The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-04-23
JUDGE AND SHERIFF
 CONNECTED WITH FLOGG|NG | A SE {
Claim They Made "Contract'' To Furnish ConViCts To
 Lumber Company

TAl4LAHASSEE, | la. Apfll ZZ.- (By Associated ss.)-Prompt ac- tion in the cases of County Judge B. F. Willis and Sheriff J. R. Jones of Leon county, whose names have appeared prominently in the legisla tive investigation of the death of Martin Tabert of Munich N. D. will be taken by Governor Hardee, it was learned in an authoritative quarter tonight
 The names of the two officials have run through the course of testimony given to the legislative committee since it began it's inquiry and was topped yesterday with startling narrative of alleged i'll practices in their offices given by Jerry NJ. Pop pell, former jailer. Poppell described a campaign in the business of arrest ing vagrants. which he said started after the sheriff had contracted with the Putnam Lumber company, in whose camp Tabert died from alleged brutal treatment, to receive $20 q head for every prisoner he deliv- cred. He declared the countys law enforcement machinery was so>set up as to furnish continuous supply of labor. The sheriff's entire force and the county judge were habitually drunk, he testified.
 O O O
 Sheriff Accused.
  Jones, he declared he had known that official to observe the law twice in the destruction of confiscated liquor. On one occasion, he testified. the sheriff substituted water for the moonshine contents of a jug, and then called a court attache to wit ness his destruction of it. Another time, the sheriff was drunk, he stated. and fell down and broke a jug filled with whisky.
 Governor Hardee kept in close touch with the investigation as it progressed yesterday and 1t was learned that he was prepared to act promptly.
 Eight witnesses will appear before the committee tomorrow in an at tempt to substantiate Poppells tes- timony.
 Assistant Attorney General G. Crimson of North Dakota, who is here to investigate the death of Tabert announced he would also sub init figures taken from the official records of County Judge Willis and Sheriff Jones which show the num- Der of arrests and convictions before and after Sheriff Jones made an agreement with the Putnam Lumber company to furnish them prisoners.
 During the seven months preceding the execution of the contract from January 16 to August 15, only 20 men were arrested for beating their way. In the seven months following no less than 154 men already have been arrested on this charge.
 O O O
 Number Suddenly Jumps.
 In the seven months preceding the contract date, only IT men were ar rested for vagrancy. In the seven months following there were 31 ar rested. In each of four of the seven months immediately following the execution of the contract more men were arrested for beating their way than in the entire seven months pre- cedlng, the attorney generals figures showed. The highest number arrested in any one month before was five but in the 90 days after October 15 l92l, there were three men so ar rested; between December 16 and January 15, 1922. there were 3S ar rested; 26 were arrested in the next 30 days, and 32 were arrested in the next 30. Of the 1S5 men arrested for beating their way on trains and Va Srancy, Sheriff Jones has testified that he delivered 16S to the Putnam Lumber company at s20 a head. The county clerks records showed according to Mir Crimson. that the convictions in 1919 were 22S, and in 1920 there were 213. Judge Willis then took office in January, 1921, and the number of convictions he acted on that year was 567. The convic- tions for the first 10 months of 1922 numbered 529. The fees paid the county judge who preceded Willis were, In 1920, $a,532SS; the fees re- ported by Judge Willis to the state comptroller for 1921 were s5,44a.52