JUDGE ROUNDS ON TRIAL. Presentation of the Charges of His Opponents. The Judge's Reply to the Charges of His Accusers. No Decision Yet Determined Upon in the Case. [Special to the Press.] AUGUSTA, April 27.-This forenoon a hearing on the appointment of the municipal judge for the city of Calais began in the Council Chamber. Judge Rounds arrived last night, and was present this forenoon, with Hon. O. D. Baker of Augusta, his attorney, and several of his friends from Calais, including A. McNicoll, Esq. Before the hearing began, Gov. Bodwell made a very sensible and straightforward speech to the Council. He said the case was one causing great perplexity. Petitions signed by the best people of Calais were on file for both candidates. He had given careful consideration to the representations of both sides. But he found Judge Rounds, the occupant of the office, having held it one term, and being entitled by usage to a reappointment. Gov. Bodwell said he felt that Judge Rounds should be re-appointed unless good reasons could be shown for setting him aside. Charges had been presented and he (the Governor,) had examined them and placed them before Mr. Rounds. The latter had answered them. After having carefully gone over the charges, and the replies, he had concluded the representations were not sufficient to warrant the rejection of Judge Rounds--a rejection that would brand him throughout the State as unfit for a public position. "But," concluded the Governor, "you gentlemen have seen fit to come here from Calais. I trust that you will get at the facts of the case, and I do not want one of the Council to be swerved in the least degree because of any deference to me. If I have made an improper appointment, I trust that you will do as is your duty to do, refuse to confirm it. But, as I said before, from all that I could learn, it seemed to me, when I made the appointment that it was a fit and proper one." George E. Curran, Esq., of Calais, opened the case for the opponents of Judge Rounds. He came from the City Council of Calais, he said, to oppose Judge Rounds. The temperance question was not involved, nor was it true that the Law and Order League was backing Judge Rounds in preference to Mr. Fowler. "The best citizens of Calais, the decent people, were against Judge Rounds. There must be some reason for this. A man of education, holding an official position in a city, should, as the years go by, gain friends and support. Mr. Rounds had failed to do this. What were the reasons? Mr. Curran proceeded to enumerate them: (a). In 1883-4, Mr. Rounds was discharging the duties of chairman of the school committee of Calais, an office regulating the disbursement of eight or ten thousand dollars yearly. It was complained at this time that there was much looseness in the business methods of the city officers, and the city council passed an order that the officers should render with their accounts the proper vouchers. All the city officers but Mr. Rounds complied. He did not and would not; and ceased to be a committeeman. (b). The law provides that the judge of the mun icipal court shall keep a record of his fines, and every six months pay over to the city the proportion that belongs to it. In fonr years Judge Rounds never paid over a cent, until within a month, when the present trouble arising, he paid over a very paltry sum. (c). The law requires every judge to make and return every month a correct account of all examinations and trials held, of all fines and of all fees collected. For three years of the last four, no such returns have been made. For the last year returns were made after effectady the City Council. There tween the judge and city marshal, and this year the marshal failed of re-eleetion for this reason. (d). The law requires the judge to keep a correct docket of all trials, etc., and once a year transmit it to the county commissioners. Mr. Curran could show by testimony that such a docket had not been kept. (e). The city has been deprived of legitimate revenue by the judge unlawfully allowing the withdrawal of complaints. In one case, a fellow was arrested for running a lottery. The fine would be $100 and costs. The record shows that the fellow settled for $9. This was not the worst. It could be shown by affidavit, Mr. Curran said, that the fellow really paid $48. Where the other $39 went Mr. Curran did not know. After tuis opening Mayor McKusick, Hon. L. G. Downes, Representative J. S. Clark and Mr. L. C. Bailey gave corroborative testimony. Mr. McKusick spoke with great feeling of the sentiment of the people of Calais. During this testimony it was asserted that one time Judge Rounds sent his recorder up to Grand Lake Stream about fifty miles away where some fellows had been fishing illegally--taking white perch, it is said. The recorder mulcted the offenders in the sum of $248.52 in fines and costs. They could not say that either judge or recorder had improperly used the money; but they did believe the proceeding was unlawful, when the court at Calais was the proper place for the trial. While Mr. Bailey was speaking considerable altercation arose as to the attitude of the Law and Order League. Mr. Rounds, who was full of fight and apparently not in the least alarmed that the charges would be sustained, showed that the president, vice president and secretary of the League were with him, and that a good part of the active workers of the League; although the opposition showed that in actual numbers eight more of the League were with them than with the Judge. At this point the hearing adjourned until afternoon, the opponents of Judge Rounds having closed their case. Judge Rounds this afternoon answered seriatim the charges preferred against him, occupying some two hours. In the school matters the opposition was well aware that I was not chairman of the board at the time it is charged I refused to furnish vouchers. When we paid the teachers a pay-roll was sent to the city government with the items on it as had been the custom for years. This was an itemized account and the council would draw on the treasurer, each teacher appending his or her name as paid off. I am not accused of wrongfully appropriating a cent of the city's money. The following letter from Mr. Swan, who was chairman of the board when the charges were made was read by Mr. Rounds: I served on the superintending school committee of Calais as associate with Mr. C. B. Rounds for many years, retiring with him two years ago. A difference of opinion between the school committee and the auditor of accounts for the city as to what technically constituted an adequate voucher of the committee's accounts arose during the last year of our servics. The school committee in the interest of harmony and to meet the views of the auditors, twice changed the method of rendering their monthly accounts and finally to their great inconvenience abandoned the system of "pay roll" which had been the method for many years, and sent to the auditors, separately, every bill petty and large, each vouched for by every member of the committee. There were no other vouchers and could be none. The school committee, while I was a member with Mr. Rounds was never a disbursing committee, and handled no portion of the school money. CHAS. E. SWAN. In regard to the charge that I did not make my monthly school report, I will state that it has never been the custom to do it in times past. I was requested to make the report, and, although it was the duty of the recorder, I personally attended to it and have furnished a report regularly sinoe January 1st, 1887. The charge has been made that my docket was defective and my books were poorly kept. The court had just been inaugurated when I was appointed Judge and I procured some ordinary books. The business being so large in 1885 two large books were purchased by me, in one of which 1 recorded all the civil cases, and in the other the criminal. I also added the old cases, indexing them. If there was a case which was not entered I was not aware of it. I never informed Mr. Downs that I used slips of paper in recording cases, although I have sometimes made records of the papers at my house and afterwards placed them in the books. Mr. Rounds said he did not order the recorder to go up to Grand Lake Stream and attend to the so-celled fish cases. I was sick at the time, he continued, and the whote matter was in his hands and was completed by him. If anything was wrong, I am sorry for it. I never stated to Mr. Downs that I had the fines and costs in my possession. I never received a cent in any of these cases. My advice to the recorder was, if he took one cent more than was right to return it. He believed he had a trial justice's jurisdiction. I received just the fees 'allowed me by law in the case of Charles C. Taylor, who was up on complaint of Mr. Tarbox, for giving an exhibition of an alleged lottery character. The complaint was withdrawn at the request of Mr. Tarbox, Taylor bearing the costs; and if there was any money paid besides, The it was aldermen, without after my knowledge. tion of my books, found that I was in debt a thorough examina$40 for fines, and I paid it as I told them I would. In the case of Frank Todd, where it was without asserted the complaint was withdrawn cause, the county would not bear the costs when there was no conviction, and as the complainant, Fish Warden French concluded that he could not convict, and I