Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1902-02-07
THE JUDGES IN JAIL.
DRASTIC RELIEF OF A BOND
RIDDEN COMMUNITY.

pers From the Federal Court Directing Them
ty Order a Tax Levy That Would Bank
rupt the Commonwealth to Pay Bonds They
Regard as Fraudulent.
ST. Louis Cor. Chicago InterOcean.
To be county judge in st. Clair
county, Missouri, calls for peculiar
qualification. There are three judges
ships, and legal ability is not requi-
site for the filling OF any of them. In
fact, the st. Clair county judges are
no longer elected to serve on the
bench. There is little pretense of
holding court except on the quiet, and
when it is convened it is only for the
settlement Of urgent local cases, and
the only people in attendance are loyal
residents OF st. Clair county.
The real duty of St. Clair county
judge consists in staying in Jail for his
two-year term of Office, and two of the
three judges are usually thus confined.
All three OF them would undoubtedly
be locked up were it not that it would
put complete embargo ON the official
and legal business of the county, and
against this there would be strong
public sentiment in other parts of the
State. Still another reason why all
three OF the judges are not in Jail at
the same time is that one of them, by
not heralding his movements with
brass bands and placards, manages to
elude the United States marshals who
have papers to serve.
This condition OF affairs had its ORR
gin in 1871 when the people of St.
Clair county voted $25O,OOO in bonds
to aid in the building of what was
called the Tebo & Neosho railway.
These bonds were sold and the pro-
moters pocketed the money, as they
did funds raised in similar manner in
other counties. The railway existed
on paper only, but the simple Mis-.
sourians we're confident it would be
constructed according to promise and
paid off nineteen 81 900 bonds with 10
per cent. annual interest. Then it
dawned upon them that they had been
bunkoed, and they refused to redeem
any more of the bonds. The road was
never built, but the purchasers of the
bonds brought suit in the federal courts
and secured judgment for the face
value of the issue with interest. The
debt now amounts to about $780,.
600, and to pay it would bankrupt st.
Clair county. It means an individual
Indebtedness of 500 on every man,
woman and child in the county. Hav-
ing secured judgment, the next move
Of the creditors was to get an order
from the federal court directing the
judges of st. Clair county to order a
tax levy by which money for the re-
demption of the bonds could be raised.
At first there was some little senti.
ment in favor Of making q compro-
mise, but news came in from Cass
county. where they had similar
fight that the people had lynched two
Of their judges who suggested it, aud
after that there Was only one opinion
in st. Clair, and that was that the
bonds should not be paid. Then the
federal court tried to enforce its order
BY citing the county judges before it
for contempt. These latter we're told
of the consequences OF ignoring An or
der from q United States court, but
they were obdurate and still refused
to make the levy. As an example one
Of them was sent to Jail for contempt.
While he was in Jail his term Of Office
expired and he had to be released, as
he was no longer judge, and there
fore was unable to carry out the order
of the federal court, even il ho had
wanted to do 20, which he did not.
When this judge returned to his home
he found himself hero, and began to
think he might be reelected, but after
the plans of his constituents had been
explained TO him he dropped all desire
for further judicial honors.
In the meantime all three of the
judges then on the bench were sent to
Ksnsas City and locked up on a COM
mitment ordering their confinement
until they purged themselves of con-
tempt by carrying out the mandate OF
the federal bench with regard to the
tax levy. At Kansas City they were
treated as guests, their confinement
being nominal. This did not satisfy
the dignity of the federal court, and
Judge Phillips ordered their release,
with the hope that they would be 80
glad to get back to their families that
they would ct once have the levy
spread.
This, however, they didn't do. and
deputy msrshals were sent out to
round them up. For seven days the
marshals watched the county court.
house, but didn't catch sight OF the
judges. Then, after the court had
been adjourned for the term, they
found that the three judges had been
in session in an Office less than fifty
yards from the courthouse. For sew.
eral months the judges escaped cap
ture, but were finally trapped and two
of them sent back to Jail.