceedings of such il-ol nf county.
 Group four shows the names of prisoners and fees collected in each case, where the sheriff's feed accounts show the prisoners were put under bond to appear before the county or circuit court or their eases are reported to have been disposed of in one of said courts but where the names of such prisoners do not appear in the criminal records of either of these courts
 The excesses noted in group one en1- brace days collected for, which are shown in the sheriff's paid feed accounts. to have been prior to commitment or after ais- charge from jail. I note specially two who had been convicted and sentenced to hard labor for the county, where the sher- if continued to collect fees from the state treasury for feeding them for over month each after they left the jail, and two other cases in which forfeltures against defendants and bail were taken, when the sheriffs feed accounts, paid by the state show that he has collected fees for feeding such defendants for continuous periods before and after the dates of such forfeitures.
 It was pretty common thing for the far after they had been let out on bond or their eases had been disposed of in court and the prisoners discharged. Of this class of prisoners I am impressed that did not find all of such collections, because many of the appearance bonds inspected by me showed no dates of execution or ap- proval and it cannot be determined from them whether they were executed In the present century or the past one. and great many of the bonds for appearance I did not inspect as well as capiases of ar rest.
 To my demand of the present incumbent for books and papers, covering MT. Gib- son's term, he informed me that MT. Gib- son left nothing in the office of this kind except a jail register. made demand on Mr.. Gibson for all commitments in his possession and the book required by sec tion 392s of the code to be kept by the sher- if, and all other information in his pos session that would throw light on the work of Investigating his accounts with the state. To my surprise he informed me that he had never kept the book with copy of feed accounts, as required, and that he had no other evidence except the jail regis ter.
 My attempt to check the feed accounts paid by the state with this register showed that it was totally unreliable, as the names of many prisoners on the sheriff's feed accounts were not on the register. Frequently dates in the accounts and reg ister were at variance and often no dates prisoner was discharged.
 In the register there was a space of more than two months when not single prisoners name was entered, yet his paid feed accounts show that he committed several during the time It is difficult to realize that so important an office as that of sheriff of Lee county, one of the most populous and wealthy counties in the state, should have been conducted in such a manner. These records cannot be pictured by words-they must be seen to be appre- ciated.
 Such reliable data as obtained was from the records and papers on file in the off, fees of the several courts.
 To my repeated demands upond and ap- peals to MT. Gibson for reliable evidence in the investigation of his accounts he ut- terly failed to respond. I received no aid or encouragement from him. When his at- tention was called to the large number of names of prisoners on his feed accounts whose names do not appear on the crimi@ nal records of either the county or circuit court he simply replied that they were cases before justices of the peace.
 To my demand for the names of the jus- tices referred to he gave me the name of one acting justice and another who died about two years ago. then requested that he ask such acting justice and the successor to the dead justice to come and bring the several dockets and any other papers that might throw light upon his accounts. He failed or refused to conn klxt nod