Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-09-30
RAFTING
OFFICIALS
RrIAL HISTORY OF GANG
PEPOsED IN WYOMING CoUN-
FY--A FEW INSTANCES OF
kAsCALrTY.

~ VI Sralters, IN hlgh places.
o members OF the county court
been indicted for selling their
les. or receiving pay for granting
liskey license. and proceedings
been taken against all .hree
the commissioners charging them
tn malfeasance In office. The
arsIs came on at court last week
be disposed of.
It seems that this county court
largely related in Wyoming
unity. and on every grand jury
ere were anumber OF kinsmen of
part. IL not all. OF the court. All
tilt turies were made up Of and
cluded kinsmen of all OF the men,
Bra of the county court, composed
Lusk. Morgan and Cook, three
Id numerous families OF that re-
lon. Grand juries are selected by
lacing In box the names of the
Zee holders in the county, and are
laced therein by the county court,
be law requiring Il to be done at
he levy term. The petit juries are
elected by jury commissioners,
tho are appointed by the circuit
ourt. The present list of names
rom which the grand jury was
rawn that indicted the county
curt, was placed in The box at the
une term OF the court instead OF at
ne levy term. so that when the
asses were called, the counsel for
he members of the county court
moved to quash the venire facias
md assigned two reasons especial
y; one that the jury list should be
made up and put in the box at the
yeA term, and the other that the
SSysAeriff had made no return show
|Fng that he had summoned a grand
lbury at all. The court held this
Eaw to be mandatory and quashed
the venire, which resulted in quash-
ling the indictments. This disposed
.of the indictments. The court. not
Sdesiring to face the Impeachment
proceedings, each member thereof
resigned, and appointed as their
|succSBsors II. NJ. Cline, Lewis Nor
kgan and T. S. Mckinney. Cline be
hing elected president; thereupon
bthe committee of safety moved to
Ndismiss the charges preferred in the
allegations.
The county court also rescinded
all orders to direct a vote for the
removal of the court house from
Apaeville.
sFrom information 1t seems that
the people of wyoming county have
been suffering 10. these many years
from a system OF malfeasance in
office by people in higI places, ex-
tending through a large part of the
adminisfraitrps, the county court
seeming to be the foundation, sell
dom, II ever. term of the court
passing without one or more mem
bers of the county court being on
one or both OF the juries. The jury
which had been summoned 10 try
the indictments a. the present term
was attended by two members OF
the county court as petit jurors;
the other member OF the county
court being appointed a registrar
in his voting precinct This Us an
instance Of the way this county
court was taking care OF the inter
ests OF the public. When a license
was to be granted for the sale of
liquor, the first sep taken was TO
see two members OF the county court
and see what the price would be.
averaging about $250.O0. Il was
understood thai the saloon keep
ers Jointly would generously donate
to the court one hundred dollars
year each, recognizing their patriot
ism to the whskey interests.
The owner of the building used
for the court house desired 70 raise
HIS rent. He went to two members
of the county court and proposed
to pay them $40 each, If he could
raise the rent to the price demand
ed, which was promptly agreed TO
and $40 in gold pal to each mem
hsr, It only requiring a majority OF
the court.
II Is said the sheriff's settlement
shows more interest paid the sherin
from Balleysville distric-, within
lve cents. than the interest would
be on the entire levy for twelve
months in that district The sheriff
would pay off a draft on which
there would be no interest paid,
and in his settlement with the cOun-
y court interest would be charged
up By him againGt the court. A
special term of the court was held
in August. and 1t was understood
that it was for the purpose OF haV-
ing an investigation OF the trans
actions o. the county court, and
the sheriff made no return OF the
venire faciss, showing that IT had
been summoned at all.
We only give a few Isolated in
stances OF what we are Informed
were charged against the admins
tration of affairs in Wyoming.
Things had gone on until the acts
had become so notorious that a Few
OF the law abiding citizens banded
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