Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-06-06
THE SCHOOL FUND AGAIN.
Comptroller Blackburn and these twenty
Bonds"

The following letter appears in the
| Nashville Banner of Tuesday, and
was addressed to the editors Of that
paper:
CoMPTRoLLER's OFFICE,
NASHVILLE, TENN, May 80, 1870.
In the report of the "SchOol Fund
Fraud" Committee, published in the
city papers, among other remarks in
reference to twenty bonds once the
property of the Insurance Company
of the Valley of Virginia." l find the
following: "And as late as March 7,
1870, Mr.. e. G.. Pearl renewed two
bonds whose numbers are 5I45 and
5l46, and this was done by State Off,
GERS, right in the face of the written
notice already referred to, of s. Wat
son, plainly stating to these officers
that these bonds were stolen and for
them not to renew them" Now, if l
knew that the committee, in the fore
going remarks, aimed to insinute that
l, as one of the State officers, had acted
cOrruptly in the matter of the ex-
change of PEARLS bonds, / would know
exactly what to say, but not knowing
it, l proceeded to say what l started
out TO say.
Under the law authorizing it, the
Governor issues bonds in exchange
for bonds that have become unsaleable
because of mutilation, etc., etc., etc.
When this is done the Secretary of
State makes a full record of the mat
ter in his Office, and the Comptroller
has to take the unsaleable bOnd-re-
ceipting the Secretary for it-cancelI
it and file it in his office. This is all
the Comptroller has to do with it and
is what I did d0-as the law provided.
But here is what Judge Watson said
to me about "stOlen" bonds: "To
the Comptroller of the State of Ten
nessee-yOu will plG5se take notice
that twenty straight State of Tennes-
see bonds for one thousand dollars
each, numbered from Nos. I0,5l2 to
l0,53l inelgsivei also seventeen
straight q per cent. coupon bonds of
the State OF Tennessee, for one thou
sand dollars each, numbered, 2O04, |
zoos, 2013, 20I4, 2236, 1899, 4349, 44OS,
5539, 5592, 5775, 1857, 6526,..7233, 1921, |
1922, 559I, and also three capital bonds !
of the State of Tennessee, for one
thousand dollars each, numbered -. |
III GlA4 4OALN OOtt4ot art NAA1 DIOD- /
erty of the Bank of Tennessee, and we |
hereby forbid you paying said bonds, |
or the coupons on the same, to any |
other party than the Trustee of the |
Bank Of Tennessee"
s. WATSON,
Trustee Of the Bank of Tennessee.
April y, 1861.
This notification is dated the day on
which commenced work in this Of |
fee, more than three years ago,
Is it at all reasonable to suppose that |
the. Comptroller, who is forever busy |
in his Office, dispatehing, htTTiedlY, !
business, and who, |
when bonds are exchanged, receives |
and receipts for and cancels them hur |
riedly, and is the next minute forget /
ting the past) attending to something
else, can remember, even for a week, |
that paper has been left in his office |
with certain numbers on it? By |
'' chancen he might, but the eSoness
are that he will not. I didn't. When
the paper was left | thought l would
it, but couldn't.
The Committee says, when speak
ing of the State bonds, they are
a made payable on their face to the
Insurance Company OF the Valley of
and numbered as follows;
j595, 1854, 1856, 1920, 5596, sl15,
7722, 1858, 1923, 8216, 1876, 1886 |
l57S." Mr.. Watson didn't tell me
hat they were filed up on their face
20 an insurance company, nor does it
appear from the record given, that
my of the bonds designated by him,
nave been changed but two, Nos. TO-
SIC and 1885. I5 is highly probable,
however, that every one of them
might hare bon exchanged in very
hort time after the receipt of the no
ice, without having attracted any
notice, for reasons already given, as
III will easily see,
This is all wish to say.
g. W. BLACKBURN,
Comptroller.