The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-01-30

That all of the first ten warrants ! perfectly correct and perfectly justi-
 fled and that the personal tax col l lectors had not made an error In the
 slightest degree. was amply demon strated when the first offenders for
 non-payment of personal tax were ar
 raigned in the city court, this morn
 ing.
 Prosecuting Attorney Delaney rec commended to Judge Frank L. Wilder
 that offenders this morning be allowed | to go upon the payment of the tax,
 and this course was taken, with the
 distinct understanding and the state
 ment by Judge Wilder from the bench | that the next offenders will be severe ly dealt with and the court costs will be added on to the tax
 The next warrants will be issued by 1 Prosecutor Delaney during the latter part of the week. and if the offenders would save themselves money, they should "get busy at once, for there | were no mistakes in the first batch. Persons who consider themselves
 exempt, either through service in the l militia, oyer age, or other causes must produce proof or they will be arrest 1 ed. The @ol.ectors are not supposed to take peoples words for these mat ters, nor will they.
 Those arraigned in the city court on | the first batch of warrants were John Adam Hugo, Frank Doria of 604 Og-
 den street; Frederick Risley, 751 Kos suth street; William G. Russell, 2S0 Stratford avenue; James J. Cunning
 ham, 265 Cannon street; Thomas Car roll, 1o73 Madison acenue; and Allen J. Kennedy, 412 Central avenue.
 Of this number, Prof. Hugo's case was no led, upon MT. Hugo's produc- ing proof that he is member of the
 hospital carps and therefore exempt through military service The produc- tion of this proof was necessary, as the collectors are not supposed to take
 anybody's word for the matter MT. Hugo had supposed that the necessary proof had been laid before them, but
 someone to whom that matter was en- trusted by him had overlooked it and in consequence MT. Hugo was subject ed to the embarrassment of being ar rested
 The case of Allen J. Kennedy, 412 Central avenue was continued to Sat
 urday under bonds of $10 to give him a chance to produce proof that he Is
 over the age limit and therefore ex- empt. This is another case in which the defendant entrusted someone else
 to lay the proof before the collectors and the matter was neglected, result ing in Mir Kennedy's arrest MT Kennedy had given his proof to friend, but the collectors did not have it officially recorded and MT. Ken nedy suffered the annoyance of arrest because of this.
 The other cases were settled upon the payment of the tax to Collector James Holt, who represented the three personal tax collectors in the court room. Judge Wilder suspended judg- ment and allowed the accused to go on the payment of the tax, with the exception of Doria, who was charged with $1.50 additional as an interpre- ter's fee.
 reconmend dation of Prosecutor De- Laney who considered that this would be sufficient for the first eases, but he explained to Judge Wilder that he would ask for a more severe penalty in the subsequent cases.
 Let it be distinctly understood then" said Judge Wilder, in follow ing out the prosecutor's recommen- dation. that there will be no remis- | sion in the cases of the next men brought here, if I am on the bench"
 Both Doria and Carroll claimed to l be over age, but neither had the | slightest proof of their claim, and each paid his fine and "let it go at
 In this connection Prosecutor De Laney explained to a Farmer report 1 CT that mans bare word that he is 1 over age will not be accepted by the 1 court nor the personal tax collectors, | but some satisfactory proof must be l
 s'The birth records. church or par ish records, or similar documents | would be satisfactory proof of a l mans age," said Prosecutor Delaney; | eff these are not procurable a man has another source in the city rec 1 ord. when he was made a voter. This 1 record will show his sworn age at the | time he was made a voter. If none l of these proofs is forthcoming, the 1 testirr ony of neighbors or old ac- | quaintances that the man in question i has always been reputed by them of 1 being such an age might be produc- l ed.''
 Carroll. in paying his fine. tried to tell Collector Holt that he was never called upon to pay the tax. Collector l Holt took just ten seconds to look up | his records and told the astonished | Carroll the day, date, hour and min ! ute, that the personal tax collectors called at his house.
 Was I home?'' asked Carroll
 Nc, but we left a bill showing that l we had been there,' said MT. Holt.
 .'Yes, I got the bill all right" said i Carroll, but I thought you were l coming again after the money
 Probably lots of other people are Ia boring under the same mistaken de- fusion that Carroll was. but they will | all wind up in city court if they do 1 not go to the collectors office and | pay the tax. If the collectors have l been to a persons house and left the l bill that is sufficient, in fact it is l more than sufficient, as the coIlec- tors are not even obliged to do this l henceforth, and are only doing so in l order to give the people every fair | chance to pay up.
 The names for the first arrests were