The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1870-01-12
STATE OF LOUISIANA,
~ ,u,r..,t
New Orleans, -, 1870.


To the Honorable the Speaker and Members of the
House of Representatives
1t becomes my duty to communicate to your honor
able body grave charges against George NJ. Wicklle
Auditor of Public Accounts. His offences against the
constitution and the laws of the State have seriously
embarrassed the Government, and rendered it difficult
to pay the interest on the State bonds. He has been
guilty of numerous acts, involving eXt0rtOn against
individuals and against the charitable institutions OF
the State also involving fraud against the Common
wealth. and COLLISION with evil disposed persons to de-
fraud the same He has extorted sums of money from
the creditors of the State condition precedent to
the issuance to them of the certificates of indebted
ness or warrants to which they entitled by law.
As instances of this class of Offences specify
l. He refused to issue to Mr. Patrick Leonard, ed
tor of the Empire Parish, newspaper publishing the
laws of the State i'll Plaquemne5 parish, certificate
of indebtedness for the amount due him unless said
Leonard should consent to pay him (said Wickiffe)
bonus for said certificate. For example, he required
Leonard to give certificate Of Indebtedness, dated
February Is, 1869, No. 100, for the of five hun
dred and thirty dollars (S53l for issuing to said
Leonard certificate Of Indebtedness for fifteen hun
dred dollars ($l500)
Again, Leonard was required to give said Wickliffe
certificate dated March 10, 1869, No. $50, for the
sum of seven hundred and eghtytwo dollars and fifty
cents S7S2 5O in order to induce Wicklffe to issue
to him certificate of equal amount of the same
date No $50. After extorng these certificates from
Leonard said Wicklifie refused to give him warrants
for his said certificates alleging the therefor
that the appropriation exhausted but did, never
theless soon thereafter issue in his own favor for the
extorted certificates the necessary warrants
9 Said Wickliffe extorted from r. W. Francis, ed
tor of the Terrebonne Patriot, newspaper publish
ing the laws in the parish Of Terrebonne hundred
dollars $1,000 currency as bonus for issuing to said
Francis certificate Of Indebtedness, dated Feb. 10,
1869 for the sum of seven hundred dollars $500
Again he cxtored from said Francis fifty dollars for
issuing certificate dated March 6, 1869, No. 22l for
the sum of three hundred and seyenty-fve dollars,
($375)
8. Said Wickliffe extorted from J. n. Osborn, edit
tor of the Madison Mail, newspaper publishing the
laws in the parish of Madison two certificates of in
debtedness of the sum respectively of five hundred
dollars (S5OO) and hundred and thirty-fve dol
lars (S235 for issuing said Osborn certificates of
indebtedness for the amount of two thousand dollars
(S2000)
t. Said Wicklitfe extorted from DR.. W II. Hire,
Secretary of the Charity Hospital the sum of three
hundred dollars (S300) for cutting up into small sums
warrant for ten thousand dollars due said institution
Subsequently, through Of his employees one James
Mushaway, said Wickfe extorted the sum of three
hundred dollars, (S300) for issuing small warrants in
lieu of one for ten thousand dollars, 100000 Again,
said Wcklie refused to issue to the Board OF Health
of the city of New Orleans warrants for less amounts
than five thousand ten thousand dollars, unless said
Board would submit to a commission of five per cent,
forcing them thereby to sell their large warrants at
depreciation of ten per cent there being demand
in the market for warrants of that size. Through said
Wickiifes representations and for the alleged con-
venence of the public the Legislature allowed to the
Auditors Office eighteen clerks, at a salary of one
hunded and fifty dollars per month each aggregatlng
S32 400 per annum expense to the State Three or i've
clerks all that necessary to do the work re-
CURED of the office. Yet with all this needless
pense and large clerical force his disposal he has
been guilty of the inexcusable and gross imposition
herein alleged Now as instances of combination to
violate the law and defraud the State, specify:
l. Tko case OF J. B. Richardson, Jr., boy Of seven
teen years to whom said Wcklife, the 18th of De-
cember, 1868, issued warrant--No. 7071-for sixty
six coupons of thirty dollars EACH of the date of 1861
amounting in all to nineteen hundred and eighty dol
ars when the coupons upon which this warrant was
issued were demanded of Wicklife and inquiry made
for Richardson it appears that the coupons used had
been attached to bonds dated 1867 and cut off by the
Auditor the law required before the issuance of the
bonds in 1865 and that these coupons, the prop
ertv of the State which in his keeping agent
of the State, appropriated BY him and were made
the basis of fraud against the When charged
with this offence the Auditor replied with these words:
I" This Richardson il mere boy. He is not respon-
sible for this thing For the sake OF making few
cents did it myself like damned fool Rather than
have any further trouble will pay the money back
into the Treasury again The warrants returned
to the Treasury, and presentation to the Auditor,
the money for the same paid into the Treasury.
2. During the session of 1868 an appropriation was
made for the benefit Of j. c. Kaufman for the amount
of eleven thousand and six dollars and seventy cents
l1,006 70,1 for which warrants were duly issued by