The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1907-03-07

FOUR oEMocRsYtc commissaoaERS
APPOINTED 81 SAMPSON.

Republicans Net esss1 IN opportanssy
to Rsf.ts Charges Made - Demo-
Gratis Before Democratic Caucus
Bond Of osssuitirg Sheriff !. Sol
vent ard County Affairs In Good
Condition
Some weeks ago the ex-Sheriff Of
Sampson County defauifed for sew
ersl thousand dollars. After the
newly elected sheriff had taken
charge of the Office, and ex-sheriff
Aman was asked for money. IL was
discovered he was several thousand
dollars short.
While sheriff he also conducted
Ia mercantile business i'm Clinton,
and il seems he had used some Of
the tax money he had collected 10
his business ventures, which did not
! pan out well, and he could not pay
the money back when called on.
Rather than face the charges he alb
seconded, bat he left $4,000 in the
! bank to the credit Of the County.
The bondsmen Of the ex sheriff oil
agreed TO make good the amount of
| the defalcation when Ii was needed.
At the last term of Court in Samp-
son the grand Jury found q "true
bill" against the old board Of County
| Com missioners and the new beard
for not requiring the ex sheriff to
give separate bond, besides the
general bond, to cover the school
fund. Two lawyers of Clinton, one
Republican aud the other a Demo.
crat land ex-Stste Senator) drew up
the bond, and they were not aware
at that time that separate bond to
cover the school fund wss necessary.
The msj 0rity of the grand jury, in
| Guiding the foreman, that found the
true bill against the Commissioners
we're democrats and the democratic
Solicitor went before them and told
them to find a true bill. 1t was
claimed that one of the County Com
oners was on the Sheriff's bond,
nut he was not a Commissioner at
| the time of going on the bond. The
Comm issioners went out of Office at
he time the new Sheriff went in. The
Solicitor afterwards stated had he
known all the facts In the case. he
would not have asked for the indict-
ment. But in the face of these
facts the democratic Senator from the
Sixteenth district introduced bill
in the Senate to appoint four Demo
cratic County Commissioners in
Sampson, to sue the bondsmen and
take over the local government in
Sampson County. The bill went
through the Senate, but when it was
introduced in the House, it was re-
ported to the proper committee
The Democrats and Republicans
from Sampson were heard on the
matter and the committee, COM
posed mostly of democrats, reported
the bill unfavorable by an over
whelming maj rity. And the Re-
publicans who had come to go before
the committee, returned home, but
another delegation Of Democrats
came up from Sampson and button
holed he democratic members for a
week, got them to hold a democratic
caucus behind closed doors, then
| went before that caucus ana made
statements without the Republicans
having any opportunity to answer
them. The result was that the eau
Gus decided to appoint the fur
dem ocratic Commissioners notwith-
standing the committee, composed
mostly of democrats, reported the
bill unfavorsbly. Wht n the bill was
placed on the calendar in the House
the representatives from Sampson
asked that as new evidence and un-
true evidence had been presented
before that caucus, the bill be re-
ferred to committee, and let these
democrats from Sampson go before
that committee and make their
charges where the Republicans could
have an opportunity to answer
these charges. The House refused
the request and made the bill a spe-
cial order for Saturday morning.
When the bill came up Saturday