Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1914-03-17
COUNTY DADS
GET HOT LETTER
Attorney Abel Not Pleased
With County Management
Since He Quit the Job
SCORES COUNTY OFFICERS
Makes Complaint Of Being
Threatened to Board In
stead of the Courts
SCORES COUNTY OFFICERS


ceedings of the county commissioners
were enlivened today by the receipt
of a lengthy screed from Attorney
w. H. Abel which plainly revealed
the fact that the gentleman was
peeved at the manner in which things
are managed in the courthouse since
He complained that his life was
threatentd by Deputy Sheriff Giles
Quimby, the slayer of John Tornow.
because OF the suit he, Abel, had
brought to stop payment OF the re-
ward given by the board, unless he
got a slice Of it. He betrays that
the sore spot caused by the failure
of his relative to secure a seat on
the board in 1910 is still unhealed,
by complaining OF the fact that the
sheriff of the county and the chair
man of the board are related, so he
calls it family affair" 1t is quite
likely that his objection to the family
affair is not so much against that
sort of thing in county government
as that the name OF the family is not
Abel
The screed goes on to roast the
commissioners for high taxation. He
says that the present rate is an order
from the commissioners to every
resident OF Chehalis county to stand
and deliver" and that the only thing
the commissioners seems bent on
doing is to build the Quiniault road
even il it should "break the county"
He puts the blame for high taxation
squarely on the shoulders OF the
commissioners.
Just what Mr.. Abel meant to ac-
complish by sending such letter to
the commissioners is not clear, but
it was promptly read into the record,
where it will stand for all time, a
monument to his spleen.
Quimby Says Abel Lies
Deputy Sheriff Giles Quimby en-
phatically denies to have made any
threats on Mr. AbePs life, and says
the attorneys fight against his get
ting the reward has been caused by
his refusal to split with Abel. He
soys
Il was coming down the street
Saturday and met Philip Moak. He
told me Abel wanted to see me i'll
his office. | went down to Abels
Office. told him what Moak had said
and asked what he sent for me for.
"Abel said it was a month since
he told Moak he wanted to see me.
/ said alright and started to leave.
Abel said he would call in his stem
ographer. | told him, no, he wouldn't,
for it suddenly flashed upon me he
was trying to get me, into some sort
OF trap He insisted and | walked
over to the table and said to him
no, you don't call in any stenograph-
er, or anyone else. You have gone
about far enough in your nagging OF
me. In substance, that is what
said, and that was all there was to
the interview. | didn't threaten his
life in any manner and had no notion
of doing so.
abel tried his best to get me to
divide on this reward business and
failing in that and realizing he had
no case in court, he is now trying to
get some public sympathy
when the matter first came up OF
paying the reward for Tornow, Abel
advised with the commissioners and
told them there was no question but
they had the right-legal right--to
pay the reward for the killing OF
Tornow
Later, when the commissioners
ordered the payment to be made, Abel
came to see me. First he talked with
Sheriff Matthews and told him If
didn't pay over portien OF the re
ward he would stop the auditors pay
ment. Matthews told him he wouldn't
advise me one way or the other. Abe
--then tried to find me, and later found
me and told me unless | promised tc
turn over a portion Of the reward
he asserting he was representing the
Lathrop heirs-he would stop the pay
ment on the warrant the commission
ers had ordered issued to me. told
him | would do nothing. ! told him
il the money wasn't coming to me
didn't want it. II 1t was coming tc
me | wouldn't divide with anyone lr
order to get it. He told me he wou!f
stop payment next morning and hi
did by bringing the suit to prevent tht
county paying the claim.
Pay Third Of Reward