The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-10-16
He CAUSED A STIR
Commissioner RedfeId Files
Two Resolutions
AGAINST PAYING FEES
To Witnesses in Famous In
dex Book Case.

| The boar dof county commissioners had
a rather sensational meeting yesterday.
Deacon Wilson and Mr.. BaIentine seemed
to be on one side Of the table and Mr..
Redfeld on the other side. Mr. RedfeId
very plainly intimated TO the two men,
bers representing the other sections Of the
county that the business was not being
done according to Gunter and that many
things had already been done that would
not conform to the rules laid down by
Hoyle.
The first thing that Mr.. Redfeld did
was to disturb the peace Of the board by
hurting a brickbat in the shape of a reso-
/ luton instructing the county treasurer
TO withhold payment of the warrants
drawn to pay The witnesses in the now
famous index book case before Judge
Dale. His poirt wa sthat the commits
sioners had no legal right to pay the costs
in that case until the suit was ended and
the court assessed the costs. The whole
amount of the witness fees allowed were
$3.50 ard Mr.. Redheld claimed that Dea-
con Wilson's relative, c. NJ Fifer Of
Cheney, had drawn $3.50 Of this amount
and he was not entitled to any such
amount. Deacon Wilson said he did not
have the honor of claiming relationship
with Mr.. Fifer and besides if he had the
county attorney had 0. KID the bills and
he supposed that they had a right to pay
them. To this Mr.. Redfeld replied that
ne thought the county attorney was pref
" liberal with his Q. K. anyhow.
After the matter Of the witness fees
had been postponed by Chairman Wilson,
Mr.. Redfeld hurled another brick into
the meteing that caused the court house
to tremble. He offered a resolution, and
John Chain wrote it down. 1t was an in
struction to County Treasurer Dan Boone
to demand of Sheriff Charles Simmons
that he pay back into the county treasury
the sum of s2,949.99 which he had drawn
from the county to pay his deputy sheriff.
Mr. Redfeld said this money had been
paid to the sheriff without any shadow of
law. when the records of his Office showed
that the fees amounted to more than $1,000
q year, which the law provided was all
that he should ever receive in the way of
salary This 50 1889 is the salary for &
deputy sheriff allowed by the county COM
nissioners to the sheriff Then Mr. Red
field offered another resolution instructing
the county treasurer TO demand OF ex-
District Court Clerk p. L. Arnett, the
sum Of 200 which he had drawn from
the county treasury in fees to pay his
deputy. Messrs Wilson and Balentine sat
motionless during the time these two last
resolutions were being read and they
were passed fer further consideration.
Mr.. Wilson claiming that there were legal
points which the county attorney must
pass on.
BY listening to the talk about the court
house a reporter for the Eagle learned
that when the new salary law was passed
some of the county officials claimed that
in this large county they could not run
the Offices on what this new law allowed
them and the county commissioners had
undertaken TO help them out by paying
the salaries of the deputies. 1t was never
claimed that there was a law providing
for this, but the county commissioners
thought the necessity of the case would
justify their action and that is just what
Mr. Redfeld denies.
1t was also whispered about the county
court house that the county commission
ers have allowed the general fund of the
county to be largely oyerdrawn and that
there is 70 wa shortage in that particular
fund and the money has been taken from
other funds to prevent county orders from
going at a discount It is not claimed that
there was anything criminal in all this
or that the county is short any money in
the whole fund It IS simply a lack OF
bushes smethods.