(This duty did not appear to be related to his duties with the Sheriff’s Office.) In September of 1812, it became necessary for him to make a trip to Oswego in regards to his official capacity as Custodian of the arsenal. In 1812, at age 60, Beebe was also custodian of the arsenal located on Onondaga Hill. James Beebe was the county’s first “Jailer”. If a prisoner killed another person during an escape, it was considered willful murder. If a prisoner was killed in an attempted escape, it was considered justifiable homicide. Irons were authorized for felons in order to hamper escapes. The Sheriff and/or his deputies were responsible for paying the debts of escapees. The cell doors had a diamond-shaped hole through which the prisoners received light and food.Ĭriminals and Debtors were housed in the jail. The jail cells and doors were constructed of heavy oak planks with wrought iron spikes. Prior to this jail, prisoners were transported to jails in Herkimer, Rome, or Whitesboro, New York) The first floor served as the jail and apartment for the Jailer and the second floor served as the courthouse. (The jail would not be completed until 1810. The Sheriff was paid 32 pounds and 11 shillings for the arrest.Ĭonstruction begins on the Onondaga Hill Jail. The first recorded arrest was James Fitzgerald for assault and battery and attempted robbery. Sheriffs were paid by a fee system for services rendered – serving civil process, transporting prisoners, and making arrests. Terms of office were limited to a single four-year term they could not hold office for a consecutive term. The Sheriff was an appointed post, appointed by the Governor, and an oath of office was required. The County Sheriff’s Office was also formed on March 5th. There was a population of 2000 settlers (many were veterans of the Revolutionary War) along with two Iroquois nations – Onondaga and Cayuga. It becomes the 21st county in New York State and was comprised of 1.75 million acres (what is now all of Onondaga, Cortland, Cayuga and Seneca counties, and parts of Oswego, Tompkins, Schuyler, Yates, Tioga, and Herkimer counties). Onondaga County is formed on March 5th, 1794. Colbraith, yet early references refer to him being an Irishman with a capacious soul and genuine good humor. The Military Tract witnessed the region’s first sheriff, a veteran of the American Revolution, Col. One of these provisions would eventually include the pension provision of free land in an area of more than 1.5 million acres in central New York that would become known as the Military Tract. Furthermore, in parts of the country, including New York State, the sheriff is still considered the chief law enforcement official within a county.īy an act of Congress on the 16th of September 1776, provisions were made for bounties to be offered to the soldiers enlisting in the Continental Army during the war. These traditions allow the office of the sheriff to occupy a unique place in the justice system – serving civil process, maintaining jail facilities, and law enforcement. Since the legal system in the United States developed along English common law lines, it maintained the position of sheriff and the traditions that accompany that position. Instead, a court system was established and the sheriff developed into an executive arm of the courts, carrying out writs, apprehending offenders, maintaining jail facilities, and punishing guilty persons as directed by the courts. Under Norman rule, the sheriff’s responsibility was modified in that he no longer tried cases. sparked changes and reforms that marked the beginning of what is now known as the Common Law Legal System. ![]() The Norman invasion and conquest of 1066 A.D. He also had the authority to mobilize the entire civil force of the shire in cases of emergency. Under Saxon rule, the sheriff’s duties were extensive and included not only apprehending offenders, but jailing them, summoning a jury, and trying the offenders as well. ![]() ![]()
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