Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 September 1874 — BILLS ALLOWED. [ARTICLE]

BILLS ALLOWED.

The attention of taxpayers is called to two bills allowed at the last term of our Commissioners’ Court, *to-wit: That of C. M. Kiselv, Sheriff of Tippecanoe county, for kccpi£~ John Newcome, prisoner fro.*® Jasper county j and that of Lewis L. r * iff of Jasper county, for rfttaru~* Patrick Jlarten, delivered into las”

custody on a civil action. The specifications of the first bill are :• j Boarding John Newcome 92 days ajt ! 60 cents per day, $55.20 ; washing 7| dozen peices at $1 per dozen $7.75; use of jail, fuel and lights, $13.80; shirts and shoes, $5.50. Mr. Thos. J. Spitler, county attorney, was present when this bill was presented, and called the attention of Messrs. Jared Benjamin and Samuel McCullough, commissioners (Mr. Parkison being absent), to the fact that John Newcome, tb# prisoner, was'not incarcerated in the jail at Lafayette: but* that he

had the liberty of the city and was employed by Mr. Sheriff Nisely to run of errands, do marketing for liis family, care for his horses, etc., and earned wages by work outside of the jail premises. Mr. Spitler argued that Nisely had no rightful claim on the county of Jasper for boarding, washing for, and clothing a person whom he employed as a servant about his premises. Mr. Daugherty’s bill is a claim for guarding Patrick Barton 26 days and 26 nights, #45 ; or about $1.73 per 24 hours. It is well known to the residents of Rensselaer that Barton was strolling about the streets of this tow r n day after day, sometimes alone and sometimes “guarded” by Mr. Daugherty’s little boy, six or seven years old. He was frequently driving around with the sheriff’s children and team, and for five days, at least, he was kept on the Poor Farm in the “crazy cell” by order of the Board of Commissioners. Mr. Spitler, as county attorney, called the attention of Messrs. Benjamin and McCullough (Mr. Parkison being absent from the Board) that, Ist. Mr. Daugherty had no claim against the county whatever, as this was a civil case, where the county was not interested, and that Mr. Daugherty’s recourse was against the estate of John McCarthy, whose administrator had brought the suit, and that a lawful claim made out and-presented to said administrator would be paid out of the first moneys of the estate. 2d. That Daugherty’s bill was extortionate and far above that allowed by law, which limits the compensation for boarding a prisoner (and that was all the sheriff had a right to claim) to 60 cents a day. Before the Commissioners, at the same time, was a bill filed by Philip McElfresh, lessee of the Poor Farm, in which was an item for boarding the same Patrick Barton five days at 40 cents a day, $2. — This item was not allowed Dy Messrs. Benjamin and McCullough, who did allow the balance of the claim, and Sir. McElfresh was directed to go to Sheriff Daugherty for his pay. Items in-the Barton matter. The Sheriff files a bill muter oath claiming $1.73 a day for services which the statute only allows 60 ccr.ts. The Sheriff files a claim against the county for services at $1.73 a day, for which Mr. McElfrcsh only charges 40 cents a day. The Commissioners allow a $45 claim, which was not only unjust and extortionate, but which they had uo right to pay.