The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-01-09

The county commissioners are TAX
ing a turn as crusaders against official
unrighteousness. The justices of the
peace, aldermen and constables are
the objects of their activities. They
propose to break up the practice OF
multiplying transcripts and manufac-
turing cases, and as u means to that
end they will present a number Of al
legged offenders to the grand jury.
One OF the biggest drains the county
treasury is subjected to is the fee bills
OF magistrates and constables. Thou
sands upon thousands of dollars are
each year paid out for the services. or
alleged services. Of these minions Of
the law.
If they would be content with what
they are Justly entitled to, no objec-
tion could be raised. even though their
bills would seem unwarranted, for II
is only natural to suppose that a
human being is going to take all that
is coming to him.
But these officials, or some of them
at least. so it is alleged, are not con-
tent with what they are legally en-
titled TO. Where they could include
several defendants in one case, as Is
right and proper under the law, they
make ont of the transaction as many
cases as there are defendants and
thereby multiply their fees by the
number of times they multiply the
cases.
WAY IT Is DONE.
Then again they take an ordinary
assault and battery case and with the
aid of little outside work by the con-
stable they succeed in inducing the de-
fendant to bring a counter charge
against the prosecutor. and also, all
parties to bring against all the other
parties all kinds of trivial charges,
such as false pretenses, making
threats, slander and so on, the limit
being marked only by the magistrate S
judgment of just how much the county
will stand. These cases go before the
grand jury, are ignored, as a rule, and
the magistrate collects his costs from,
the county.
Most reprehensible of all their prac-
tices, however, is that of sending In
fictitious cases to the grand jury OF
sending bills for discharged fictitious
cases to the county commissioners. In
the first instance the scheme is tC
have a confederate. generally know
ing sort of a foreigner. pose as a de.
fendant to any old kind of a charge
that the magistrate and his constable
wants fictitious Strngo Bologni tc
charge him with. The case goes be-
fore the grand jury, Stringo fails (
materialize and the case is ignored.
In the second instance, the Who'll,
thing is worked in the magistrate!
office. To encourage magistrates L
settle trivial cases, the law directs tha
they shall be allowed fees for ever.
discharged case, Just the same as i
the defendant was held to bail and hi!
case sent before the grand jury. Dur
ing dull times the magistrates, so /
is alleged, have been known to emplo,
themselves industriously in manufac
turing these discharged cases.
GOING on UNCHECKED.
For years this sort of thing has beef
permitted to go on without check. Tn,
present county commissioners, how
ever, made it one of their first dutie
10 remedy the evil and as a first ste)
in that direction refused to allow fee
in any case where the occupation AM
street and number address of the par
ties and witnesses was not set fort
in the return. This. it seems. did no
check the evil to any appreciable eX
tent. The only noticeable result wa
that the magistrates We're put to tn
extra task of writing down street an
number addresses which. by careful
investigation, they learned, did no
exist. Questioned about it, all the
would be called upon to say is tina
that's the address they gave me-"
All mild means falling, the commits
sioners resolved to put u detective a
work to gather information upo
which the lootng magistrates coul
be brought to justice. EX-County De
tcctive Il. Il. Reynolds was selected I
do the work and as a result of tw
months labor he has, so he claim.
sufficient evidence to secure the con
Viction of four aldermen and three Jus
tices of the peace.
Whether or not the information wi
he laid before the present grand jur
has not yet been definitely decided
one of the commissioners is dissatis
fed to the point of disgust at the re
suits of the detectives work and say
he will not only not favor, but vigoi
ously oppose proceeding against thes
offenders unless all or u goodly POI
tion of the known erring ones are In
Guided among the defendants.
In the Registers Office.
The will of John Koch, late ,