The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-21
CROWD RUSHED
To PAY TAXES
UNTIL LATE LAST NIGHT
CLERKS IN COLLECTORS OFFICE
BUSY WITH FIGURES.

Long Line of Tax Payers Formed in
fce-Money Received Will PrOba-
bly, Aggregate 100000, or May
Exceed That Sum--WilI BE Fewer
Executions This Year Than Ever
Before, Says Collector Thomson.
Yesterday was the last day on which
state and county taxes could be paid,
and there was a scramble among the
delinquents to get their money down
before the books closed.
When Tax Collector Thomas F.
Thomson appeared at his Office in the
morning he found gathered there to
meet him all sorts and conditions of
men and women, with all sorts and
conditions of money in their pockets.
There were at least a half hundred
waiting, and when the collector opened
the door to the Office there immedi-
ately ensued pushing and rushing for
position in line. Nature was reversed,
and instead of the time-honored ten
dency for every man to keep his
money in his pocket, there was wild
desire to plank money down on the
table.
The clerks in the collectors office
opened the little wicker windows and
began reaching out for money, and it
came rapidly. There were silver dol
lars and paper money for the small
amounts and handsome checks for the
large amounts. Men paid anything
,,o+boT fhaO f11rO from the Windows
without the little paper across the face
of which had been stamped the magic
word Paid"
Jealous of Positions.
Each minute brought more and
more people to the office and the line
stretched entirely across the hall,
and then doubled and stretched down
the side of the main corridor of the
Court House. The people stood close
together, so close that the convict
system of locked-steps was necessa-
rily used whenever the long line NOV
ed forward.
Men struggled to maintain their po-
sitions in the line. The chance visitors
to the Court House and those whose
business carried them before any of
the courts found efforts to pierce the
line unavailing, until they had eX
planned they were not attempting to
obtain a more advanced position, but
simply wished to pass down the cor
ridor.
Later in the morning announcement
was made that the office would close
at o'clock in the afternoon and this
rule was adhered to strictly. The
door to the office was locked and the
force of clerks went quickly to work
footing up accounts.
At o'clock their work was not
nearly completed, and after a short
adjournment for supper, they return
ed and resumed their duties At IL
o'clock they were still puzzling over
the figures and finally the office
closed with the great volume of bus
mess not yet entirely footed up.
VIII BE Few Executions. se@'f~
When Tax Collector Thomson left
the office last night he was unable to
state just how much money had been
taken in, but it is probable it will run
pretty close to 100000, or may even
exceed that sum. The varying sizes
of the amounts taken in made it i'm
possible to make an estimate that
would be reasonably accurate, and
only guess work placed the figures at
the sum given above.
Tax Collector Thomson said, when
asked about the taxes late last night:
1T is impossible to make anything
like an accurate estimate, but it seems
certain that we will exceed other years
in the percentage of taxes collected.
! am certain there will be fewer execu-
tions necessary this year than ever
before, and 1 am well satisfied with the
showing made. The last two days
have been heavy ones and have brought
the total up wonderfully. 1t will prob
ably be a week or more before accu-
rate figures can be obtained and the
exact amount collected announced"
Under the laws of the state'the books
had to be closed yesterday, and as
result no extension of time could be
allowed.