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Show THE 1NMCTMKNT IJI'ASHEI Fonr Selectmen Dlnml.ned of Allegations of Conspiracy, District Attorney Varian today dismissed dis-missed the indictments against the former for-mer body of selectmen, which has been hanging" over them for some months. There were tyo indictments indict-ments charging conspiracy to defraud. The indictment charged that Klias A. Smilh. Frances Armstrong, Klijah Wei-ler Wei-ler and Samuel Bemiine conspired to defraud the county by procuring and causing to bo drawn certain warrants in favor of the defendant. Klias A. Smith, for the payment of certain moneys nut of tho treasury of said county for alleged services ns superintendent su-perintendent of county affairs; that the substance of the matter out of which the indictments grew was tho attemp- ted creation of an ollico designated as 1 superintendent of county affairs and the appointment of said Smith, the probate judge of said county as the incumbent of said office. , In his motion to quash Mr. Varian said that continuously and for many years last past the various county courts of the said county had claimed and exercised such ritrbt in the premises prem-ises and the several judges of probate had accepted the oflice o created and the salary appropriated therefor, and it is further represented that until the presenting of the indictments, the district dis-trict attorney is advised nnd bulieves no question of wrong doing or criminal neglect on the part of the oflicers has ever been made, and it is not believed that the criminal intention necessary lo warrant a conviction existed in either of these cases. . In response to a qui si ion Mr. arian said it would not be his province to use the men who have heretofore held that oilier to collect the Salary I''1'- 'l l,:lt work lies with the county attorney. -va- i |
