The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1859-03-02

collected, or has been absorbed by expenses Of
collection, or in some other manner st present
unknown The Treasurer's per centage for
collection is but a small part Of this deficiency,
and il may be well to examine into the caus tof
It. 1t certainly should attract the attention Of
tax-payipg people. rt-
q In closing this part of our report, Il is proper
70 say that we have made every effort 10 ascer-
tain the whole truth in relation to the official
conduct and transactions Of John G. Breslin, but
we know that much is yet 10 be disclosed. Such
was the secret and confidential nature Of his
movements. that they seem to defy scrutiny
in the hands or under the control Of three par
ties only, he admits be has concealed about
5000, 900 of the known deialcation, the aeknowl-
edged property of the State. Whatever may be
the nature of the assets we are confident they are
not Immediately available as cash, but he propo-
ses to take steps for their conversion into
money, aud TO pay whatever may be re-
allied from them into the Treasury. But II
these assets are the property of the State
of Ohio, wrongfully taken and withheld,
BY what rule of reason, justice or. Jaw, can
Mr.. Breslin insist that be alone, without the CO.
operation or advice Of the State authorities, and
unquestioned, shall be the sole judge of the
value. propriety, manner, or time, of converting
them into money.
! The losses directly attributable to Mr.. Bres
Inns conduct will be stated hereafter.
III. WILLIAM II. GIBSON.
The third duty assigned u.s. to investigate the
official accounts transactions and conduct Of William II.
Gilson, lyte Treasurer OF State.
No part the mystery of the Treasury defacaon ia
difficult Of satisfactory solution, than that which
implicates Mr.. Gibson particpator in it. While he
has repeatedly in the most solemn ocia form released
Mr.. Breslin from all responsibility for it and acknow
edged the receipt in full Of all moneys shown to be due
from him. he has upon his solemn oath that he re-
ceyed only part and referred TO his receipts and the ac
knowledgmens of his predecessor to sustain him. While
Mr.. Breslin asseverates in the most emphatic language
that Mr.. Gibson cognizan of this defalcaton and
In way implicated in it. the testimony we have taken
including Mr.. Gibsons ownconvcts him as an accessory
and principal and proves the declaration 10 De IN part
untrue. While they both ask TO be relieved from the
mputaon of cme and the one solcits iorhearance and
the other demands justice tney %nGa s
ons with secrecy to which the honest and innocent
never resort. s - -
II Mr. Gibson was not cognEant Of Mr.. Bresns Illegal
conduct while office, and connected with him in some
form Ia his depredaons upon the treasury he has shown
himself by his neglect to make even me most orolnaIy
rtanng that the amount appearing to be due from
Mr. Bfesn not to be paid to him, TO be utterly de-
void of comu and totally unit TO occupy ane
position Of responsibility and tust The inexplicahy
conduct Bresn and Gibson regard to all their trans
actions with each other Is totally Incompatible win eve
ry idea we can conceive of official personal integrity
As we have shown in that part of our report having
special reference Mr. Bresn there was due from him
which he went out Of Office Se55 $50 81 which he should
have paid to his Mr. Gibson For no part OF
this sum, had Mr. Breslin accounted previously as hay
ing been lost suspended in unpaid deposits or in any
other form. This whole amount should therefore, Oh
right in the Treasury in actual money ready
to be paid Mr.. Gibson, by law, was the only per-
son ermited to know who could have any opportu-
nifty of knowing whether the money was actually paid
lie had just taken and subscribed an oath althuly 70
discharge the duties of his Office, and had he been n
est or had there been preconcered arrangement by
which the real condition of the Treasury was to be conceal
ed he would insisted upon the immediate by
Mr.. Breslin of this of all moneys to which he
was legally entitled by virtue of his official potion or
the moneys not instantly paid ne would nave e.
