The Dry Law Comes to the Courthouse: Auditor Accused of Pouring Drinks for Commissioners
Prosecuting Attorney C. W. Fristoe filed four complaints against Auditor J. C. Syfford, alleging he served liquor to county commissioners and others in the commissioners' room. Syfford says he is ready for court.
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There seems to be no telling what will happen next in the courthouse row, and a new sensation may be sprung at any minute. In fact, a distinctly new one was sprung last Thursday when Prosecuting Attorney C. W. Fristoe filed four complaints against Auditor J. C. Syfford charging him with illicitly giving away liquor.
The prosecutor alleges that Mr. Syfford served the drinks to Commissioners F. L. Bash and R. E. Pratt, Attorney E. E. Todd and J. B. Clements in the commissioners' room in the courthouse. The hearing was set for Monday of this week but has been postponed until next Monday.
The incident doesn't seem to be worrying Mr. Syfford much. He says he has engaged attorneys and is ready to meet the charges in court and looks upon the affair as one of the many little unpleasant situations which he will probably be called upon to meet before the courthouse scrap has been settled.
“The incident doesn't seem to be worrying Mr. Syfford much. He says he has engaged attorneys and is ready to meet the charges in court.”
Dry-law enforcement in 1917 turned county offices into a stage for personal and political feuds. Today, officials' conduct in office still fuels local scandal, even when the charges and the politics have changed. The courthouse row shows how a small-town government fight can become community theater.
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