The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-05-14
STEALS STOPPED BY
WITNESS FEE CLERK
INSoLVENTS CAN'T GET A
PENNY FROM THE COUNTY.
If They Serve as Witnesses or in
Any Other Like Way Make the
County Their Debtor They Cannot
Get Pay While Their insolvency
Account Remains Unsettled.
Criminal Court Excursions Not
Likely to Be as Popular Now as
They Used to Be.

Just how much the new Office of
witness fee clerk saves the county can
not be told till comparisons are made
at the end of the year, but some idea
of the saving accomplished can be had
from the statement that nearly 5000
was saved alone last week by with
holding witness fees from insolvents.
IT is very questionable nowadays
in criminal courts to pay costs. Liti.
gants have learned that there is al
ways a danger of being defeated and
having the costs saddled upon them,
so. before going into court, the willy
litigant has his property transferred
to his wife or some other near rela-
tive. If he loses and is sentenced to
pay the costs he simply declares HIM
self an lnsolvent and escapes.
About the same crowd of litigants
came into the quarter sessions term
and very few if any of them have not
at one time or another lost a case and
had recourse to the insolvency laws
to escape payment of the costs.
Prior to this year, no account was
I kept of this other than the memor-
an1a, noting the insolvency proceed
ings, and as consequence man
declared an insolvent at this term of
court could be in at the next term
on several cases probably, and after
the county had been duly saddled with
the costs would be promptly at the
county commissioners Office to col
lect his fees.
A GREAT CHANGE.
This is all changed now, thanks to
the establishment of the new Office
of witness fee clerk and the fact that
the county commissioners in choosing
John F. Mahon selected a man to fill
it who knows and does what he is
there for.
Mr.. Mahon went through the rec
| ords for several years back and tab
| ulated in alphabetical order list OF
| insolvents with the amount of costs
! each had thrown over on to the shoul-
ders of the county. When one Of
these insolventS comes in now to coll
| lect fees he hears something like this.
"Yes, your bill is correct, sir. Two
| days before the Srand jury and three
| in court, and mileage to and from
| your home each day. Eight dollars
| and twenty cents. Wen credit that
TO your account. Yes. Don't you re-
member that in t9S December term,
| 1898, you were prosecutor and had the
| costs put on you. You escaped pay
ment by having yourself decreed an
insolvent and put Si2 costs OH the
county. You still owe the county
$S3.75.
| The $S.25 directly saved by this oper-
| alton is not the only saving This
| man, you can safely wager, will not
come to court again unless he is forced
to ard about the only force that ca n
be successfully used to bring him in
| is to give him assurance that his fees
will be paid direct by the party who
| subpOenas him. He is not coming to
| Scranton, leaving his work and pay
| ing railroad fare and hotel bills when
ne knows that he won't get anything
for it except another credit on his
account in the insolvency docket.
WAS A GREAT GRAFT.
This thing of collecting witness fees
used to be a great graft. In some
| communities IL got to be considered
among the chief industries of the
place. The constable was the chief
CRATER and his accomplices were the
| hangers on around the squires office.
A term of criminal court was to them
what the county fair Is to the farmer.
1t meant a week in Scranton at the
expense of the county and all that
goes with it.
The trick was very simple. The
constable would put their names on
the subpoena. That was all. Some
times one or two of them would know
/ something about the case, and they
would be put on the stand, but as q
Iule the prosecutor, who would OF
course. be in on the game, would moi
have the district attorney call them
The district attorney in his desire tc
expedite the courts business would bt
very glad to refrain from calling q
whole raft of witnesses. and there you
are. The constable would he along a
the next county pay day with assign
ments OF the different claims and tn,
next evening he would be distributing
great big cart wheels among thc
loungers at the 'squres office.
The recent order OF court limitinl
the number OF witnesses in an assault
and battery case has done away to /
great extent with this abuse as tn,
majority OF cases in which this sor
, Of thing was practlced had assault
: and battery as the charge.
A bolder scheme which was not quit