mauded such explanation, az to their character ana
their place of deposit would have satisfied him OF their
entire security. This, it his sworn duty TO do and
anything less than this, was violation OF his oihca
preliminary 10 any reference in detail to the transac
tons and conduct Of Mr. Gibson after he become treas
urer we will fully than we have dole heretofore
examine his previous relations and WIN
Mr. Breslin. Mr.. Gibson was resident OF T1ihn N
Seneca counywrs Attorney at law from 1874 TO 1853
President Of the THin & Fort Wayne Railroad Compa
ny from 1854 to 1855: President of the Seneca County
Bank 1854 to 1856 and was Treasurer OF state iron
January a. 1885, to June b. 1851 lie was brother'ln
law of Mr. Breslinresident Of the same town-and al
though differing in politics they were confdentiay in
innate in all their relations. mutually OF interest
, land desires for success in business and otherwise
had cemened their relations to degree not usual!
I found to exist Mr.. Gibson was bold and unscrupu
lous adyenturer busDess but previous to the election
of Mr. Bresn Treasurer in 1851 had not reached an
high point success either in his finances or in his pro
8 fession. Witnesses who had known him intimately 70
years. testified that at the time of Mr. Breslns election
he was possessed of but little property OF them fix
ing it low 5000; another who had known him 10
twenty years. did know OF his owning any real esat
outside of his fathers farm He was not then the owne
of bank or railroad stock anywhere and the real estat
he possessed limited in quantity. and all within tn
hounds Of Seneca county and consequently could not
lied from his friends and neighbors even ii SO de
sired which not usually the case with advancing youn
attorneys. He subscribed $1,000 to the capital stock
the Seneca County Bank at the time Of its first organza
ton in l647 but neither paid nor intended TO pay on
dollar on the stock when he subscribed it, and subsequent
n ly transferred it to sylvanus Arno. Upon Mr. Bres
Inns election, he only became security himself, bu
was active procuring others to become So During tn
first year of Mr. Bresin's term, Mr. Gibson does nj
seem to have been engaged in public financial oper
tons involving the Of any greater amount OF mean
fban he could have legitimaely controlled but durn
the second wear he seemed to have launched out VI
on the illegal Deep, but upon financial sea and on
first adventure to have ecome stockholder and Pres
Identof the
y 'srtFFIH AND FORT WAYNE RAILROAD COMPANY"
e Whchwas organized on the ID November, 1853, H. Gil
SON. Josiah Hedges, A. @. Baldwin, Joseph Walker r.
e Pennington W. D. Scott w. @. Hedges George KnupI
!, H. Ebhert D. d. LOOMS and j. W. Wilson tn
Corporators. The Capital Stock was S25o0oOO, and u
amount subscribed $lse 4sStO3 OF this amount Mr. in
son subscribed but intended, as he says
pay the full amount of it, but did Ray b tween $lO
COO and $4,000 by his personal services as Presidei
the Company and its agent; and he also paid in du
ing the year 1855, $780, and the 9Th of April las
3 $50 in cash, appears by the testimony OF T. g. Pe
n nngon. Besides this interest in the stock OF the Coz
mny, MIR. Gibson Of the parties to the Redhe
~ contract so caedor rather the supplementary Co
dividing the original contract into ten shares
on the 9th Of January 1851 This Road was
= constructed from Tiffn to Fort Wayne. Indiana, i
y miles, for 424O00per mile S25ooOO To- be paid in
10 Stock $780, 600 in the first Mortgage, and the balance
ne the second Mortgage Bonds OF the Company. II "
nd agreed by the contracting parties to divide the prohts
"A cung the contract into ten shares OF Szouoo ese
each subscriber to share was bound 70 pay ne
field SIS called upon for that amounts from time
Nv time might be required and to receive the stock o.
Road taken by Redeld therefor; the money paid to
expended by him in grubbing, grading and preparing
a road for the iron These ten shares were distributed
ed follows: 10 John Gardiner, VIM. NJ Redfcld, Jose
Wall r, John Timothy BakeG w