Coshocton Man Pleads Guilty To Coat Theft

Feb. 7, 1912--Back in the day, the mayor held considerable power within the community. Often, the mayor meted out justice for those less serious offenses. In this case, a man declared his guilt to the mayor in a coat theft case. The mayor fined the man $10 and had the coat returned to it's rightful owner. Simple, but one can see the potential for abuse of power. "You voted for who in the last election? And you stole a coat? That'll be a $50 fine and 10 days in jail." I guess that's why mayors don't have those powers anymore.