The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1904-04-13
Some Facts About Fayette County

If Fayette county, in the south
ern part of West Virginia, is not
the Wiokedest county in the
United States, the one which sur
passes it is yet to be heard from.
To begin with. the Judge of the
criminal court was under indiot.
ment for embezzlement at the
time of his election, is still under
Indictment ard a special Judge
will have to sit at his trial in his
own court.
The president of the county
court which has sole power to
grant or refuse license to sell
liquors in the county. is the prin-
ciple owner of the only wholesale
liquor house in the county, and
every saloon which secures license
in the county, buys it's supplies
from this wholesale house
The sheriff of the county is a
bartender, has been one for twenty
years and has been convicted
several times since he he's occu-
pied the office of sheriff of illegal
liquor selling.
A justice of the peace in the
county ran away with woman
and was married to her at Cincin-
natl. 1t developed later that he
had another wife living and his
indictment for bigamy followed.
A son of a former judge of the
criminal court was tried Dy HE
fathers successor for murder.
The grand jury which has Just
adjourned returned fourteen IN
dictments for murder and there are
sixteen indictments on the docket
for trial for murder at the present
term of court
The grand jury before the pres
ent one returned twelve indct-
ments for murder.
Fifteen murders were committed
in the county during Christmas
week.
There are fifty five counties in
West Virginia, yet almost one
fifth of the inmates of the State
penitentiary were sent there from
Fayette county.
With a population of less than
$4,000 the county has a debt of
almost 100000
Out of the 5000 voters in the
county over 1000 were last year
returned delinquent for the non
payment of taxes.
The Judge of the criminal court
is w r Bennett. Before he was
elected judge he wBs secretary of
the board of education of Kama
wha district, Fsyette county AT
the time of his nomination and
election to the Judicial position
he was under Indictment for en-
bezzIing $4,000 from the board
education while be was it's secre-
tary. The indictment was found
in the same court he was afterward
elected to preside over, and which
he still presides over. He has
never been tried or this indict-
ment, but if he is tried special
judge will have to SIT in the case,
for the trial will be in tho court
of which he is judge, and of
course, cannot try himself.
The "Whiskey ring" of Fayette
county has become notorious in
West Virginia. Judge NJ. j.
Simms is the president of tie
county court aud at the same time
the principal owner of the only
wholesale liquor houss in the
county. The county court has
the sole power to grant license TO
sell liquors in the county. and also
has the sole power to refuse them.
While it is not matter of re-
cord that all parties who are
granted license to sell liquors are
required to buy all their supplies
from Judge Simm's house, still il
is fact that all saloon keepers 10
the county buy from it. And Ii
has been charged many times tha,
license would be refused to ali
persons who would not agree to
buy from the judges liquor house
There are thirty-seven licensed
saloons in the county and it is
asserted every one of them is q
patron of Judge Simm's wholesale
liquor house.
At the present term of the