The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-10-21
MUT1LATIoR OF THE COUNT, H REe0bDS
BY THE RADICAL COUNTY sVkFEfVh'
tbS RsSoyaS 70 be Taken Away from the
Office.

At the September session Of Inc ooaru OF
go ooryisors, Supr Siokles, of Moline, at
| tempted to get the following adopted by the
board, viz
WprRrAs, The employment Of q local survey"
or Ia do the official work Of the county tends
directly 10 injure the business Of the county sur
yeyor, therefore
Resolrcd. by this board that all work done
under the direction Of the board, OF surveying
Mating and transcribing the survey records
shall be given 10 the othcml surveyor unless
sufficient cause shall exist.
The proposition received only four votes,
viz: Sup'r Sickles, Ovens, Forster aud
Thornton, and was lost.
In order to understand the matter fully,
it should be remembered that Surveyor Stod.
dard has been authorized by the board to do
such work and that his records were made
as valid in our courts as those Of Gould, the
regularly elected county surveyor. The OBJ.
iect of Sickles, who is Gould's particular
friend, was to monopolise the work for Gould
but he could find only three supcrvisors,be'
sides himself, who would vote with him.
jim Beardsley, the county clerk, did not
furnish this record OF the proceedings of the
board for publication, but suppressed 1t in
order to prevent injury to SickIes and Gould,
in the estimation of tho people,
Now for the mutilatiou Of the record
Shortly after this failure of Sickles to get
the board to snub StoddArd, and after the
board had adjourned Gould went to Jim
Bearlsley, the county clerk, and got the
large record book, known as the "Survey
or's Record" and took it home with him.
This book contains the official surveys made
OF farms, lots, lands, &C., &C., from Sept
Is, 1888 to the pre- sent time, and it 10 Of tn,
first importance, to real estate owners, tina
the book should be carefully and safely kept
and no one permitted to take it away from
the Office or mutilate it. But what are the
facts2 Why,J Besrdsey permitted Gould
to carry Off this record book and keep it as
long as he pleased, and when be returned it
all that part Of the record contained between
pages $40 and 1863 had been cut out and, we
presume, destroyed. It is missing, anyhow
Twenty-Five pages Of our public records
distracted by county official, and Boards
ley gave him chance to do it.
Upon examining the book, which was in
the office on Monday, we found written a
the top Of page 1868, the following;
Nore.--From page 342 to 362 inclusive wer,
occupied for the unofficial records Of c. II. Stod
dard, and were displaced by me Oct. ], 1868.
VI. A. GOULD Co. Surveyor.
Here is radical county officer who i,
permitted by the radical county clerk tc
carry away a valuable and important record
book belonging to the people, and he bring
it back with % pages Of it surreptitiously
cut out aud suppressed. 1t is the mos
high.handcd affair we have lately heard OF
and it subjects him to removal from office
and from one to fourteen years in the peni
Tertiary, if prosecuted. These radical office
holders seem to act upon the idea that tn
public records belong to them, when the fac
is they belong to the people, and severe
penalties have been enacted to punish those
who mutlate or destroy them. Where doe
Jim Beardsley find any law permitting hin
to scatter the peoples books about the coun
W? The people have provided place 70
are open to the inspection ofa But here
is a man who is permitted to carry off on
Of the most valuable books in the Office an
brings it back in condition which subject
him to the penitentiary.
We are informed that the next grand iur
will have to examine into this matter.