The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1904-04-27
WHOLE NO. 1643

s.-sE@A.-AanW
lars which it should never have paid and
which It would not have been called upon to
/ pay had the Freeholders paid more attention to
the countys interests and less attention to
seeking fer opportunities to make a charge
! against the county.
DGSORDERLY PERSONS
My attention was called to the taxed bills OF
costs on commitments of disorderly persons by
/ Justices OF the Peace of the County of Hun
tcrdon. The testimony shows that the COM
mtments produced before made by
Asa Jones' Esq, one of the Justices Of the
Peace OF the county. Mr.. Jones was called as
witness and produced his dockets which 1
have examined,
The disorderly act requires that when per.
son is committed upon conviction disor.
derby person, he shall be convicted upon the
oath or affirmation of one or more credible
witnesses other than the officer making the
rest. The commitments show that in every
case the person committed was a tramp. the
commitment OF these tramps increased to such
an extent that the Jail was filled every night
| during the winter season. Even while this IN.
| veStlgatien was going on in December, 1903,
| there were as many as seventeen tramps in tho
| ia night. The commitments were us.
ually made during the week for two days, and
! when made on saturday. they were made for
| three days. The testimony shows that the
| Sheriff would discharge the tramps the next
| morning after they were committed and that
! they would return to the Sheriff with another
commitment tho same day or the day after.
/ Section of the requires that a tramp
| shall be committed for not less than thirty
days. The law also says that no fees shall be
| paid under this act except twenty-five cents
to the Justice and fifty cents to the officer
making the arrest See Section a of the Act.
1t appears by the testimony and the vouch-
ers that were produced to me that the Justice
| of the Peace that carried this business had
| the clerk tax the costs and that this taxed bill
OF costs was filed with the clerk and copy
| filed with tho County Collector or his agent a.
the bank and paid either to the Justice of the
Peace Constable. collecting
the money disbursed it to the Justice. CLERK
and Constable. The testimony shows that
the bill of costs taxed. filed and paid
| amounted to si.3,, being rs cents to the Justice
of the Peace; so cents to the Constable; and
50 cents 10 the Clerk for taxing and fling the
costs.
The amount of nonye paid on vouchers for
taxed costs the commitment of tramps dur
ing the term OF the present County Clerk, 10
sLo17o3 There Is no law that permits the
payment To the County Clerk of the fees
charged by him for the taxing OF these costs.
The county is not bound TO pay them. The
whole number of taxed bills of costs during
the period OF this investigation filed and paid,
| las. The amount of money received by Mi.
Outs, the present County Clerk, for his tees
under these taxed bills of costs. is $500.
| find in going over those taxed bills oil
| some nj Si.3l and the balance at $i5i. Geo.
| l.. Bell, Deputy County Clerk, by way OF ex.
| PLANTATION OF these costs said that OF
| them taxed in favor of the Clerk at g
cents making the whole bill $I.3J; that otnefA
| were taxed in favor of the Clerk at IS cents
making the whole bill sIo3; and the balance
| in favor of the clerk at 50 cents, making the
whole bill Si5i.
Section q OF the act requires that the com
| plant, warrant and record of proceedings ana
| convection shall be filed in the Clerks ofhcc.
| In examining the records of the Clerks ONCE,
| did not find single complaint or warrant n
| any OF these eases, and Mr.. Jones, in his ties.
| timony, admits that none were filed. exam
| ined many # the commitments on file in the
| Clerk office, hut | could not find i'll them the
names OF any complaining witnesses, nor
could ] lind any mention OF any IN tho dock
| cts of the Justice.
The testimony was that in four. hiths of the
cases the tramp would come 10 the jail with
| out the officer or constable, with the commit.
| ment IN his own hand and hand 1t over TO the
| Sheriff and the Sheriff would commit him.
In one.hith of the cases the tramps were
brought the jail by the committing officer.
Constable Elmer L. liam. The vouchers that
looked over were reeeipted either by Mr..
liam or Mr. Jones.
