Bisbee daily review., 1906-08-15
NEW MEXICO SHERIFF
 IN SERIOUS TROUBLE.
POLITICS BEHIND THE MOVE CHARGING THE OFFICER
 WITH MiSDEMEANoRS

ALBUQUERQUE, N. M.. Aug. H. If, as has been said, there is politics in the recent filing of charges against Sheriff Leandro Baca, of Socorro county, it is politics of pretty serious natups, for any one of a dozen allega- tions made in. the document recently submitted to Governor Hagsrman, If sustained, would be sufficient grounds tor aftion in the case of the Socorro county officer.
 The charges were filed several days az, by Attorney Elfegio Baca, former district attorney of Socorro county, who charges the sheriff with malfeas. ance in office and peryersion of public funds. Similar charges have been made in the same document by MT. Baca against Eduardo Jaramillo and Alfredo Armijo, county commissioners of Socorro county.
 The Charges In Detail.
 The charges in detail, giving specific instances of alleged wrong doing on the part of Baca and the county com missioners, cover eight typewriter pages and consist of twenty-two sep arate and distinct charges, each one coming under the head of malfeasance
 
 Briefly it is charged that Sheriff Baca is incompetent, in that he cannot read or write the English language, and that he is unable to keep the rec ords of his office either iii the Eng fish or the Spanish language.
 1t is charged that he employees as his deputy in the serving of papers and process his son, who is about eighteen years of age, under legal age and not competent to serve such papers.
 The third count charges the sheriff with drawing the pay of his office and also that of county jailer and jail guard, it being alleged that since the iail guard quit eight months ago, the sheriff has been drawing the pay.
 It is charged that the sheriff occu- pies the upper part of the county jail as his residence, that six people live there and that supplies for his house hold are purchased and charged to the county. In addition it is charged that the sheriff buys these articles from the chairman of the board Of county commissioners who conducts a small store thirteen miles from Socorro, the county seat.
 It is charged that the sheriff has overcharged in several cases of serv- ing warrants and papers wherein the law sets a specific price for such ser vice.
 It is charged that the sheriff, who is alleged to have acted as jailer, allowed the prisoners to run at large in the jail yard and in the town and that some of them have run at large to such an extent that they have never e, tria purpose. It is charged that the sheriff remov ed book case from the judges cham bers in the court house, which he took to a saloon in which it is alleged he owned a one-fourth interest and used the case as part of the furnishings ot a poker room, it being further alleged that said saloon had no license to con duct a poker game. In this paragraph two charges are made, one of embez zle!,. .ert of public property and the other of failure to perform his duty ir failiug to collect license from a gamb lin" game.
 Then follow, paragraph after para graph of charges against the sheriff and the two county commissioners comprising failure to enforce the Sun day law. embezzlement of public prop l erty, failure to have prisoners work on public roads, 1t being charged thal the sheriff has been accustomed U employ a prisoner in the county jai to look after his horses, another tC | tend his chickens and third to act a! coachman for his family.
 It is charged that the sheriff GU | down twelve trees in the court house ] yard and converted them into firewooC i for his own use.
 1 The most serious charge, however | is found in a nEmber of bills for SUD iplies for the jail. in w5ich conspirac! | two members of the board of county commissioners. It is alleged that tht sheriff has bought and the county ! commission has allowed to be paid for articles for which the county had nc use, and that exorbitant prices were paid for said articles. These article! include undershirts, shoes, overalls 1 socks, handkerchiefs, etc. It is charg i ed that these bills were not sworn tC rDr approved and that they were al ! lowed by the commissioners with tho knowledge that they were not in lega | form. ,,.
 The bills are attached to the charge. as exhibits. .,v,y ..-,-- ~. l Othar charoaS copciSf oF oI1aoa+ionS