The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-05-10
Report Of the Grand Jury Relative TO
Forged Parish Warrants.
To the Hon. the Judge of the Eighth Judicia
District OF Louisiana, holding Court i'll and fol-

To the Hon. the Judge of the Eight Judicial
District OF Louisiana, holding Court III and for
st. Landry.
The Grand Jurors, empanelled and sworn for
the present term Of your Honorable Court, pre-
sent: That having reason to believe that the
forgery of Parish Warrants had been carried OH
on q far more extensive scale than was supposed
| when the last Grand Inquest was in session here,
they have given the matter Il thorough inVcSti-
CATION with the view alike of aSccrtaining the
amount forged, and to bring to justice all who
may have been engaged in this 1efariors bust
ness. The investigation made satisfies them
that there are now in the hands of different per
SONS in the parish about 81 600 OF $4,000 worth of
these warrants, all of which were obtained, as
far as they can ascertain, honestly by the pres
ent holders. On the Goth of January last the
Police Jury, with a view Of asccrtaining the out
standing Indebtedness of the parish and to de-
tect fraudulent warrants, created the Office Of
Parish Auditor, and made 1t his duty to audlt
| and register all warrants and certificates within
sixty days, whether the same had been previous
~ registered or not, and fOrbidding and inhib-
iting the collector from receiving any warrant
or certificate III payment of taxes, unless duly
audited. The ordinance, as was anticipated,
Immediately brought to light all the forged war
| rants in the parish, and saved the Parish Treas
ury many thousands Of dollars. But, in the
opinion Of your jurors, further legislation is
| needed on this subject. Having aSccrtained the
| existence of these forged warrants and the names
of the holders. steps should be taken, without
any delay. to have them so marked as to forever
preclude the possibility of their being again used
or put in circulation. 1t is true that, as the law
now is, no warrant can be received in payment
of taxes unless registered, stamped and audited
by the uditOr but how easy would it he for par
| ties so disposed, holding alargc amount of these
| spurious warrants to procure a stamp similar to
that used by the Auditor, tOnumbert them, forge
his endorsement and signature upon them, put
| them in market, sell them, and bring them in
! circulation again. To 0bviate this, the jurors
| respectfully suggest that the Police jury, by a
! supplemental and amendatOry ordinance, eX-
| tend the powers and duties of the Parish Auditor.
That It be made his duty to so mark all forged
and spurious warrants, as to preclude the pos
| aibi1ity of their ever being again used, by wri-
| ting across their face the words: "FOrged and
SPURIOUS in, at least, three different places,
with red ink, i'll large n dlegible letters. That.
in order to facilitate this, he he allowed to give
public notice, through both of the local papers,
during thirty days, to all holders of these war
rants to present the same to him to be marked.
That, after the expiration OF this notice, it be
made his duty, through the Parish Attorney, to
institute suit, i'll the name of the Parish. against
all persons holding such warrants and who shall
have refused, neglected, or failed to present
them to him, to be marked, as suggested above.
Until this is done, the public cannot and will not
feel secure against the temperance of these
warrants in market.
Such an ordinance can work no hardship, or
injury tOany one. Many parties having obtained
these warrants for a valuable consideration, no
doubt. are now holding them with the hope of
being able, some day or other, to force the party
who forged them to pay them. This is the only
object they can haven view. asthe attempttOut-
terthem or circulate them would render a party
amenable to the criminal law Of the land, but
the Auditor after making them as suggested
above can return them to the party holding
them, leaving any remedy he may have at law
untouched and n~nimpaircd. And where the
parties holding such warrants refuse to present
them to the Auditor to be marked, the presump,
ton that he intends to make a fraudulent and
Illicit use of them is not a violent one, and would
Justify the institution of a suit, in the name OF
the Parish. to compel the holde to deliver them
up to be marked.
The Grand Jurors would further suggest that,
hereafter. the blank warrants when signed by
the President of the Police jury and delivered
to the Clerk to be filled mp, should he kept Sc
cnrely under lock and key so as to prevent Their
being stolen by forgers or thieves: and that all
blank warrants, before being delivered to the
clerk, should he numbered. and he required tt
receipt to the President of the Police Jury, and
to account monthly for all warrants thus turned
over to him
Respectfully submitted,
JAS. T. SWORDS,
Foreman Grand Jury.
A true copy from the original on file in my of
flee. Witness my official signature and seal, this
Sd day of May, 1879.
E. P. VEAZIE, Deputy Clerk.