The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-06-30
FIND STILL MORE.
Overcharges by Sheriff Norton
lsegan Early.
over Four Hundred Dollars
From November to April.
MAY RE-AUDIT ALL.
Fee Bills of Sheriff Will PrOba-
bly, Be Again Inspected.
Col Norton Says Politics Is Back
of Charges.
MAY RE-AUDIT ALL.

..-oss last winter in the sheil-A
IS dun and Sheriff Norton $ oN-
once - +o shawnee county from NO
eionS-- aS to April amounted to pul
aa Of this amount $26O.44 was 'oi
- charged that one Of the most
- .ases of fee grabbing was ap-
ren+ in the office of the proDate Jus
pa the cases of insane persons
IN an evcessive fees were charged Ia
,.,1e, e,,bpoenas or warrants no Up
-, roo short to charge mllease
r-,.,-,,,,ee county. Persons with Oln
IN almost a stones throw OF lie
to,,se have been repeatedly ser.
-,-ith subpOenas ana lhe SeoSs .,-1
cberiff Norton show that ne - 80, = !,
al from two to four InlleS o,.e - many
+besa parties. But there W. ,ar1rs5
cases where legal papers VIZ ,,.jth his
~,bera doubtless Norton sOt - yy,1'f,7I ax-e
49, Miee,,d escaDed even the WatchAul g Z
+ Iarimer, county auultoi Tho
% r.a Iune account shows Inal la r., -
.t,eriff's force recently Went -O-+od - r
,-s+ street, where they al -
Ga-5ner That is 10 blocks -. -.
- ,rt house. Yet Sheriff MORTON l :
llle .,, sts+ement for the arrest W es - -
20 Hes travel Then the 50 -,.sa q
7eT,1ltv served a, notlo~ at tHo .l ~, :.
s4sf4F1
a+bsr 90 miles was aoueu " ~ -aI,id
utA7I 49,, words Col. Norton WOul1 y! -
IN shawnee county for Az hnllss .t-
chaIs e., Two Is block trips in the CITY
of Topeka y Patterson. a
Ia ne - committed suicide at the
p4e eoenital, subpoenas and notlGes ~
sls.- So zt-sre served on partles A1Htne ~ .
apPSTeeo,d IN East Second avenue Bo.li
T,ere served the same Gay -. ma q
ts fee for the trip-sl1 Dlocf1s-.', DNSs.-.,. y, e-9
inst 90 miles travel IN inc S;or, ran-
feature of the claims WLlSn ~ T.
49,, almost worthless from d S Sle-
~ standDoint, is the fact thAt ~ - 80 -.
81 e,.l-.,-e eigns his deputies names TO IuS
,.atnrns and contest Woulu iio' 49,
the deputy to the clallh'
Nav Reaudit All Claims.
whether Norton's claims agalnst against. ''Ie IL
county will be reaudited ana Neriheu' -
q T1sfter that has not been tully SCI
tled Not until a person snoulo VeIlLs
eb of +he hundreds Of claims for per
eonal service, could even an loea D0
obtsined as to the amount OF VESi
charges made against the county
county auditor is a busy man anu eau
80 90 this in connection with ms reg
,,Iar work In fact It is presumed thdG
the claims are always just anu td1I d.iu
fha auditor is expected TO eaten tHe
1f++ta errors that occasionally creep IN
80 average claims But this has not
been the rule in the Norton case here
fhe auditor is required to recheck rail-
road mileage and distance OF road
travel in the county.
minor item, which is really
moral question and not legal one,
since the law has never changed, is in
the expense of conveying prisoners 10
state institutions. The law allows
cents a mile. the actual railway fare
for the prisoner. in addition to the 10
cents a mile for the official when
the tWo-cent fare went into effect,
Norton did not change his accounting
and his bills are still for cents
mile, although he is compelled to pay
but two cents fare.
Sheriff Norton carries an annual
over the several Kansas railroads and
his 10 cents mileage for travel is net
profit.
But Norton's fees have extended
even beyond these points. 1t is re-
called by persons familiar with the
case that il was often a custom with
the present sheriff to charge for meals
for his force of deputies In making up
his monthly bill for board of prison
ers. Yet an investigation showed that
no meals were served to the deputies,
jailors and general atte ndants and
that Norton merely padded his bill of
S4.20 week board for each prisoner
by adding a half dozen deputies to
the llEE OF DOATQEEb.
Since the commissioners have de-
cided to use convict labo. on the pub
lie highways, a great remonstrance
has come from the sherlff's office. By
working the prisoners, Merton realizes
the men will eat heartier meals and
that his profits from the jail will be
materially reduced.
One lay this month when business
was dull, a deputy sheriff entered the
Office Of the probate judge ard made
affidavit that T. L. Langley of Mission
township was of unsoun7 mind. There
was Immediately a job for the sher-
im's force. Langley was brought TO
Topeka and DR.. S A. johnson, in his
findings. emphatically declared the
man was not insane. In his report,
he said:
This man is partially paralyzed
and not able to talk. I think he
should have proper care and atten-
ton.
IS A. JOHNSON,
Examining Physician
Langley was released in the face of
the sworn statement of the deDutv
sheriff, and the case had the appear
ance OF malicious prosecution but the
fee bill went in just the same
Following is a second instaIlnen+ Of
evidence in the fee grabbing investi-
CATION
Amount Amount
Nature OF claim Charged. Paid
eeS 9tate vs. CardwelS 1855 10.55
Arrest Phil Chesney.. 1275 aiIn7r-a1
Fees Bosworth inquest 1350 % s0
Fees State VS.. Gfrays. T55 715
Dis
Arrest Robt. Randolph 2339 II 20
Dis
Arrest Robt. Randolph. ABS allowed
Arrest VIM. Manson.. 1916 1e "a
Fees State VS.. Ready. AIS *
Arrest Harry Heartz. 4eO a.
Fees State vs.. thinner
man .................. II X N *