Coroner Threatens to Sue County Over Unpaid Bills

Askam does not propose to stand the cut the county commissioners made in his bills for May and, if necessary, will sue the county. In speaking of the action of the commissioners yesterday, he said: 'According to the decision of the commissioners I am not to be allowed pay for cases wherein there is no cause for action. To explain matters more clearly, if a person is drowned in Lake Washington and the case is reported to my office and I go out and make an investigation, resulting in the demonstration that death was accidental, then I am not to receive pay. Now it is absurd to think that I can give my time to investigating cases and when they turn out to be straight, fail to get pay for my work. If a man is killed in a mine I have to go there and look up the matter, go down into the pit and all such things. It may turn out that death was purely accidental. By the ruling of the county commissioners I am compelled to pay my own bills, etc., and yet receive no pay because there was nothing wrong in the death. Now I intend to do my duty as coroner for the term for which I was elected by the people. I do not think the county commissioners have the power to dictate to me what I shall do.'