The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-01
To Examine Records of J. C.
 McLendOn. Luverne Magistrate Charged by Crenshaw County Critic With Extorting Money from Ignorant Negroes-May
 Be Removed.

Governor Jelks yesterday declared that any notary public and ex-officio justice of the peace who prostituted his office, or usurped authority in disposing of igno- rant prisoners in his court, would be summarily removed.
 He declared that no notary public and ex-otficio justice of the peace who violat- ed the law ,or who eXtorted money in costs for contract violations, would be allowed to retain his commission. He said further, that charges of such prac- tice, apparently made in good faith would result in an official investigation of the affairs of every ex-off1cio justice of the peace so charged, to ascertain the truths of such charges.
 The statement was made by the Cover nor yesterday afternoon when his atten- tion was called to a leading editorial in the Crenshaw County Critic, published at Luverne, which boldly charges J. c. Mo Lendon. notary public and ex-officio jus tice of the peace of that place, with prac- tices similar to those of the Coosa and Tallapoosa justices. which have attracted such widespread attention.
 The Critic accuses Justice McLendon of assuming illegal authority in the disposal of negro prisoners, who were tried in his court for violation of contracts or for obtaining goods or money under false pretense. The Critic publishes what it says is a verbatim copy in abstract form of the contracts reported to the Probate Court by Justice McLendon in which the costs are out of proportion to the fines in the cases.
 The Critic calls attention to the fact that a notary public and ex-officio justice of the peace has no Jurisdiction in hard labor contracts. The editorial in the Critic declares that the negroes under the quest of law had been hired out to pay large costs.
 On reading the Critics article, Cover nor Jelks said:
 If those charges are sustained. I will remove that notary public and justice of the peace from office. No such practices will be tolerated. The charges will be in vestigated, and they will be investigated at once. An examiner will be sent to Crenshaw county to investigate the charges made in this manner by The Critic. If his report sustains the charges, the commission of the ex-officio justice of the peace will be revoked"
 "No extortion and no such illegal practices by ex-offcio justices of the peace will be tolerated, continued the Governor Any Alabama justice of the peace who is guilty of such practices as charged in The Critic will be promptly dismissed. You may give that statement the widest publicity"
 The nature of The Critics charges is shown by the following extract:
 Tn the office of the Probate Judge is kept a record of the criminal contracts that are filed for record, and from 1t The Critic gleans in an abstract form the following contracts from the court of John c. McLendon, Notary Public and ex-Oficio Justice of the Peace. The date in each case is the signing:
 October 2, 1S96-Anderson Jackson, fine and costs, $35 CVar Book. page 134)
 August 20. 19OO-Phil Mallory, violating contract; fine and costs. $2O. (Var. Book page 156)
 November 26. 19OO-Henry Taylor, petit larceny; fine and cots. $21.20. (Var Book, page 16O.)
 January 4. 1901-George Flowers. ob- tainlng board under false pretenses: fine and costs, $24.5 .56. (Var. Book, page 162.)
 April 4, 19Ol-Dock Foster, obtaining board and lodging by fraud; fine and costs S33 .15. (Var. Book, page 169)
 April 19 19O1-Rufus Burgis, obtaining goods under false pretense; fine and costs $21 46. (Var. Book, page 163)
 June 2 19Ol-Hub Burgis, violating a labor contract. fine and costs, $40. 80. (Var. Book, page 171.)
 June 27 190l-Mary Carpenter. assault and battery. fine and costs, $l2,S5. Var. Book, page 172,)
 october 9. 19O1-sam Hazard. false pretense; fine $1; costs, SAP. (Book A.
 October 25. 1sol-Ed Mitchell, false pre- tense, Ane SlO. costs $62.45. Book A, page 6.l