The Price of Freedom
A local man chooses to serve time in the county jail rather than have his cash bond seized to pay his legal fines.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Fagan Scott, convicted of assault with a deadly weapon at the last session of the superior court and sentenced to pay a fine of $400 and costs amounting to $51, will serve his fine out in the county jail as he originally intended. The garnishment suit brought by the state to collect the fine out of the $500 cash bond Scott placed with the clerk to insure his appearance at his trial was decided by Judge Brents this morning in favor of the defendant. The bond money will be returned to Scott immediately. The suit was directed at Clerk Hauerbach as custodian of Scott's bond. Scott preferred to serve the fine out in the county jail and began his sentence two weeks ago. If he serves out the full fine he will secure his liberty some time next March.
“Fagan Scott, convicted of assault with a deadly weapon... will serve his fine out in the county jail as he originally intended.”
This case highlights the enduring, often predatory relationship between the court system and the finances of the accused. Even in 1903, the struggle over whether bond money is collateral for justice or a tool for state revenue collection remains a core tension in our modern legal landscape.
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