Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1873-10-09
TsEE $4,000 TREASURY DE.
FALCETION.

7
extraordinary and startling.
1t is not denied that in the year 1871
and prior TO the settlement of Treas
urer Irwin, Sept. l, 1870, in some way
deficiency of about $4,000 occurred
in the County Treasury. I. Fl. Patter
son, w. S. Kennon and I. II. Riley
the Committee of investigation ap
pointed by Judge Chambers fix iht
amount at s12,644 63. That commit
tee summoned before them aud ex
amined on oath, Ex-Treasurer Irwin
and his assistant, Gressinger; Ex-Au
ditor Clark and his assistants Adams
Darrah and Ryan, and ex-Commis
sioner Frazier. Their attention wa:
especially called TO this deficit and they
were asked to explain it. No one OF
them pretended to deny the deficiency
and many Of them expressly admitted
it.
1t has then been proved and found
and is universally conceded that on the
Isl day of September, 1879, there w&s
the sum of $4,000 (abouD less in the
Treasury than should have been then.
The September settlement shows but
about $1,000 in the vaults OF the treas
ury, instead of the 5000 that should
have been there.
IN other words, when Irwin made his
September settlement he should have
had and counted TO the Commissioners
so, 900 in cash and he only accounted
for S700G. So far there is no dispute or
cavil.
The present boarl Of Commissioners
concluded that Mr.. Irwin should have
produced or accounted for the missing
$4,000. He does not do if, they SUE
him. Now what follows?
The Gazette, Commercial and Ne,cs-
sirangely--do not say, "Ihere is sI3, 900
Of money of the County missing, and
the Com missioners and Auditors and
all good citizens should use every ef-
fort to find out who stole it. We are
gratified at their efforts to find the
thief. Suspicion naturally falls on the
Office + who should have had the mon
ey, but says he has not got it, and don't
know who has. Irwin may possibly
be innocent, but The matter should be
thoroughly investigated" Nothing Of
the sort. But, On the contrary, they
say in Substance and effect, "True S13,-
900 has been stolen from the County
treasury, but Mr.. Irwin is democrat,
aud the County had better lose the
money--it is only small drib to each
tax-payer--than to have it proved that
a democrat has got the money. So, let
us join hands--denounce the Commits
sioners and Auditors for suing him
get up lot of extra,judicial aifidavits
of imbecile defendants that somebody
said something "Or words to that i'm
port"-denounce the suit as being
brought for political effect-abuse the
Commissioners for employing high
priced lawyers to bring such trivial
and unfounded slaughter the
democratic Commissioner Kinney for
daring to be honest and to join in the
effort to find the thief-denounce Long
ley because he has the audacity to stand
guard to the treasury, as the law and
his oath require him to do--and in
short let us get up hew and cry gen.
erally-and it may be that we can bring
the people back to the old order of
things, and get up another public bless
ing in the share of public debt, and
we will once more fatten on the pro-
ceeds."
Certainly good taste--to say nothing
OF common honesty-demands that all
persons, parties, and newspapers, that
have the good of the County honestly
at heart should at4east omit to encour-
age "whitewashing," and when it is
admitted on ell hands tbat money has
been stolen, should not so systematic
ally and energically denounce every
body that is trying to find the thief,
and also that it would not be wise to
vote against the candidates who are
thus denounced and in favor of those
who are so earnestly supported by the
"Whitewashers.