The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1902-10-03
A MATTER OF RECORD
The Administration Of Canutt
and Mackay Compared.
The Present Sheriff Will Hsvatoco.
I'm and Hustle If he Breaks
Canutt's Record.

In the last issue OF the Commoner there
appeared a misleading editorial under
1ne neadlng, "A Matter of Record " in
"nIch that paper attempted to make IL
appear that the Gazette had made state.
mehts regarding the sheriff's office which
IL could not prove. The statements this
paper made were the truth and il il Dre-
pared TO prove them. lt il not npces-
sary mere to go into detail and give a
| transcript oil the criminal docket in the
clerks Office, but for the information of
those who might have been foolish
enough to have been msed by the state
| ments OF the COmmoner, The Gazette
mas gone over the docket from the he
ginning OF Joseph f. Canutt's admins.
tratlon down through Brooks Markav's
lncumbency OF the sheriff's office, and
the iacts and figures presented in this
article are not meant as a reiteration of
Inc GAzette's statement, but as a refu
tation OF the article published by the
| Commoner.
lt is a noted fact that Whitman conn.
ty has never had as incompetent and
unreliable sheriff as Brooks Mackay.
VINO ls now seeking reelection at the
nands OF the voters. He has never re
deemed single pledge to the people land
crime and lawlessness runs RAMPANT
without so much as a warning hand be
ing raised in restraint.
In the first place, it would seem to an
ordinary mortal that Brooks Mackav
would use little judgment and call his
man Goodyear OFF before he spoils what
chances that gentleman may have for
reelection. 1t would alao seem that che
present incumbent of the sheriff's office
should be the last man in the world to
say anything about jail breaks. in view
OF the fact that he was at one time citv
marshal of COlfax; and, also remember
ing, as he must,a certain instance where
IN be arrested a tin horn gambler and
convicted him of vagrancy in the Justice
court, the same elimination O criminal
ne was, and OF the worst kind-receiving
sentence OF 80 days in the county iail.
that, alter this criminal had accomp-
lished the end for which be was placed
behind the bars, was bailed out bv his
pals and cOnfederates. Quien sabe?
During Joseph + Canutt's administro.
ton OF the sheriff's office ut least % per-
sons were arrested charged with different
| ohenses. During Mackay's term there
have been so far 40 arrested charged
with breaking the law. OF the % ar
| rested under CanutU, AZ plead guilty and
i've were convicted in open trial, making
AZ persons whom Canutt either mad evi-
| dence enough to convict, and they had
| to admit their guilt, or presented suf-
/ iclent proof to.secure their conviction.
twenty-five were dismissed, eight ac-
qnitted and one jumped his bond aud is
SUI" ae large Three took n cyapoe of
venue TO other counties and two of these
were convicted by evidence furnished by
Sheriff Canutt, in the courts to which
they were transferred. Two persOns
were convicted of crimes, but found to
be insane and sent to the ASYLUM Fiji
teen OF the 80 were Vagrants and incor-
rigibles from the justice court. During
Mackay's administration there have
been IL persons who plead guilty and
seven convicted. making Is persons who
received sentence. Eighteen cases have
been dismissed. five acquitted and one to
take change of venue. Seven cases of
vagrancy and incorrigibiIity have gone
up from the justice court In Justice TO
Mr.. Mackay The Gazette will saw that
several cases-an even half dozen-are
pending trial, which have not been emu
merated IN the above, as it is impossible
TO tell whether they will be convicted.
dismissed or acquitted. There you have
it in q nutshell
Mr.. Canutt had q rotten court to deal
with during his administration and Mr..
Mackay has the advantage Of an honest,
upright Judge upon the bench during
bis term OF Office. 1t is an open secret
that Judge Mcdonald. who occupied the
bench during Canutt's term, was in
league with criminals of all classes and
conditions and would stoop to ANYTHING
to defeat a proposition il it did not snit
his idea OF thinking. One instance will
be sufticient-but the criminal docket
contains many others. Judge Melon
aid ordered Hugh Boyle, most nOtori-
GUS character, out OF the county inil up-
on wriC OF habeas corpus before the
justice court transcript had been filed in
the clerks Office, declaring that he
would not see an innocent man in Jail.
There was no semblance OF trial and be-
cause Canutt objected to such an
unheard of and unprecedented proceed
ing, Mcdonald fined him $5U for con-
tempt OF court, the supreme court later
holding that there was no contempt on
the part of Canutt. That is the kind Of
a man whom Mr.. Canutt had to deal
with while be was in office. Mackay has
had things different, Judge Chadwick be
ing fairminded, honest man.
Colfax people can count dozen cases
OF hOld-ups, burglaries, safe-crackings
cattle and horse stealing, where it was
possible for Sheriff Mackay to have cap
tured and convicted the criminals, and
they have happened this summer too.
The worthy sheriff, however, would take
a drive to Viola and come back only to
report that it was all blank, that there
was noehiug in it. In one or two cases
| it has developed only recently that those
BLANKS" of Sheriff Mackay's were not
| blanks, but that a crime was committed.
| In the case of the Palouse postOffice
| robbery, Sheriff Mackay said there was
nothing in it, but it has since transpired
that the mau he committed the crime
has been captured in Montana and is
serving FIVE year sentence in the Deer
Lodge penitentiary and that be has con-
fessed the Palouse robbery.
AS to the CommOner's challenge that
County Clerk Renfrew make compare
tive statement of the criminal docket
during Canutt's and Mackay's terms,
and that the same be published in both
papers, the Gazette will say that it
stands ready to pay it's portion for
sworn statement from Mr.. Renfrew, and
here demands that the COmmoner put
up or shut up.