The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-04-30
The lIethodIst nook Concarn.

NEW YoRK, April e9.-The report tha,
the majority and minority Of tho Metho.
dist Book Committee had hRrmonlzed on
report 10 the General Conference on ma
subject Of tho alleged Book Concern
frauds, 70 said TO be untrue. On the CON.
trary the minority, composed Of three oi
the ablest and shfewdest buRiness men OF
the committee, are pFeparing o report
based on the report Of KilbreEte, the OK.
pert appointed last September, which Il
said to sustain the allegations Of Dr. Ian.
ahan. Kllbrette, they say, finds that
Hoffman, as superintendent fol binding,
kept no records and had nothing to show
that the stock purchased was received,
which was diacreditable and damaging to
DR.. Porter, as the business manager.
The testimony against Hoffman, OF
having drawn money for wages, which
was not paid as wages, Is conclusive that
bid stealings existed in,the bindery, But
though portion Of tho frauds are evident,
and losses incurred to the exent Of thou.
sands, the exact amount has not been
determined. Among those unaccounted
for, are over one hundred dozen Of Heather.
The Concern also lost heavily In pur.
chases Of paper in rough. .iSnaa0 ~
j. +. Porter, son Of the Business Man.
ager, also took charge Of o commission.
Porter's father favored him In an unlaw.
lul manner, and, using Porter's name,
he made good use OF his advantages, He
said that q majority Of the committee, at
whose instance mainly Kilbrette was ap.
pointed, practically ignore the report as.
above, and refuse to SEQ evidence Of any
frauds or mismanagement. t'7 = ~ Z
DR.. lanahan appointed an expert on
his own account and at his own expense,
and stated that the Doctor was preparing
Q report to tue General Conference, en-.
bracing the facts and figures Of the report
Of this expert IN su6stantiation Of his
charges and in vindication Of his course.
1t Is reported that young Porter made
considerable more than 100000 by his
connection with the Book Concern In d
year or two. The majority on the con.
trary say that Kilbretts report shows that
for the last six years the keeping Of the
books has been almost faultless, and that
the Concern has suffered no material
losses. -,-.- .s,-r.g.S -, W =! { |
Mr.. Lanahan says the majority set out
by saying that; the whole Concern was
rotten to the core. But what has been
proved ? Everybody acquits DR.. Goode.
nough with regard to the property of
Porter's son.in.law. Dr.. Carlton, mana.
ger, being the middle man and buying the
paper for the Concern, the committee
consider 1t matter Of taste In regard
towhich every man has the right to his
own opinion, but say. there was nothing
necessarily wrong In making such an ap.
pointment and thatit Is proved by the re-
turns from the books that while Porter
was the buyer they got their paper cheap.
er than most other establishments in the
city; one only (Harper's) having pur.
chased go judiciously.7 ~
With regard to the losses In the binding
department, the committee say there Is
no legal proof Of wrongdoing. There
may have been inismanagement. Small
losses in the tise'of gold material were to |
be expected; but to ohe:fiith. Of the
sweepings Of gold taken by Hoffman, the |
head OF the bindery department, they
hold that he was entitled to under an ex. |
press agreement. sg n "a ,s,sl ~ s8H n