Brooklyn Citizen/1898/Lattin's Work Censured

Lattin's Work Censured. Not Likely that the Deputy Sheriff Will Be Paid in Full. Oyster Bay, Long Island; July 6, 1898. Town Clerk J. L. Long, Justice Walter Franklin and Justice William M. Simonson are a committee appointed at the last meeting of the Town Board to examine the bill of Deputy Sheriff Jarvis A. Lattin of Farmingdale, and cut out all items that appear to them to be illegal. Upon the report of the committee will depend the amount allowed upon the bill, which all the members of the Board agreed is excessive. The bill rendered by the deputy sheriff was $568. covering a period from November 16, 1897, to April 12, 1898. Farmingdale is a quiet place, free from disorder as a rule, and the members of the Board cannot see hew the bill could have been run up to such proportion legally. Accordingly, instead of refusing to audit it, as the Democratic members wished to do, it was voted to have a committee investigate the bill and report at the next meeting. The bill of Justice Simonson for the time between November 8, 1897, and February 28, 1898, was $355.95. It was suggested by some of the committee that his accounts be brought before the committee for. comparison with those of the deputy sheriff whose bill was considered excessive. It is claimed that Lattin has included in his bill certain charges which are entirely wrong. For instance he charges 75 cents for attending court to prefer charges against a prisoner, when the amount allowed is but 50 cents. He has charges for the board of prisoners when the Janitor of the village lock-up is supposed to look after that matter. It is said that in vagrancy cases, he, being the complainant, put in a claim for notifying himself. His bill, if audited at all, will be much reduced.