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sheriffmore about sheriff

sheriff

 

  3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Sheriff  \Sher"iff\,  n.  [OE.  shereve,  AS  sc[=i]r-ger?fa;  sc[=i]r 
  a  shire  +  ger?fa  a  reeve.  See  Shire,  and  {Reeve},  and  cf 
  {Shrievalty}.] 
  The  chief  officer  of  a  shire  or  county,  to  whom  is  intrusted 
  the  execution  of  the  laws,  the  serving  of  judicial  writs  and 
  processes,  and  the  preservation  of  the  peace. 
 
  Note:  In  England,  sheriffs  are  appointed  by  the  king.  In  the 
  United  States,  sheriffs  are  elected  by  the  legislature 
  or  by  the  citizens,  or  appointed  and  commissioned  by 
  the  executive  of  the  State.  The  office  of  sheriff  in 
  England  is  judicial  and  ministerial.  In  the  United 
  States,  it  is  mainly  ministerial.  The  sheriff,  by 
  himself  or  his  deputies,  executes  civil  and  criminal 
  process  throughout  the  county,  has  charge  of  the  jail 
  and  prisoners,  attends  courts,  and  keeps  the  peace.  His 
  judicial  authority  is  generally  confined  to 
  ascertaining  damages  on  writs  of  inquiry  and  the  like 
  Sheriff,  in  Scotland,  called  sheriff  depute,  is 
  properly  a  judge,  having  also  certain  ministerial 
  powers.  Sheriff  clerk  is  the  clerk  of  the  Sheriff's 
  Court  in  Scotland.  Sheriff's  Court  in  London  is  a 
  tribunal  having  cognizance  of  certain  personal  actions 
  in  that  city.  --Wharton,  Tomlins  Erskine. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  sheriff 
  n  :  the  principal  law-enforcement  officer  in  a  county 
 
  From  THE  DEVIL'S  DICTIONARY  ((C)1911  Released  April  15  1993)  [devils]: 
 
  SHERIFF,  n.  In  America  the  chief  executive  office  of  a  country,  whose 
  most  characteristic  duties,  in  some  of  the  Western  and  Southern 
  States,  are  the  catching  and  hanging  of  rogues. 
 
  John  Elmer  Pettibone  Cajee 
  (I  write  of  him  with  little  glee) 
  Was  just  as  bad  as  he  could  be 
 
  'Twas  frequently  remarked:  "I  swon! 
  The  sun  has  never  looked  upon 
  So  bad  a  man  as  Neighbor  John." 
 
  A  sinner  through  and  through  he  had 
  This  added  fault:  it  made  him  mad 
  To  know  another  man  was  bad 
 
  In  such  a  case  he  thought  it  right 
  To  rise  at  any  hour  of  night 
  And  quench  that  wicked  person's  light. 
 
  Despite  the  town's  entreaties,  he 
  Would  hale  him  to  the  nearest  tree 
  And  leave  him  swinging  wide  and  free 
 
  Or  sometimes  if  the  humor  came 
  A  luckless  wight's  reluctant  frame 
  Was  given  to  the  cheerful  flame. 
 
  While  it  was  turning  nice  and  brown, 
  All  unconcerned  John  met  the  frown 
  Of  that  austere  and  righteous  town. 
 
  "How  sad,"  his  neighbors  said  "that  he 
  So  scornful  of  the  law  should  be  -- 
  An  anar  c,  h,  i,  s,  t." 
 
  (That  is  the  way  that  they  preferred 
  To  utter  the  abhorrent  word 
  So  strong  the  aversion  that  it  stirred.) 
 
  "Resolved,"  they  said  continuing, 
  "That  Badman  John  must  cease  this  thing 
  Of  having  his  unlawful  fling. 
 
  "Now,  by  these  sacred  relics"  --  here 
  Each  man  had  out  a  souvenir 
  Got  at  a  lynching  yesteryear  -- 
 
  "By  these  we  swear  he  shall  forsake 
  His  ways,  nor  cause  our  hearts  to  ache 
  By  sins  of  rope  and  torch  and  stake. 
 
  "We'll  tie  his  red  right  hand  until 
  He'll  have  small  freedom  to  fulfil 
  The  mandates  of  his  lawless  will." 
 
  So  in  convention  then  and  there 
  They  named  him  Sheriff.  The  affair 
  Was  opened,  it  is  said  with  prayer. 
  J.  Milton  Sloluck




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