New Britain herald., 1930-08-30

The homemade jail that Justice Harry Johnson built for $15o0 and which is paying big dividends, is pictured above, with a closeup Of the justice. himself, His usual costs and fines are S42.5o for drunkenn ess. S57.5o for possession Of home brew and S132.5o for possession Of liquor and this doesn't include the jail lodging fee of s1 a night. plus 35 cents for each meal
 Charleston. W. Ra Aug. 3o - The prohibition law and home made jail have combined to bring a neat gross income of around s1O0o 3 month to Justice of the Peace Harry Johnson, who presides over the populous Cabin Creek district 8" miles from Charleston.
 Justice Johnson. elected q year ago for four-year term took the prohibition law as he found it. but the Jail was his own idea. He oper- ates it like q hotel, charging each S sessing his lodgers 35 cents apiece for each meal This. added to the court costs that are his legal perqui- site in all liquor cases. makes his job one that pays extremely we'll.
 There are a good many liquor law violations in Justice Johnsons dis trlct, which is coal mining section with some 25.oo0 inhabitants. On some days. he says, he is kept busy from dawn until dusk trying such cases UntIl recently there was no jail available - and If the arrestins officers shipped an offender off 10 Charleston ro he locked up over nigh. the offender would usually be tried the next morning by 2 Charles ton judge who would get the fees
 Builds Own Jail
 So the justice built his own jail. IL IS made of corcrete, ribbed with small steel rails, and about i5O feet from the justices home. II is low. one-srory affair with one railed win dow in each side
 The door IS Of steel and bears tvo padlocks. one Of them huge affair eight inches long. One enters into 2 small corridor which runs across the from Of the building. There are two cells one, for women pris- Oners, has two hunks. while the other. for m5n. has four. Each cell contains a lavatory and a fresh-air vent in the rocf- At one end Of tho corridor IS q desk bearing the jail register.
 There are eight state troopers in the district. one prohibition officer and one constable attached 10 the justices office. When any of these officials bring in 8 prisoner he iodg- es hlrn ln the jail. writes his name. the charge and the hour Of arrest in the book.
 The neEt morning the justice in spects the book. When the officer brings his prisoner into court the justice - f he finds the prisoner guilty = adds the jail fee to the fine and court costs.
 Fines Are Steep
 Justice Johnson's court hears about 100 criminal cases a month ot which n Or more are for liquor law violations. h each Of these cases the costs are 57.5Q. 4 man ar rested for drunkenness will be fined $425b. possession Of home brew costs $5-.5o, and possessing liquor costs S1325o. Included in each Of these fines are a statc enforcement fee cf S25 and Justice Johnson's $50 court costs. Jail fees are in ad- diuon to these items.
 Thus the regular collection Of court costs is said 10 net Justice Johnson better than $5o5 month, while his jail fees bring him $1t1 or more each month.
 We completed the jail July 1o." said the justice. We had more than 75 prisoners the first 25 days. and l expect l served 15o meals. The madam cooks the meals, and the prisoners ear the same food I do. f is good food"
 So it l9 that this justice Of the peace reaps 2 double e-edgcd profit out ot his licuor law convictions - one profit from the court costs and another from the jail fees. His baili- wick is in state where Prohibition Commissioner W. c Brown says he has encountered Justices who could neither read nor write" where the .harleston Bar Association is in ,estigatinG tho justice courts for al- egedIy cxhoroitanf fees wher the law department of West Virginia is conducting a, study of he justice of the peace system. with ] viev to bettering it.
 Justice Johnson says that it cost . lin $500 to build the jail, but that [ will have paid for itself in year and half.
 Its convenience to the off, ,ers." he says. They don't have 0 take their prisoners to Charles on and this jail is as good as any ,oull find"