Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-02-01
CROKER|SM N IOWA
Corruption Almost Past Belief
Unearthed in the County
Of Appanoose.
The Grand Jury Now Engaged in
Investigation of Sweeping
Accusations.
Business Men Put Detective at
Work..Sensational Dis.
closures.
,ecIal to Times-Republican.

Special to Times-Repubican.
Centerville, Feb. 1.-The grand jur,
of Appanoose county, under instruc'
lions from Judge Sloan, is engaged II
making a general investigation of tn,
most sweeping accusations of corrup
ton in this county which have beer
turned up in any county of Iowa fol
many years. The investigation is the
elimination of series of sensational
indictments, arrests and farcial trials
all of which have served only to con-
vince the public that the county has
been in the hands of persons with
power sufficient to thwart Justice.
The first disclosure of the wrong do
ing came last year when the expenses
of the county were out of all proportion
to the population. The county has an
old ramshackle court house, bur has
spent enough money one way or an
other in the past dozen years to build
the best court house in Iowa. Inquiry
was made and it was seen that the fee
bills were enormously large. An or
ganization of the business men of Cen
terville took up the case. For instance
1t was shown that whereas the county
Jail has capacity for about twenty in
mates when crowded, the reports from
the jaiKshowed during the quarter end
ing April of last year an average OF
nearly double that number kept in the
Jail. This looked suspicious to say the
least. The business men sent for n
detective to work on the case. He
came to town in the guise of tramp
and got himself arrested. He was COM
mitted for one offense, released imme-
diateIy, then re-arrested and commit
ted for another and SO on; and after
this process had been repeated few
times he made himself known TO the
and went before the grand
jury with his evidence. 1t was brought
out in evidence that certain of the
officials had made 1t a business to pad
their fee bills by various questionable
ways, end that not only county officers
but township officers and others were
in the deal or cognizant Of what was
going on,
At the September term Of the dis
trict court the grand Jury indicted
Sheriff G.. E. Clinic, Justice of the
Peace r. Henderson, and Constable A.
r. Smith, on charge of conspiracy to
defraud the county in its public reven-
ues. The Indictment set up that they
together to pad the fee bills
by erroneous entries. etc. When the
case came on for trial Judge L. NJ. Fee
sustained demurrer to the Indictment
on the ground that the offenses charged
are not contrary to the Iowa statutes.
He did not refer it back to the grand
jury for correction of the Indictment
but dismissed the case.
The next move was to have Sheriff
Clinic indicted for perjury, the evil
dence being an affidavit made by him
as to the Jail accounty for boarding
prisoners. The grand jury reached
the conclusion that Clinic had sworn
falsely as to the number of prisoners
boarded at the Jail. The county audi
tor had made what he had said was a
copy of the Jail statement.
When the case came on for trial the
affidavit was nowhere to be found. An
was made to substitute the
copy but the auditor would not say it
was q copy and the sheriff was &C
quilted.
In the meantime the county attorney
had commenced proceedings to GUST the
sheriff from Office, and had succeeded
in having him suspended pending the
trial of the causes against him. w. B..
vermilla was appointed sheriff tenn
by the county board. AS soon as the
perjury case fell thru Judge Fee rein
stated Clinic as sheriff.
On the hearing to bring about the
of the sheriff, the two CHM
les, the sheriff and his brother, filed
af1idiyits in resistance. These were
made the basis of still other indict-
ments and the two Clinics We're the
subjects OF true bills found by the
grand jury at the November term, both
being accused of perjury. Four of the
witnesses in the case were grand jur-
0rs. Sheriff Clinic was also indicted
FOR obtaining money from the county
oy false pretenses. This was on ac-
cunt of his alleged false statements
or boarding convicts, and the indict-
nent was brought under the general
aw against fraud whereas the former
Indictment gaainst him was under the
common law theory of fraud. Sheriff
Slimie was also indicted in connection
With Justice thinner for conspir-
'acy to defraud the county. This was
| different case from that which caused
he indictment with Justice Hender-
ION.
These indictments We're brought into
curt the Monday before Christmas.
he November term Of court lasting un-
il that time. The term was adjourned
hat day Justice thinner came in and
waived arraignment before the court
adjourned. The Clinics did not appear
nd were not arrested. On Christmas
ay one of the Clinics and Clerk Low
her We're In the Office of the clerk and
ooked over the indictments which We're
ying in q desk drawer unlocked in the
Jerks private office. There We're six
in all, four against the Gil
MES and two others. all left in bunch.
IN Friday Judge Fee called for the in
ictments. The four were gone and
wo left in the drawer. Some one had
ntered the clerks Office and taken out
he indictments against the Clinics.
/, copy of one of them had been made,
nut not of the others.
The next move was not less sensa
ional 1t became rumored that the
ondsmen for Clerk Lowther were
bout to withdraw from his bond for
ear he would become involved in some
gay. The clerk had prepared new