OCR Text |
Show H During the trial of the Jones vs. H Tribune libel suit Truth refrained H from making any comments upon the H case. While tho verdict In vlow of H the testimony adduced before the jury H was no surprise, It puts Mr. Jones In H a much worse light than ho deserves. H It Is true that Jones, In his system of H bookkeeping, If it could bo designated H as a system at all, would have been H exceedingly unwise for a private Indl- H vldual to have followed In his own H business and in tho case of a man H managing a public Institution and H handling public funds tho unwisdom H of It Is doubly accentuated, but wo H do not believe that Jones mlsappro- H ' prlatod or applied to his own use one H cent of tho public money. It is truo H that in tho purchase of meats and oth- H cr supplies for his own table ho had H them charged to tho county Infirmary, H in order to get them at wholesale H prices, but ho segregated tho amounts H chargeablo to himself and paid the H sums into tho infirmary contingent H fund. It was a foolish way of doing H, business and on the faco of tho In- Hlf flrmary accounts was prima faclo Jus- H( tlflcatlon for a newspaper to criticize H I Jones as tho Tribune did. Tho at- H tack of the Trlbuno was of course H malicious and put Jones in tho worst H j possible light, but Jones by his own H j incautlon gave the Trlbuno the open- H j lng and tho Tribune did not fall to Ht take full advantage of it. Jones also Hi accounted to tho county in a round- Hf about way for the produce raised on! H the infirmary farm and sold or ex- Hf changed, but hero again his system Hj was bad, and his neglect to furnish H formal detailed statements perlodU Hi I:, cally for tho approval of tho county board was a grave mistake. Tho charge of perjury -ygalnst Jones for swearing to tho correctness of pay ro'.ls In which ho and others employed under him at tho Inllrmary were paid a few trifling amounts as extra compensation com-pensation becauso they remained at their posts instead of taking a couplo of weeks' vacation annually could not, we think, bo sustained. Tho sums were appropriated by tho county board with full knowledge of their nn-turo nn-turo and probably at tho suggestion of tho board Itself, which deemed It for tho advantago of tho county that Jones and tho employes In question ques-tion should stay at their posts Instead of taking vacations. As to tho quality of tho meat and other articles purchased pur-chased fcr the use of tho inmates of tho infirmary the evidence warranted tho conclusion that Jones was too penurious pe-nurious and although the county, not Jones, benefitted by the' very low prices paid for tho Inferior articles, such checso pairing was not justlll-able justlll-able and not necessary. Tho outcome of tho suit was a victory vic-tory for tho Tribune and a great victory for Judges Powers and Marlo-neaux, Marlo-neaux, who defended tho suit on behalf be-half of tho Trlbuno. Judge Powers' address to tho jury was a most masterly mas-terly effort and adds new laurels to his already copiously bedecked brow. |