The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1912-01-17
GREEN COUNTY BONDS
County Judge and Magistrates Of
Green County Claimed in
Contempt.
BONDS ARE NOT SETTLED.
Saturdays Post


of Green county, KY. came today
when Attorneys John B. Baskin,
George DuRelle, E. F. Trabue. A p
Humphrey and James S. Pirtle swOre
to affidavits asking for the immediate
citation before Federal Judge Walter
Evans of County Judge Elliott Graham
and Magistrates G. P. Durrett, r T
Close, E. c Coffey and ]. j. Russell, of
Green county, to show cause why they
should not be punished for contempt for
alleged disobedience of the courts or
ders in the matter of the collection of
$3.50 600, which the Supreme Court of
the United States has held to be due on
bonds issued years ago by the taxing
authorities of Green county.
For more than year the officials of
Green county and the attorneys for the
bondholders have been playing a game
of hide and seek in the Federal Court,
but the attorneys for the bondholders
say the crisis has now come and that
before many days are over the County
Judge and the Green county magistra-
ties will be star boarders at the Jefferson
county bastile.
The affidavits will be filed before
Judge Evans Monday, and it is under
stood that the citation of the County
Judge and the magistrates will at once
be granted. Later will come Judge
Evans decision as to what shall be
done.
HISTORY OF THE CASE.
The facts in the case from the stand
point of the attorneys of the bondhold
ers as portrayed in the affidavits as
sworn today for presentation in court
Monday, are as follows:
Years ago Green county, KY, author
lied the issuing of bonds and spent the
money for bridges and other thing
The bonds remained unpaid, and the
sum totals $3.50, 300.
Suit was flied in the Federal court
against the county, and judgment for
The full amount was rendered. This de-
cision was confirmed by the Supreme
VI IuG Ouil6u OIdI6S.
In the meantime Green county is
without a Sheriff. No one will take the
place. for such an officer would be re-
quired to collect from each Green coun-
t. property owner So on eacn 500
worth of property to pay these bonds.
In February, 1911, the attorneys
above mentioned applied to Federal
Judge Evans for a writ punrshing
County Judge Graham and the Magis-
trates above named for violating the
DEGREES of court in that they had APP
pointed one L. E McGinnis. special
tax collector, with orders to collect
only the regular csunty tax for the sup
port of the county government emitting
all orders as to the collection of the
money for the bonds.
McGinnis at once resigned, and when
the County Judge and the magistrates
appeared before Judge Evans the latter
held that some doubt existed if the
Green county officers had been properly
notified of the order of the court. The
defendants were thereupon dismissed,
but not until solemn warning from the
court had been given not to trife with
the courts rulings.
CHARGE DISREGARD OF ORDER.
Attorneys DuRelle. Baskin and 9TH
ers now allege that they have just as
certained that County Judge Graham
and the magistrates have again had
McGinnis out collecting taxes for the
support of the county government, and
that the order of the court has been
fiagrantly violated. They allege that
McGinnis is at present collecting such
taxes and that Judge Graham and his
associates are receiving their salaries.
They ask, therefore. that Judge Ora
ham and the agistrates be at once
brought into court TO be punished for
contempt.
Although none can say positively
what the next step IN the game will be,
everybody agrees that crisis is at
band 1t is believed that McGinnis
will at once resign, and that the coll
lection of county taxes will come to an
end. But the question of what to do
with the County Judge and the Magis-
trates remain. Some of the attorneys
believe that Judge Evans will find in
this allegei second disobedience of his
orders round or drastic action. The
bondholders feel that they now have
Agreat chance to get their money, while
the taxpayers OF Green county d. not
know il they can even be made to pay
county taxes.