Amador ledger., 1905-10-06
TRANSCRIPT ON APPEAL
IN STAPLES MURDER CASE,

The bill of exceptions in the appeal
of L. N. Staples, convicted of murder
in the first degree, and under SEN
tence of death, was finally settled last
Monday. The transcript on appeal is
now in the hands of the county clerk.
1t is his duty to have the same PRINT
ed, and the printing of it is big job
in Itself. 1t has to be filed in the
appellate court in twenty days from
the settlement of the statement on
appeal. The transcript contains
nearly 600 pages of type-written
matter. The printed pages, will
number considerably more than the
manuscript document, so that the
transcript will probably make a
voIuminous book of between roo and
800 pages-by far the largest legal
production of the kind ever sent out
of this county. The work of printing
this transcript is quite an item. At
80 cents per page-the price fixed by
the schedule of rates adopted bg the
board OF supervisors, ii will cost
something like 500 for the printing
alone. Or course il was Impossible
for such work to be done in any
Office in the county within the limit
ed time of 20 days; but that fact
would not be a bar to intrusting the
work to a local Office. 1t is custom
airy for the large city offices to allow
a discount to county printers on all
classes of work which cannot be done
at the home Office. In this trans
cript matter, the difference between
the rate established by the board, and
the price that such work can be done
in San Francisco will amount to be-
tween 10 and 20 cents per page. In
other words, the local printer would
pocket at least 800 by taking the job
and sending it below to be printed
a material item.
The printing of this transcript has
created the biggest stir in the demo-
cratic official ranks, a breach that
cannot easily be healed between the
parties directly involved. 1t seems
that some time ago county clerk
CuIbert, spoke to E. q. Rust, of the
Dispatch, about the big job, in fact
offered it to him, if he would take it.
a short time thereafter the Dispatch
man told him it was too big an
undertaking for him to handle, and
declined the responsibility. 1t seems
not to have entered his mind at the
time that he might make a fat com
mission by accepting the work, and
having it done in the city. The de-
clination was accepted as final by the
clerk, who proceeded to make
arrangements directly with Carlisle
& Co., OF San Francisco to do the
work, without consulting any other
county printing Office.
a few days thereafter, the Dispatch
man informed the clerk that he would
take the job. The clerk Informed
him That it was too late; he had al
ready made arrangements with out
side printers to do the work. Then
there was wailing, and gnashing of
teeth, fguratIvely speaking.
Monday morning the matter mad
an airing in open court. The judge
and clerk had a hot time a wrathy
time. But the clerk would not undo
the contract entered into with the
outsider, not to please the insider,
who he'd once rejected the job-not
even in presence of the august author
ity of the court.
The court finally made an order
prohibiting the original papers being
taken from the Office. The clerk in
quired if the order went to the ex-
tent Of prohibiting the printing OF
the transcript, from going outside
the county. The court did not want
the record to go to that extreme; and
so the matter ended in open court.
However, county clerk CulbeIt was
greatly agitated over what he regards
as an interfere ence with the duties of