 Chafin 's vast power attracted the attention of mine operators , who paid him to keep the unions out of Logan County . The operators bribed Chafin with large payments , and paid many of the expenses of the sheriff 's department . While the exact payments to Chafin are unknown , a special commission ordered by Governor John Cornwell found that he received a payment of at least $ 32 @,@ 700 per year in return for keeping the union out of Logan County . Other estimates of the bribes paid to Chafin range as high as $ 61 @,@ 571 in 1921 , and other evidence suggests the possibility of even higher figures . The historian Robert Shogan reports that although Chafin 's annual salary was only $ 3 @,@ 500 per year , his net worth by 1921 was in excess of $ 350 @,@ 000 , suggesting that he received bribes of at least $ 50 @,@ 000 annually . 
