The Mena weekly star., 1908-01-30
Old System of Allowing Convicted Parties Liberty on Promises to
 Pay Causes Trouble.
The Retiring Officer Requested County Judge Prickett to Credit Account
 With Unpaid Amounts.
THE GRAND JURY INQUIRIES
Delinquents Who Can Be Found Must Now Pay Up or Serve Time in
 Jail in Lieu Thereof.

EX-Sherln D. B. Jopiin IS now a deputy sheriff of Polk county and IS busy rounding up delin- quents for whom, during his two terms of office, he stood respon- sible to the amount, according to the records, of $3197.9l. Of this amount $2746.41 was in circuit court fines and $451.50 in justice court fines.
 Mir. Joplin now says that the people to whom he showed lenlency must pay up or go to jail.
 In any event the collections must be made and the money turned into the county treasury, the persons against whom they stand serve time in jail in propor- ton to the amounts, or ex-Sheriff Joplin or his bondsmen must stand the loss.
 History of the Case.
 In the fall of 1906, when Jop- lin's second term of office termin- ated, he made a report of his accounts to Wright Prickett, judge of the county court. This report showed that there were uncollected and charged against the retiring sheriff on the county clerks books more that $3000, and Joplin asked that the court credit him with the amounts and there by balance the books, wiping out the fines and relieving the offend CTS against whom they stood from payment, the county, of course, standing the loss.
 This Judge Prickett refused to do and declined to approve the report. It was then suggested that the accounts be turned over 10 the incoming officer, Sheriff Cunningham, but he would not consent 10 this, maintaining tha { 1t was not his duty to collect the fines turned over to his prede- cessor in office for collection. When 1t became evident that a settlement would not be made, the matter was turned over to Prosecuting Attorney Lake Tor action.
 How the Condition Originated.
 As an indication as to how such condition of affairs came about, it is fact that up to the time w. M. Plpkin was county clerk, in 1902, there were practi- cally no records kept of the fines collected by the sheriffs of Polk county, and it had apparently been the custom to handle these matters in very loose manner.
 As further showing of the conditions the report on Sherifi Jopliu's accounts made to J. 5. Steel, the judge of the Polk county circuit court, by the com missioners of accounts in l906, IS interesting. It says:
 ssWe have carefully examined and checked the annual tax settlement sheet showing collection of taxes for the year and find that all balances as shown thereby to be due to the county, road and school funds have been paid, though some of the receipts were ob- tained from the treasurer and filed several days after the time required by law for paying said amounts into the treasury. We find that the collector is charged with $2746. Al on circuit court fines and S451 50 on justice of the peace court fines, some of which is long past due, for which he has filed no receipts nor made and filed any statement show ing any other disposition of the amounts SO shown to be due. We find also that it is, and perhaps has been for years, a custom in the collectors office to pay very little regard to the time as re-