Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-08-15
COSTLY JAIL MIGRANTS
County Paid Oyer $4,000 for Them in
One Quarter.
AS EXPENSIVE AS THE PRISONERS
Interesting Details OF the Sher-
ifs Bill.
A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE LAW

on the Dreyfus trial. Gen. Meroier IS
made to eay II am an honest man |;
the son OF an honest man; / admit 1T. 7"
This seems to be In line with the
. method OF reasoning Of some persons,
especially those in official capacity,
when questioned concerning their acts.
Thus Sheriff Samuel A. Mcdaniel, in
a conversation Saturday concerning the
bill recently allowed HIM by the Levy
Court for the quarter ended March 31st,
Informed reporter that he paid his
bills, although the payment Of bills
owed by the sheriff was not the subject
pf discussion. When asked concerning
one or two details In the bill allowed
by the Levy Court, the sheriff spoke as
il unacquainted with the points in
volved, saying that the accounts were
kept at the Jail.
A somewhat detailed examination of
the bill discloses several points that
may he interesting to the taxpayers OF
New Castle county, who have fl rnished
the money from which the warrant of
81, 1T8 40 was paid the sheriff this week.
- The main items of the bill are:
Board of prisoners, "a, 5000
Officers Of the court. 81, 99i.39.
Court expenses, 1873. 81.
Ball tramp act, $50.
In passing. it may be remarked that
the original bill contained charge OF
80 for issuing proclamation for Oyer
and Terminer Court. but as. 50 it is
said, no such proclamation was issued,
the sheriff cut off the charge, which
was presumably made through an over
sight.
The items of board of prisoners and
officers Of the court, added, make
total Of 6,s04. 80. which represents 20
cents day board for all the prisoners
in the Jail in the three months of the
quarter, together with the commitment
fee OF 50 cents for each person COM
United there within that period.
a great deal of space Is given by the
bill to the entries under the heading of
Migrants This shows that the cost of
boarding "vagIants" was Sl,373, and
that the commitment fees for the same
persons aggregated 81, 800. $751; total cost
10 county for Migrants" Of SO, 202. Sc.
According to the detailed list, nine
such persons were boarded for one day,
December 31st, TO January LIST, at 20
cents each, and 4S were boarded for one
day, March 3lst to April LIST, at the
same figure. Substraoti1 g the cost of
, the 81 at 20 cents, Sll. 40, from the total
board bill for ''vaRrants,' leaves
81, 36l.6 60 as the total cost Of board OF
Migrants" for whom the county paid
40 cents each, meaning two days
board. Reduced to figures of iva
grants" 1t appears that the total NUM-
her OF persons lodged at the Jail long
enough to secure two, days board, il
tbe items he correct. was 8, d04, an aver
age per day of 3s and over.
On this matter Of calling it only one
Jay from December 3lst to January Ist,
md one day from March 3lst to Arril
st. and'two days for apparently similar
periods between those two dates,
sheriff Mcdaniel has asked for an ex-
pianation. The questioner suggested
frat it might be way of dividing the
time, SO that each bill at its beginning
and end took into consideration only
half the time indicated by the dates.
But the sheriff threw no light on it,
saying that the persons who kept the
books at the Jail understood the matter.
The sheriff was also asked as to the
method OF charging board, as to when
the man came into the Jail and when
he went out, there being reuort that
come persons have in times rast re-
viewed not n SINCE meal at the Jail and
been charged.for two days board. The
sheriff threw no light en- this subie
sither, but said that man could go
out whenever he pleased, and in case
OF bad weather could stay week il he
choose, to which it was suggested that
that was peculiar method OF handling
PERSONS committed TO the Jail, who
would be expected to do what the
officers required, and not what suited
them. The sheriff's emark appears TO
go to one of the points in the allega.
tions that involve the matter of board
m 'ney, namely that many persons have
no right to he there at all under COM
.mitment; for il they have committed a
violation of law and are committed to
jail they should serve their sentence:
and if they have not committed a
violation Of the law, how IS 1T that o
commitment exists, for each ono of
them? 1t was suggested to the sheriff
that 1t is peculiar arrangement which
charges man with being vagrant
and yet never aoquaints him with the
fact
Now as to the matter of the commit
ment fee: The total Of s1,829. Sc is
charged for the commitment of the
Migrants, which at SO cents each
makes total OF 3, 452. The sheriff's
bill does not tell where the prisoners
came from, but Comptroller Kelley has
isaid that the great majority came from
New CASTLE on Mayor Boyd's commit
ments.
The great majority of Migrants" on
the list cost the county, therefore, 90
cents each.
For 'costs and fine'' prisoners the
county paid 81, ISL. 20, and the fees for
the same were S133.56. Only five of
these commitments were from Mayor
Boyd.
For sentenced pris ners," the cost
of board was 5l,S26 40. 6
The prisoners held for the February
term OF court the boad was 1892 20,
and the fees, .s17.49, and for those held
for the May term, Board, sl37. 40; fees,
sl3,7s
So the Migrants" cost the county
nearly half as much as all the other
prisoners. N
In discussing the subject OF his bill,
Sheriff Mcdaniel expressed displeasure
Mt publications concerning it, claiming
that they displayed ignorance. He re-
marked also that he did not make the
law under which the allowances were
claimed.
Fintlnrn nEIIOr anInt TIIn