The Rough Writers

The Rough Writers

Get After the Sheriff's Scalp Through His Deputy

ON CANFIELD'S BILL

A Bitter Attach Is Made But the Board Compromises

Allmendinger's Terridic Arraignment of the Jail. - Dean Leads the Fighting.-Week's Doings of the Supervisors

The board of supervisors has put in rather a busy week, the most exciting question before them being Under Sheriff Canfield's bill, which Supervisor Dean reported from the Criminal Claims committee last Friday with the recommendation that it be cut from $656. 39 to $546.59. After a three days siege the bill was finally allowed Tuesday at $589.00. The principal cut by the committee and the bone of contention was the striking out of $85 for a trip to Chicago last fall in search of the wayward daughter of a clergyman then residing in this city, who disappeared from Kalamazoo where she had been sent to school. This bill was made up of the following charges: Railroad fare to Chicago, $6.65, hacks in Chicago $15, street car far $5, assistant in Chicago $14, hotel $15, telegraph $5.50, railroad fare to Ann Arbor $6.50, six days services $18.

Col. Dean, in making the report, contended that there was no criminal charge against the girl and no warrant had been issued in the case. Sheriff Judson asked permission to explain the matter. On the father's appeal to him to find the girl he had gone to the prosecuting Attorney, who gave him an order to send Canfleld to Chicago. It was discovered that she had taken the train from Kalamazoo for Chicago. In the meantime the sheriff said he had been working on the case and found she had approached a doctor there to have a criminal operation performed. In eight or ten days she wrote her father from Vermont and Canfield was called back. The guilty young man paid an attorney's expenses there and back.

Supervisor Bibbins thought tbe fellow should pay all the expenses.

Supervisor Dean said " I am not so sure but what he did. "

Mr. Judson just faintly caught this remark but heard enough to know its import. He was busy looking through the bills, but he glanced around sharply and said hotly, "Did you say that he paid me? What did you say, Mr. Dean?"

Mr. Dean replied "I said that I was not certain that the father of the girl didn't pay the bills." Mr. Judson answered, "Well, I am certain that he did not pay me anything."

It seemed that Mr. Dean had also stated that the committee had decided to report adversely to allowing the deputies' bills for hunting for ''stolen steers" in the township of York, which turned out to be smothered in a straw stack instead of being stolen. About this time Jndge Babbitt, who is acting prosecuting attorney, took a hand in the discussion and said that it was a very unsafe precedent for the board to establish that an officer shall not step out of bis tracks to bring guilty parties to justice unless he has a warrant. When we approach an officer to aid us in pursuing a criminal we expect him to act. For the board to say that it does not make any more distinction in the protection of a mother, sister or daughter than for a steer is horrible to think of. -The board is here to protect the people of this county and this bill which will hold out assurance to the public that they are being protected should be passed.

Supervisor Allmendinger had moved that the report be accepted and adopted. .Supervisor Millard moved to amend by adding $85 to the amount allowed by the committee. Mr. Allmendinger thought if the father of the girl was able to pay $100 for the girl's schooling he was able to spend some of his own money in looking her up.

The Millard amendment was lost by a vote of 11 yeas 12 days, as follows:

Yeas - Millard, Fisoher, Krapf, Tuomey, Seyler, Burtless, 'Donegan, VanSickle, Lighthall, Molntyre, MnCnllough - 11.

Nays - Dean,Allmendinger, Bibbins, Clark, Beach, Case, Fowler, Whitaker, Hall, Kenny, Hunter, Damon- 12.

The motion of Mr. Allmendinger to allow the bill at $546.95 was then carried.

Monday, Mr. McCullough, of Ypsilanti, moved that tha bill be reconsidered.

Mr. Dean, on behalf of the committee, said that the committee had very carefully considered the whole matter. He reviewed the case and said that he believed every dollar of the expense of going to Chicago would have been borne by the parents of the guilty young man, had the bill been presented to them. They had done all they could to right a wrong. They had taken care of the girl and had paid the expenses of an attorney to Vermont. The city of Chicago maintains a police force to look up these things and a telegram to Chicago would have done this work at trivial expense. If it was thought that the girl was abducted, then she was abducted from Kalamazoo and it belonged to the officers of that county to look her up.

Mr. Case made the point that it would take 15 affirmative votes to pass the bill. After considerable discussion on parliamentary points the bill was reconsidered by a vote of 17 to 1 as follows :

Yeas- Millard, Fischer, Krapf. Kitson, Boyle, Tuomey, Bibbins, Seyler, Howlett, Burtless, Donegan, VauSiokle, Iiigbtball, Keuny, Molutyte. Hunrer, McCullougb - 17.

Nays - Dean, Allmendinger, Wal ter, Clark, Dettling, Beaoh, Case, Fovvler, Whitaker, Hall, Damon - 11

Mr. Millard moved that $60 be added to the bill as recommended. Mr. Dean moved an amendment that the bill be allowed as recommended by the cotnmittee.

