Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1901-07-10
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.

Inc County Commissioners remained
In session until Monday evening of this
week. They had to hold over on Mon.
day on account of missing the Fourth,
A great deal of time was taken up in
discussing road and bridge matters
There was remonstrance against the
Wlsner road in Sharon township. Rev.
ShirK seemed to be the principal one to
object to it and County Attorney Grit.
fin Joined him in the protest. The
viewers had reported favorably. but
Mr.. Shirk claimed that the road was
an injury to him. Mr.. Wisner employ.
ed j. n. Tincher to present his side of
the matter to the Board and he did a
good job of ir. 1t required more than
a half day for the attorneys to argue
the case. Commissioners Walker and
Grouse decided to permit the establish
ment of the road and Commissioner
Rankin dissented. The county attor-
ney was very much displeased at the
action of the Commissioners. He
thought the Commissioners should be
governed by his advice in the matter
and he took their refusal to do so as a
personal insult. But. Messrs. Grouse
and Walker, who have some good bust
ness judgment, looked at 1t differently
and concluded to be governed by the
law and the evidence and thus give all
parties justice. Mr.. Shirk was allowed
sufficient damage to handsomely REIN
burse him.
In the matter of the road petitioned
for by S. G. McClain and others north of
town, the case was reopened and new
viewers were appointed consisting of
VIM Parsons, w. Fl. Haun aud S T. Gar
rlSon. Chairman Walker opposed re.
opening IT. on the ground that it created
an additional ard needless expense but
Commissioners Grouse and Rankin
voted to begin new again. 1t was
claimed that the old petition was
worthless.
Aroad petitioned for by P b. Cole and
others was acted upon favorably and
viewers consisting of Frank M. Shell.
RI. Taliaferro and Frank Fisher, were
appointed.
L. B. Cole. OF this township, and
George Hendrickson, of Lake City, were
permitted to erect swinging gates on
roads passing through their pastures.
S. II. Buck was appointed to superin-
tend the building of the Lake City
bridge.
E. III. Nixon and j. L. Brady were
appointed 20 assist the probate Judge
in examining the treasurer's books
next quarter.
Under new law. the county has
power to forecIose on all lands and lots
held for taxes for period of years
and four months and the commission
ers instructed the county attorney to
begin proceedings at once on all un-
redeemed tracts covering that period of
time. No action against town lots has
been ordered. The idea is to either
sell the land and get it back on the tax
rolls or else get it in such shape that the
county can use 1T. There is no doubt
that the proceedings will be of great
benefit to the county. The land to be
foreclosed is held principally by non.
residents.
The Commissioners awarded the con.
tract for building six new bridges to
A. M. Blodgett, of Kansas City. His
representative, Chas. Moffett, met with
the Board. Other bids were submitted
but Moffett's was the lowest. Two OF
these bridges are to be built in Cedar
township, one on Mule creek west OF
Kiowa, one in Moore township on Mule
creek near Smiths and Stranathan's
one on Cedar creek one-half mile south
of the Doles school house and one neal
the gyp mill west of this city. The
Cedar township and Cedar creek bridges
are to be pile bridges and the others
are to be steel bridges, excepting tina,
40 feet of the Medicine Lodge bridge
will be timber. The Cedar TOWNSHIP
bridges are to be go and 70 feet long
the Kiowa bridge 100 feet; the Moore
township bridge 81 feet; the Medicine
Lodge bridge 140 feet. the Cedar creek
bridge AZ feet. The total cost of The
six bridges will be $500. This, with
the Lake City bridge now under con
struction, makes seven new bridges fol
one year. The mistake was made
when the old bridges were built. Near
ly all of them were shabby concerns
| from the start.