The taxed bills of costs show that the con.
stable, Elmer T.. Ham, was paid from 1903 to
January 4, 1904, the sum of $500 So Under the
statute and according to his own testimony
and the testimony OF the Sheriff he is entitled
to only about one-hith OF that amount.
The taxed bills OF costs also show that dur
ing the period Asa Jones, Justice OF the
Peace, received ON them the sum OF N3i7'
Notwithstanding the fact that by his own ties
| timony IT appears that the provisions OF th'
act were not complied with.
The testimony also shows that the blank
bills OF costs and blank commitments were
| printed at the expense of the county.
The taxed bills OF costs also show that iron
1908 to the time when andrew X. Dilts took
his office as County Clerk, there was paid to
the Clerks that preceded HIM the sum OF
$uLl6 Tor fees in taxing these costs This
| money is also due to tine county.
During thus whole period the payment OF
these taxed bulls OF costs were ratihed and APP
proved by the Board 81 freeholdcrs without
investigation and without inquiry.
| The cml< was reached ono day during the
| investigation, day not hNed Tor public
| hearing, when visited flemington Tor the
| purpose of making careful inquire into the
tramp business. | the Sheriff and he ex.
planned TO me the history of it. That day !
| understood seventeen tramps had been com.
mttcd The next day not single tramp was
| committed, as understood, and none have
| been committed since,
| In each Of these tramp cases, the money paid
| to the Sheriff for his turnkey fees and board
| OF prisoners, oi course, must be added u
| appears from the testimony that the sheriff
| was IN the habit OF opening the jail door and
| letting these men out before the time hNed III
| the commitment expired, when the men want
| ed to go out. lie claimed that he did not
| know whether the men who came back in the
| evening with commitments III their hands
| were the same he had let out in the
| morning not, As | have said, the commit.
| ments during the week were Tor two days and
| ON Saturdays for three days, that when the
| Sheriff during the week opened the door IN
| the morning and let tramp go out and the
| same tramp returned III the evening, the Sher-
| at made double ices ms board caCn DAY
| The testimony OF Jacob Dlts Sheriff, shows
| that he found in the jail when he was quail
| fed and took charge OF the jail, a tramp by
| the name of John Short a man there without
| charge oi crime against him, but VINO mad
| been living IN the Jail as KIND OF trnsty.
| The Sheriff in the habit of procuring a
| commitment against him under the disorderiy
| act from Justice OF the Peace Jones. When
| one commitment ran out another was secured
| against him for another term. The man was
| still in the Jail while this investigation was
| progressing The Sheriff admitted at that
| time that he had no commitment against hinl
| In the vouchers for the board OF prisoners
| paid 10 the sheriff. which were produced be
| fore me- tins man John Short was charged Tor
| as a regular prisoner at the rate OF IS cents
| per day The man should have been in aims
| house instead Of the jail. The amount recelv-
| ed by the Sheriff for his board, shown by
| the vouchers, up to the ninth day OF june,
| lgoJ is S9le5. At the price for board fixed by
| the Board OF Freeholders he would be entitled
| only to Ssr25. The sheriff. Jacob Dlits,
should therefore be charged with S4Ioo, and
| also with the difference between IS cents per
| day and the rate fixed by the Board OF Free
| holders in there any additional days
| that have not been presented TO me. These
| vouchers were approved and ordered paid by
| the Board OF Frecholders when presented with
| out investigation. They were approved, al
| though the Board OF Freeholders must have
| known the history of this case, and that the
| man should have been in the almshouse and
| not in the jail, kept by the county at the rate
| OF IS cents per day.
FINES AND TAXED COSTS.
The testimony Of Jacob Dits, sheriff OF the
| County OF lluncrdOn shows that in May,
| 1908, about four months before this investiga-
| ton was pettioned for, he paid the County
] Collector for fines IRON court. the sum OF
| Continued on fourth page.
II a ;