The age-herald., 1898-02-12

 REEVES AND COX WE'RE IN COLLISION Filled Pike COunty'S Jail With Prisoners
 and Deiraud0d the State. SHERIFF GOT BOARD FEES Cox Was a Justice Of the Peace and Mas
 Located in Sherili'S Office. ARRESTS MADE ON LITTLE CHARGES While Deputy Reeves Was Deputy Constable of Troy Beat-Sheriff of Madison County
 Found That He Had One Thou
 sands Dollars Too Much.
ARRESTS MADE ON LITTLE CHARGES
Especial to The Age-Herald.

s5peclai 10 The Age-deralu.
 Montgomery, Feb n,-Examiner Cowan has filed a supplementary report on his in- vestigation of the office of Sheriff s. M. Reeves of Pike county. This report is an expose of a collusion which Is alleged to have existed between the sheriff and jus tice of the peace to fill the jail with pris- oners, the fees going into the coffers of the sheriff. Extracts from the report are as follows::
 ''Since mailing my report upon the books and accounts of s. M. Reeves, sheriff of Pike county, I have learned some addi- tional facts, bearing upon the alleged col fusion between himself and Charles Cox, Esq., a justice of the peace, in filling up the jail with prisoners, thereby enabling the sheriff to increase his board bills against the state, which I desire to sub nit issued a subpoena duces tecum to MT. Cox, commanding him to produce all affidavits made before him upon which warrants were issued. In obedience to this summons, MT. Cox produced 165 affi- davits.
 An examination of many of these affi- davits reveals remarkable state of af- fairs. Affidavits are made and warrants s- SueQ upon the most FRIVOLOUS C0dTBeS. l will set forth few illustrations which will throw some light upon the subject.
 About Sept. 26 a colored individual bear ing the euphonous name of Bill Smith, was committed to jail for using obscene lan- guage. From wisat motive I know not unless it was to further the interest of the sheriff. Bill makes affidavit against six of his coiored fellow citizens for card play ing or violation of the Sabbath, among which was one for Pomp Bradberry. Pomp, after being committed to jail, makes an affidavit that somebody had been guilty of Sabbath breaking, the name of the offender or offenders being left blank. suppose this might be properly termed an omnium gatherum warrant. In another in- stance one Mary Reeves, colored, and two other women were arrested on affidavits and warrants prepared by one Addie Adair on the charge of vagrancy. Mary Reeves in turn swears out warrants against three others of her sisters on the same charge. All these warrants show the return ex- ecuted by arresting defendant and com hitting her to jail," signed by the sheriff or some one of his deputies.
 Without Authority
 "I find among these affidavits a number made by either the sheriff himself or one of his deputies. The mandate in a warrant issued by a justice of the peace, command the officer executing the same to arrest the defendant and bring him or her before the justice. In seventy of the warrants examined the return shows executed by arresting defendant and committing him or her to jail I hold that the sheriff has no right to commit prisoner to jail under warrant issued from justices court. It must be done on mittimus issued by the justice. The result has been that the state has been made to pay a large amount of board bills for prisoners who have been illegally put to jail.
 sThe maximum fine in nearly all these cases where the justice had final Jurisdic- tion is one cent, evidently showing that the office was run for revenue alone.
 Sheriff and Deputy Constable
 "Mr. w. T. Adams was regularly elected constable of this beat, giving bond and qualified as such. l summoned him pc fore me and examined him under oath. He affirms that he discharged the duties Of the office about two months, when MT Cox moved into the Sherir'S oflce, ana all the work from his court was given the sheriff, that there was nothing TOT nm 10 do and he hired MT. Reeves, the sheriff, as his deputy, to dof the work, the latter paving him about seven or eight dollars per month. So it seems that while sheriff of Pike county he is also deputy constable for Troy beat. ME. Adams states that while he still considers himself as con- stable holding himself responsible as such, he has turned over all the work to MT. Reeves. I have given these facts, in or der that some steps may be taken to break up this unlawful business,
 Paid the Thousand Dollars
 The following is Examiner EpSters re- port on the books and acco,bfs of Tax Collector D. c. Gardiner, Of Madison county: 4se .f
 "I find that all moneys coming Into his hands for the use of the state have been promptly paid into the treasury.
 sT note that MT. Gardiner, at the end of the tax year of 1896, when he was having final settlement with the state, found that he had more money on hand than was charged to him, and he immediately caused an examination of the assessment books to be had. The raises made by the board of equalization for that year had not been charged up to him. This error proved to be something over a thousand dollars against the state, which Mir Gardi- ner promptly paid.