The $5,000 Price of Freedom: Tacoma's Wilcox Trial and the Taxpayers' Burden

AN EXPENSIVE TRIAL. Wilcox Imposed a Heavy Load on Taxpayers. THE PRICE OF FREEDOM $5,000. Burglar Williams Will Not Escape—A Homesteader Demands Possession of His Claim.

The great cost necessarily imposed upon taxpayers by a criminal prosecution is well illustrated by the Wilcox case. The number of witnesses was unusually large, even for a murder trial, and the fact that most of them lived out of the city materially increased the expense. One of the state's best witnesses was brought from Los Angeles, another from Spokane and a third from Olympia. A drug clerk, who is now in Portland, could not be secured by the state, or his bill would have been added. All of the other witnesses reside in Tacoma, except one from Snohomish in behalf of the defense and those in this city.

Milton Massena, the Los Angeles witness, according to the record in the clerk's office, was allowed $137, his certificate being no greater because Prosecuting Attorney Hastie and Deputy Wilshire refused to grant him fees for the jail he had to travel in coming and returning. Massena's bill substantially covered his attendance, mileage from the Columbia river and reasonable expenses outside the state. The next largest bill was that of J. H. Johnson, of Spokane county, who was given 73½ miles and two days' attendance. Most of the Tacoma witnesses were each in attendance three days, and their average bill was $11.80, that is, $6 attendance and $5.80 for the round trip of fifty-six miles. Thirty-five witnesses were subpoenaed for the state and forty-one for the defense, a total of seventy-six.

Little difficulty was met with in securing the jury. Seven of the regular panel were retained and out of the nineteen men brought in on open venires the remaining five were chosen. The expense in this respect was not so great as at the former trial, when it was most difficult to obtain jurymen.

Tabulated, the expense is as follows: Witnesses for state $748.50 Witnesses for defense $76.40 Total for witnesses $824.90 Jurors $120.80 Total $945.70

The above statement includes merely the cost of the proceedings in court, the sheriff's fees and the expenses of the preliminary hearing and previous trial not being counted in. Adding the sheriff's fees and the expense of the hearing preliminary to the first trial, $687.70, the total is $1,633.40. If to that is added the cost of the previous trial and the numberless other items, the grand total of expense to the state and county in setting at liberty William A. Wilcox has been more than $5,000.

In the trial just closed the expense has been kept down to the lowest figure, the court and counsel for state and the accused having co-operated to that end. Each witness was excused, if possible, at the instant his testimony was completed.

The Wilcox trial has also shown the high value at which county warrants are held as an investment. All certificates during the week were eagerly bought up. Heretofore the figure has been much lower.

The missing witness, ex-Sheriff James P. Woolery, was brought before the bar of the court yesterday on the bench warrant issued May 22. He was released on a personal recognizance of $50 and the cause was continued for further investigation.