The free state., 1900-01-20
The Sheriff Who Shirked.
Went Down to Defeat at the Polls
Because He Didn't Do His
q Plain Duty.

~ isn't always all easy matter for
,bc official to perform his duty"
,bs man of experience. by
~ mean what is required of him
I.r tho law, which is sometime
lva variance with the prompt
:, oi heart and conscience. / have
lind now the difficult task i'm
ID upon Charley Tatman when he
herif Of Clermont county. Tat
had been a good friend of mine
rany years. When he was elected
As office of sheriff he asked me TO
IS deputy. During the first year
ntnan's term nothing of impor-
70 happened. But along in the
md year of our service, just at the
!, when Tatman began to lay his
in for reelection, we struck
g
The farmers in the southern part
te county gave the alarm. For
.. time, so they complained, they
been suffering from the depreda-
rs Of some petty robber or band of
ers Most of the thefts were
u,. but thoy were continuous and
r.matic. The luckless farmers had
.i.d themselves together for the
.nction of the culprit and the pro-
csOn OF their meat and potatoes, but
~ made no progress in running
,TI the thief. Once or twice, indeed,
Ml light fall of snow they had
.n.sdsd in tracing footsteps from
lee or four houses whose cellars
ii been looted to a place about a
|Mter Of a mile distant from the
me Of plumber, but at that distance
siootstepS suddenly disappeared.
The farmers suspicious were
rolgIy aroused against a family
aned Leach. The Leaches had al
FTs been considered the most worth
10 white trash in the neighborhood.
hay we're lazy, they were uncleanly,
ID they were ignorant. It was a we'll
HOWl fact that Hiram Leach had not
ae days work in two years. Yet
Ipite of this protracted leisure the
Aches continued to shift along in
ar usual haphazard manner instead
being packed off to the poorhouse,
hand baggage, as would have been
!, tato OF any other family in similar
iumstancss. Finally the farmers
gealed to Tatman to help fix the
] rlt aud in response to this entreaty
Gman sent me down into the south
70 townships to see if / could find
% thieving rascals. Already the
ceilings who stir up political gossip
I'd caused it to be bruited about over
HcOunty that Tatman was totally
competent and that he did not earn
10 salary Of a good dog catcher, much
no the fat sum paid the sheriff of
lamont county. Judging by these
. .'Ports it was quite plain that if Tat
-In did cot soon redeem himself in
AeysS Of the voters he might as
nl wrap up his political hopes for
be future and save the money he
''uld necessarily have to spend in
d. coming campaign.
i, too, was batf1ed when trying to
|t"over the purloiner of hams and
LnlM food. Three robberies were
anmitted in as many weeks after l
ook the case in hand. At last 1 de-
@nlned to get out warrant and
slrch Leach's house. Before taking
Elon | went up to Batavia and Con-
Ntsd Tatman.
suppose, he said, doubtfully,
mat It is the only thing we can do.
lNgot to do something to make a
sOFd Tor myself or I'll be as bad
W." Y, they say this Leach is. I guess
ID 90 with you. My presence will,
Hlaps, make the maneuver more eff
's'iVe and serve as political timber
IeIt fall
, 1t was cold, snowy day in March
'psa Iatman and 1 left Batavia to
e'Ae our raid on Leach's house 1t
:" ~ miles from our town to the
aver ave country. The roads were rough
~ IN some places well-nigh i'm
'saole, "a. and although We set out
~ w.! In the morning it was late in the
aN'noon when we turned into the
,NfCW lane that led from the high
=! oaek to Leach's. This lane was
.e and winding, and the intricacies
W.. "e Iafd to master, but after having
~, ,%s0a through barnyard, which was
-. ~.e'ed at no less than a dozen differ
Plsces by as many sets of bars. we
I'm Srua ourselves on the crest of a steep
a. a. The foot of which, according to
n, ."I'unony OF the boy who was feed
III ue shlyering animals in the sheep
~, Nv We should find Leach's house.
M a;ua1 and got out of the buggy
w.. saiKed down the hill. We kept
M lug R round US sharply as we went,
H.. uOt until we came almost to the
d - o. the hill did we see any signs
d. usCitatiou. Then suddenly lit
mix; Eun OF blue wood smoke was seen
b,n.{s bs up through the denuded
Seues OF the trees to our right.
S'INt SsSeNt on few steps farther, and
nc5 51opse = I:e,, itself was in sight. It was
M a; N'te house of frame and logs,
~n,.. s~ us color was so very drab and dis
ov,aSlng, that had we not had the
E:,' word for it that Leach lived
r. ~ we should have been in doubt
l,,II, whether Leach's house were
lsng, ya house or a stable, notwith-
nd %8 The evidence of the chimney
s,, We w Aitched our horse TO a cherry
"O went into the yard. The