The daily tribune., 1908-07-25
CONSTABLE THOMPSON
SAYS NE HAS KICK COMING

this time is, are the county commits
s.oners Of the county giving pre-.
MUM on crime in the confines Of the
county. or is 1t that they are guard
ing the funds Of the county so closely
that they will not spend the money
in running crime down when it seems
to be absolutely necessary?
This question was brought close to
homo yesterday afternoon when
Constable Jack Thompson of Port
land, ono OF the most important points
In the county for an officer to be sta
toned, made the remark that he
would not send another bill into the
county for work performed as an off
Ger; In fact. he has refused to send
any in for the last three months. and
IL determined not to send another at
any time.
He alleges that his charges to the
county for his ser vices are exactly in
accordance with the laws and that
the bills are never padded. yet, he
claims, that the county commissioners
appear to take hendish delight in
cutting his bills in two. even. Mr.
Thompson says that if lie was TT ying
to make living out of the office that
he might be tempted to pad the bills,
In which event he would look for
them to be shaved, but lie has several
hundred dollars, saved up, has
good livery business and is making
some money.
Even though his bills have been
saved and his services apparently not
apprecia ted by the county commits
sioners, he is determined to fill out
his term of appointment and will
serve ms constable until he is
changed, but never again will
he send bill to the county commits
sioners for payment.
At this time he is serving the
county without charge. Justic of
the Peace Blunt issues arrest warrants
and Constable Thompson serves them,
never expecting a cent of pay. He
says that Portland is on the tough
order and needs an officer. and since
there is no one else there who cares
to take the work, he is serving for
the glory. He makes several arrests
aud guards the town carefully, often
working as late as midnight on
case, but with no pay.
He says there is more than 800
due him from the county for bills
that have already been rendered, and
there is just as much more due him
that he has never billed for, the latter
having accumulated in the last three
months. Mr.. Thompson is not the
only one that has registered kick
for these reasons, but there are some
officers in the county. and many for.
mer officers also. who say that the
game Is not worth the price; that
the county commissioners have the
habit Of cutting bills in two. The
justices of the peace have the same
complaint.
While this may be rulable in this
county, 1t is not so in other counties.
There aie many counties in the state,
that. when u murder is committed,
the oommissi sioners at once offer large
rewards for the murderer, but not
here. In the Bavori case, where tie
bodies where hidden and the skill of
the officers baffied, the county COM
missi oners, after hundreds of persons
had searched for several days. offe red
a reward of $3.50 for the recovery Of
the bodies Of the four dead people.
But this WAS done several days after
many people had given up the hunt.
1t may be that the reward WAS offer
cd to induce the searchers to continue
the hunt. not that they cared above
having the assassin brought to Justice.
1t Is hoped that the missioners
will see things differently. Some
of tho blackest murders that have
been committed in tho state have
been enacted in Fremont county and
1t quite frequently happens that tho
murderer gots away. II tho county
hns sherif's and dennty sheriN work.