Mr. Allmendinger asked Sheriff Jodsod who the $14 in the bill given as aid for assistant in Chicago, had been paid to. The sheriff said he didn't know who it was. Mr. Allmendinger said, "Was it ever paid?" The sheriff rejoined, "It certainly was." Mt. Allmendinger wanted to know why the name was not put in the bill. The sheriff said, "It never is. The police furnish us a man and we don't stop to enquire who he is. " Mr. Allmendinger continued :

"I have been told that assistants in these cases do their work gratis. Of course if these men are successful in these searches they are usually rewarded by $3 or $5. But in this case there was an utter failure. There is a charge of $5 for street car fares. Why by taking transfers in Chicago yon can ride a 100 miles for 5 cents. This charge of $15 for backs is preposterous. Now, the guilty young man in this case is known to the police and he should not be shielded. His name should be published. The name of the young girl was put in tbe papers. Last Saturday night a local paper came out and said that it was for her protection that her name was concealed, and the reporter who wrote it is here today, and yet in bis sheet her name appeared in connection with this affair, and it was in all the Detroit and Chicago papers. It bas been a notorious thing that for a year or more within a stone's throw of the county jail, there has been a house of prostitution, and there have been open charges that either in the sheriff's posse or in the crowd controlled by the marshal, another of his deputies, money had been received for police protection. Ladies have come to me and said that the prisoners at the jail are allowed to make night hideous. Liquor bas been passed in through the bars to the prisoners and they have wanted to know how long this would continue. I have told them that the man in charge of the jail seems to be omnipotent, but the republican nominee for sheriff is a reputable man and I had understood that the democratic nominee is a reputable man, and that after Jan. 1, these things would end. And for the first time in the history of Washtenaw county the report bas been sent out that a woman has been debauched within the four walls of the jail."

Mr. Allmeninger closed with the as sertion that he has been told that the sheriff had made his boasts in the streets that he could pass any kind of a bill through the board.

Mr. Case said no warrant had been issued in the case. Tbe girl was over tbe age of consent.

Mr. Lighthall said that when a man avers that Mr. Jadson or any official has this board to his liking, it is unfair to the board. As for himself he could not be influenced by any man and the man lowers himself who puts himself on record as the tool of Mr. Judson or anybody else. This trip was ordered by the prosecuting attorney, and he thought it ought to be paid with the cut of $25 proposed.

Mr. Dean's amendment was lost by a vote of 13 to 15 as follows:

Yeas - Deau, Kitson, Allmendinger, Walter, Clark, Dettling, Beacb, Case, Fowler, Whitaker, Hanter, Hall, Damon - 13.

Nays - Millard,Fisoher,Krapf,Boyle, Tuomey, Bibbius, Seyler, Howlett, Burtless, Donegan, VanSickle, Lighthall, Kenny, Mclutyre, McCaliougb -15.

Mr. Millard's motion to allow $60 on this bill was then lost by a vote of 14 in favor of the motion to 13 against, the chair ruling that 15, a majority of the members-elect was necessary.

Mr. Bibbins declined to vote and the yeas with this exception were the same as were cast against the Dean motion. The board then adjourned nntil Tuesday.

Tuesday morning the bill again came up as unfinished business, when Mr. Allmendinger moved that the bill be referred back to the committee. Mr. Bibbins moved to amend by adding $42.50 to the bill as recommended by the committee. After a heated discussion this amendment was passed by a vote of 17 to 5. The nays were Allmendinger, Beach, Hall, Hunter and Damon. There were absent or not voting, Dean, Case Millard, Lighhall and Cark. The motion as amended was then carried and the bill allowed at $589.09.

On Friday the list of persons who have the care of the burial of deceased soldiers was gone through and confirmed the same as last year with the exception that Richard Whalian was substituted for M. E. McNeill in Dexter township.

On Monday afternoon, Mr. Millard reported the bill of the city for paving in front of the court house at $1,265.88. Supervisor Case moved that the bill be disallowed. Messrs. Dean, BoyIe, and Allmendinger spoke of the fairness of the county paying their share for the improvement of their property the same as individuals pay for improvements to their property. Mr. Whitaker was in favor of paying a portion of the bill. Mr. Case argued against the bill. Mr. Boyle moved that the bill be allowed at one-half. This was lost and Mr. Allmendinger moved that the bill be allowed at $500. This was also lost by a vote of 10 to 17. The yea votes were the seven city supervisors and Burtless, VanSickle aud Whittaker. The bill was then disallowed by 18 to 9.

Bills of $50 each for taking care of sparrow orders from the treasurer and clerk were disallowed and on Tuesday bills of $15.00 and $9.50 from the clerks of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti were disallowed without debate ot division. Deputy Sheriff Wackenbut's bill for $680.49 was allowed at $672.24. Deputy Sherifi Farrell's bill for $73.33 was allowed at $50.73 and Deputy Sheriff Hubn's bill for $180.52 was allowed at $178.52.

The building committee's report showed that $1,233.56 had been expended for rebuilding the stone steps on three sides of the court house square; that $1,015.87 had been expended for reshingling the roofs of the county house buildings and repairing and repainting the buildings; that $514.07 had been expended for repairs to the court house and jail and furniture for he same and that their own bills had been $199.16.

On Wednesday three more deputy sheriffs" bills were allowed. Jacob Staffan's bill for $195 41 was allowed at $193.12. Stanton Ferguson's bill for $59.12 was allowed at $57.12, and Louis Wilcox's bill for $77.54 was allowed at $66.54. Dr. Blair's bill for 10 for attending a patient who had been removed from the jail to a private house was disallowed, as being a mater for the city to care for.

Dr. Shaw's bill for services in the Beckwith case was brought up again his year. Mr. Case moved that the board refuse to have the bill brought before the board which was carried by a vote of 18 to 4.

The matter of equalization was brought up yesterday and will be found in another column.

Dr. Blair was made jail physician for the ensuing year. The printing of the proceedings of the board in pamphlet form and in the newspaper was awarded to the Courier for $91.25 and the Hausfreund-Post was given $60 to print the proceedings in German. The custody of the county funds was awarded to the Ann Arbor Savings Bank which pays the county 2 per cent interest on daily balances and charges 51/2 per cent interest on overdrafts.