The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1908-07-25
Fines Imposed and Fines Collected.


1.-TWO years is only few weeks off ,
and three Of the policemen named
below are candidates for city mar
shal, great many persons, no
doubt, would like TO know what
these officers have been doing in
return for the salaries paid them
and services rendered. We give
below the total list of fines impos-
ed and the officers who we're in
|strumental in making the arrest
or arrests:
Policeman j. B. Davis heads
the list with $5,158.50 from Jam
uaEy, 1907, to July, 1908.
Policeman Smylie Blue comes
second with 1,248.75 from Sep
tember, 1907, to July, 1908.
Policeman w. Nj. Meteer is the
third man with $613.50 to his
credit from January, 1907, to
July, 1908.
And the last addition to the city
police force-J. w. Mcbride
runs up $127.50 from December,
1907, to July, 1908.
Considerable local comment was
caused by the publication of the
above article 10 Wednesday s
Leader. The figures given were
furnished to a reporter of The
Leader by friend of one of the
candidates for city marshal and
their accuracy vouched for. They
were accepted as correct and, in
the absence of any thorough in
Vestigation and proof to the con-
trarY, are still accepted as correct,
as regards fines imposed in cases
of arrests and affidaVits made by
the several officers named. It will
be noticed that the figures given
have reference to the amount of
fines imposed by the Court, and
not the amounts actually collected
and paid over to the city treasu-
rer. As a matter of fact, as be-
tween the amount of fines imposed
by the court, as shown above, and
the cash collected and paid over to
the city, there is a large discrep-
ancy. For instance, since these
figures we're published, City
Clerk Hamilton informs The
Leader that the total amount of
tines collected BY the city of
Brookhaven from those convicted
before the Mayor faom Jan. 4th,
1907, to July %, 1908, as shown
by bis books, is only $402S. 55,
and this includes all fines from ar
rests and atfidavits made by City
Marshal Hurst, Policemen Nc.
Cormick, Bray, the special po-
licemen and all others within the
dates covered by his statennt.
There are several ways in which
this discrepancy between the
amount of fines imposed and the
amount actually collected and
turned over to the city, might be
accounted for, which would not
necessarily reflect on any official
or involve the misappro-
priation of fines, but, to say the
least of it, it argues on its face
that there has been too great
laxity and neglect of duty some
where.
The Board of Aldermen, in
The Leaders opinien, ought to
require quarterly or semi annual
reports from the Mayors record,
showing how cases are disposed
of, fires imposed and collected,
etc., and a yeriication of this re-
port be made by the full board or
committee. Even a causal exam
ination of the Mayors docket will
show that much of the record is
very loosely kept, and that the
Mayor, during the present admin
istration and former ones, SO far
as criminal business is concerned,
has acted as clerk as we'll as May
or, which the law does not con-
template.
Why can't and why doesn't the
Board give some attention to mat
ters of this characters