White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1870-04-28
from the Leavenworth Conservative
Heavy DcE,Iclsion.

collector OF the district OF h snsas j. now
going on 10 this city, and. from the evil
dence already collected, it appears thar
he WAS defrulter to the government to
he smonnt of one bundled thousand
dn'isrs. This matter was unearhed by
Supervisor Mar. and is being vigorously
prosecn'ei by collector Anthony. IN
whose Lands This old claim has been
pE Ecsd ina coleciion; while, on the other
hand, violent effort is being ms'is By
Speer's bond>men here and ST Washing.
ton to have sll the proceedings stopped.
and the whole matter covered mp.
Hon. Sidney Clarke is said to be on
Sresr's bond. snd is lsboring to have all
revenue officials who are cognizsnt of the
facts promptly removed from office and
Others appoinied. This programme is
iaauguratei by the removal of Assistant
Assessor Pinekney. Of this divi>ion.
which will probably he followed by ar
attempt at removing Kansas fr1m Colonel
Msrr's Jurisdiction. and a determined
fight for the removal OF Collector An
thony. These facts have transpired from
large nnmber Of our ciiiz ms having been
called upon to pay their animal revenue
tax Tor lS63-they having been reported.
BY way OF explanation on the Collector s
books. as "iesd, ;" "aIsconde1." tin
every case receipts from exColleetor
Speer or his deputies. or other evidence
showing payment OF taxes, hsvs been
produced.
The above is an Associated Pfsss des-
pstch, and was sent from this city on
Wednesday,. 1t is, in the main. fsir
version of the facts in case black with
stealing. perjury. forgery and kindred
crimes.
Our personal friendship for Mr.. Speel
and our belief in his innocence has pre-
vented us hitherto from writing sny ar.
,ieles in regard to it, sl,hough we pub.
iished the official sta emen, OF Col. Mari
and, some months ago. Washington let
tiers giving the leading points aud fact,
in this heavy defalcasion. No one be
lieves that John Speer stole the M oney.
or that he has been in any way enriched
by this stupenlous robbery. But the
attempt made to cover up the steal is
hardly less criminal than the original
transaction. Newspaper articles car
neither help nor hinrier Ike investigation
now in progress. and which the govern
men. must con,inue to the end Th,
business stsntling and good name o.
hundreds Of g 'o,! men, some of them Mr.
Spser's deputies, are at stake. aud it j,
not possible TO conceal sDy o' the fscis
The innocent must be protactei anl The
government must secure the money o
which j, has been plnndered. DO matter
how high in authority the enll,y may
he ionni to be- When a ian like Okla,
Bailey. of Doniphan county. who report,
al income Of ninety seven thousand dol
lara. and who pays all his taxes. is re-
ported as having a5sconded; when III,
bes. business men in the State rerepert
Ell as baykrupts or as rnnswsys-m
who have paid all the:r taxes and who
hold receipts for them-it is evident tha,
great crime hss been committed. sni
il il due to the innocent that the guilty
should be made known and punished.
4. The ssaanat -sta!su ia Ia, ger than .i.s
fgnres given abov-. snj was reporte.!
Yesterday at $3.50 GOO The whole sum
will not be known unt sll the oil dep
u,iss have reported. and until business
men. all over the Sia.,. now reported a.
Delinquent, bring in the receipts given
when they paid their taxes. The fraud
extends over q series Of years. during
which the thieves were takirg money
by the thousands, showing it into their
pockets, and thea reporting that it had
never been paid.
Mr. Speer's difficulty will BE- ia prov
ing who are the thieves. sul in showing
not only that he had no share in the
money stolen. hut that he has not at
tempted to screen them for the sake OF
projecting himself end his ton'smen
The depuries of whom unfsvorsbls re-
port. are now heard nre Bar ick' low,
Rnshmore. Van Horn and Hard, bot the
rumors in regard to them m,y be un-
warranted.
We pity Mr.. Speer and ell whose
names ere used in this transaction, and
have no i'll will towards any Of them
Bnt the honest Ge- uiies are in a very
unfortunate position. They did their
dnty. collected their taxes. anil returned
the money with their sworn statement
They were then called upon to Sign a
new sta'rmsn. in blsnk. A false siurn
ard sn iffiiavit were written above the
signature. and these to!us papers we're
sent to Washington as genuine. There
was heavy dsfalcsiion; the money had
besn stolen and used: anil then this new
crime. involving every deputy and the
whole business Community, was fesorted
to cover it NJ. and to make the Gov.
eminent believe that the money which
had been stolen had really never been
collected. We do not know how Ear
Sidney Clarke advised this cou,se, but
this part OF the Transaction is tie mos
unfsvorahle one to Mr.. Spesr. He las
heen used by sconndrels anil snfIers with
them-or rather srff..rs alone. for they are
destitute Of concienre and remorse.
Mr.. Speer has heed treated with the
utmost kindness by us and BY the Re-
publican press of the State. He was a.
pioneer printer. editor and publisher 10
this State. and has always been Free
State man and Republican. At the
time Of the Lawrence Massacre hi. Office
was burned, and two Of bi. boys-very
promising yoong men-were probsbly
burned in thar terrible slsug b,er. for thsy
were never heard Of more. To this un-
speskable eslsmity another is sddeS. and