The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1874-08-13
THE DORSEY MATTER.

THE DORSEY MATTER.
R.-Please inform us about the reported
fraudulent witness certificates issued by
Dorsey, the circuit clerk of Warren?
Al had discovered that there were
great many witness certificates being
presented from Warren County for payment !;
so or about the Sth of July, wrote to
Mr.. Dorsey, calling his attention to the
matter and also to what considered irreg-
ularities In the endorsements upon a num-
Der of them. lie came out here and gave as
a reason tor the large number, that at the
last term of court, large number of odd
cases were disposed of, which accounted for
the quantity OF certificates issued, but said
there were not more than or . hundred dol
lars worth out at that time. As To the irreg
ularities of endorsement, he ex plained il By
saying that many certificates We're Issued to
parties who could not write, and were en-
dorsed by their 8 p mark and witnessed by
the same parties endorsing for them, which
caused the similarity of the endorser's sig
nature and thst of the witnesses. [ went
away on the 18th of July, aud during my
absence about 81 100, round numbers, of
these certificates were presented at my OF
tice from Vicksburg. The amount being go
much in excess of the amount that Dorsey
said was still out, Col Hamilton, deputy
auditor, refused to pay them, until the mat
Ger was examined. Upon my return |
requested Dorsey, by letter, for transcript
OF the record showing when these certificates
were ordered TO be issued he has failed To
furnish it. MIR. Joseph, of my office, was
seat over to examine the records. His re-
port was that he found no record of the
court ordering the Issuance of these certiti-
Gates, and iii addition that there was also
no record of any order for "a large number
OF certificates which had already been paid
at the auditors office,
R.-Has any attempt been made to
get these supposed TO be frau lulent certif-
Gates out OF your possession. aud if so, by
whom?
A.-Dorsey wanted to get them, when
they were first refused payment, and a week
ago last Sunday, L. w. Joshua came to me
with two orders for them, one from Mr.
Meyer, and one from Mr.. Rice to whom the
certificates belonged declined TO surren-
der them, and last week Dorsey and others
again applied Tor them and again de-
cliued to surrender ;heln, until ali ex-
animation of them Il had; nor will l
unless they are taken from me by legal pro-
cess.
R.-Have you heard where the parties
to whom they belong got them?
AIR. Meyers stated to Col. Hamilton
that they were purchased of Dorsey.
X What is the next step to be taken
i'm the matter:
Al will turn It over to the District DIT
torney and then will have fulfilled my
duty.
Rs it true that T. w. Cardoza iS
mixed up IN transactions OF this kind also ?
Al can't say; that can only be told by
an examination of the court records, and of
the certificates that were paid in before my
term OF office.
Our Reporter was shown tie certifi-
cares-a large bundle OF them. Most ofthem
purport TO have been Issued by T. w. Car
doza, by A. w. Dorsey, deputy clerk In
May, 1873, and certified that the cases had
been brought to a close at that term of the
court While upon the back Is certificate
by a. w. Dorsey, clerk, etc. that the cases
in which they were issued were ended and
went against the state at the June term OF
the court, 1874 at least fifteen of them and
may be more, have been issued since the
auditor first called Dorseys attention to the
matter, and are dated the 9th, 10th and l4th
of July. They show, Tor pretend to showO
that the witnesses Travelled from $50 miles
to any number of miles less. generally not
under so, and that there were an immense
number of witnesses in great many small
cases.