The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-22
VIM. M. BOHAN, PROPRIETOR.
DEFECTIVE STATUTES.
south CarOIint Has No Ohicials Who
Can Temporarily Dicharge Duties
of Coroner or Probate Judge.

south CarOlint Has No Oniciois VINO
Can Temporarily Dicharge Duties
of Coroner or Probate Judge.
Charleston, S. c., Aug. 21.-In spite
of the fact of the making of laws
there seems to be little less than
there is of the making of books, unex-
pected emergencies are always arising
to prove that legislators cannot be ex-
pected to forestall every possible emer-
gency. Within the last week or ten
days this fact has been twice brought
home very forcibly to the people of
Charleston. When it was announced
here Sunday morning that the late
Coroner It. P. Vaughan was dead, a
cursory investigation developed the
fact that there had been no provision
made in the statutes of South Caro-
lima for some other county official to
act in his stead, and that the county
must remain without coroner until
the Governor had time to appoint Mr..
Vaughan's successor. AS fortune
would have it just about the same time
that Coroner Vaughan died, there died
at the City Hospital in Charleston, Mr..
J. M. Ward, very prominent young
man who had been pointed out in the
laws of the state. OF course no one
is to blame: it would have been easy
enough for Gov. McSweeney to have
appointed by telegraph a successor to
Mr.. Vaughan, but the Governor being
a good Democrat, and always prefer
ring to have the people, or their repre-
sentatiVes, express their preferences in
such cases, postponed action until he
mandation from the best Charles
ton authorities. He telegraphed
the delegation of Charleston county
Immediately to select the proper man
to become coroner, adding that he
would confirm their wishes immediate
ly upon their being made known to him.
The delegation, on its part, had great
pressure brought to bear upon it by
the friends of the many candidates
who were in the field not to act pre-
cipitiously, but to give every man and
his friends chance to be heard. Con-
sequently it postponed the time of its
meeting until Thursday, and mean
while Charleston county has had ur-
gent need of the services of a coroner.
The other instance to which refer
ence is made of a lack in the lhws of
lne State ndQ Deen SInpndSlZ6u Dy IIle
illness of Probate Judge H. l.. p Boil
ger. Judge Bolger has been at st.
Francis Xavier Infirmary now for
many weeks in a critical condition. His
life has been well-nigh despaired of
by his physicians, and much of the
most important work of his Office has
been at a dead standstill, owing to the
fact that no one is qualified to dis
charge his duties for him. No wills can
be probated, no executors can be APP
pointed, and there are host Of other
important legal matters in which no
action, whatever, could be taken on
this account. 1t is understood, how
ever, that arrangements are to be
made by which the clerk of court,
who, in case of Judge Bolger's death,
temporarily assumes the duties of his
Office, may be qualified to act in his
stead, pending either his recovery of
a fatal termination of his illness. Just
how this is to be accomplished has
not yet been definitely made known by
the lawyers of the bar, but matters
have assumed such an urgent shape in
the office of the Judge of Probate that
it has become imperatively necessary
that some convention can be reached
by which business there can go for
ward without further interruption.