The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1905-02-22

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lection controversy today. One feat.
ure was the forcible taking away
from the court house by Sheriff Lee
Potter of the assessors book for
1908. He did this at the advice of his
attorneys.
County Judge Lightfoot today call
ed a special session of fiscal court
for next Monday morning, but de-
clined this afternoon to state for
what purpose 1t was called. 1t is un-
derstood II Is in connection with the
tax controversy. and that Sheriff
Potter will have his attorneys there.
Attorneys representing Sheriff
Potter called this morning on Judge
Lightfoot and wanted to take the
assessors books to their office, but
were refused them. Judge Lightfoot
states he offered to let them have
the book a week If they would allow
him to have the sheriffs books a day,
but they declined.
Just after noon the 1903 book
was forcibly taken from the young
man employed to copy them, at the
court house, by the sheriff.
Attorney Charles X. Wheeler. of
the firm Wheeler, Hughes and Ber-
ry, employed yesterday by Sheriff
Potter, this afternoon gave out the
following statement:
1.-THE law requires the county
clerk to make out a list of all taxa
bic property in a book and deliver
that book to the sheriff; from this
book taxes are computed and col
lected. We are about to prepare
statement for Mr.. Potter, showing
the exact status of taxes collected by
him for the year 1908, and in order
to do so intelligently 1t was neces-
sary to have the book given him by
the clerk for that year.
1.-The sheriff is, by law, the custo-
dian of this book, but, at the re-
quest of Judge Lightfoot he has Civ
en- 1t to him, and although we have
requested Judge Lightfoot to allow
us to examine this book he has declin
ed to do so, unless we did so in an
open Office at the courthouse where
the general public is admitted, and
not then If same interfered with the
investigation he now has in pro-
sress.
Feeling that we could not, in
justice to our client, make an exami-
ration under such circumstances, we
directed Mr.. Potter to get the book,
as he had the legal right to do; he
now has charge of the book and af-
ter our examination, it will be re-
turned to the county clerks office,
and will be open to examination of
the public, as 1t now Is.
1--WE make this statement in JUS
tice to our client, and that the pub
lie may understood he was acting
under our advice in obtaining the
book for our examination.
County Judge r. T. Lightfoot gave
out a statement this afternoon as fol-
lows:
Immediately after dinner today |
went to the sheriff's Office and made |
formal demand on him TO permit me
to copy the collection books for the |
years 1909, 1908 and 1904, and also
the auditors books for the same
years, and he stated he would let me
copy the auditors books, but not the
collection books because he had been |
instructed by his attorneys not to let |
me make a copy. He stated, howev-
er, that he would go and see his at
iorneys and ascertain il they desired
TO let me look at the collecting book
while | copied the auditors books,
and while he knew | was at his Office,
deliberately went TO the court house
and by force took the assessors book
for 1908, the year We are working
on, and carried Il away, This is the
book, or one of the books, he said
IN a previous interview he would
gladly and willingly turn over TO me,
This will not AFFECT my work in the
however. as | have
'opy of this book and will continue
o receive receipts at the court house
md continue the investigation"
Judge Lightfoot said further that
probably the reason so few people
lad called at the sheriff's Office TO
laye money refunded is because he.
Judge Lightfoot, has their receipts
nd they have nothing TO show in
Iemanding a correction of alleged
rrors. tie claims to have several
mall boxes of the sheriff's receipts
nd says they are still coming In
y every mail, in addition TO being