FULTON COUNTY, GA - Newspaper  Coal Dealers in Court in Atlanta.


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Coal Dealers in Court in Atlanta.

December 08, 1899   Atlanta Constitution


COAL DEALERS IN COURT.


Twenty-eight coal dealers were arraigned before the
recorder yesterday afternoon on the charge of
violating section 132 of the city code.  The twenty-
eight all pleaded guilty, but stated they were
ignorant of the fact that such an ordinace was in
existance.


The cases were made by city Detectives Chosewood and
Walton and were the outcome of the move made by the
Mayor to enforce the city laws regulating the sale
of coal in the city.


The matter started a few days ago when the mayor
stated to the council that it had been brought to
his attention that certain coal dealers were
practicing fraud in the issuing of certificated from
the city weighters, and that these dealers had been
using certificates which had not been procured from
the city weighters.


A committee from the coal dealers called on the
mayor Wednesday and asked him to have a law passed
regulating the weighing of the coal wagons and the
issuing of the certificates. To their utter surprise
the mayor informed them there was such a law in
existence and it was passed by the city council nine
years ago.



In the meantime Detectives WALTON and CHOSEWOOD had
been detailed to visit all the coal dealers to
ascertain if they had violated the city ordinance.
They found twenty-eight dealers whose wagons had not
been weighed as prescribed by the ordinance, and
cases were made against them.




The dealers who appeared as defendants in the police
court yesterday were:


C. H. STATON            J. R. STOWERS
H. H. STOWERS           J. D. STOCKS
J. M. KARWISCH          W. H. McMEACHIN
W. B. SMITH             HENRY PRIESS
G. H. ROSE              W. R. DONALDSON
R. F. BOLAND            M. G. WHITLOCK
J. J. TAYLOR            O. H. STARNES
J. B. HEAD              GEORGE BANCROFT
R. H. RANDALL           C. L. HARDEMAN
C. L. TRUITT            R. O. CAMPBELL
J. D. FINCHER           LEWIS SHERMAN
G. H. HANNAH            F. M. SHERIDAN
F. W. STONE             J. J. TAYLOR
C. J. PIPKIN            C. C. MOONEY
G. G. BEACHEM



THE LAW CITED


All coal dealers in the city of Atlanta shall have
their wagons weighed by one of the city weighers at
least once a week and procure a certificate
therefore - which shall be done without charge or
fee.  They shall weigh their wagons every day and in
wet and muddy weather shall weigh the wagon every
load and give the weight of the wagon and the net
amount of coal on regular blanks made to contain the
name of the dealer, the weight of the wagon, on net
weight of coal and the name of the driver of the
team; and for a violation of this section, upon
conviction before the recorder, shall pay a fine of
not less than $10 or service not less than ten days
upon the public works, either or both in the
discretion of the recorder.



The recorder decided to dismiss all the cases on
account the fact that the law had not been hitherto
rigidly enforced and owing to the further fact that
the coal dealers had been ignorant of the existence
of the law. I will dismiss these cases," said the
recorder, "but I warn all the coal dealers in the
city if another case of the kind comes before me
that I will impose a heavy fine."