, 1876-08-06
But, Strange as It May Appear, the st.
Louis Papers Haven't Found
It Out.
Or, II They Hare, They Have Carefully
Suppressed All the Interesting
Details.
Therefore The Tribune " Lays Before the
World the History Of Auditor
Heath's Misfortune"
EeTeral "Perftct Southern Gentlemen" Get
Array With The Colenel aud tue
Peoples Asner.
The Public Fuuds Pay for Many a
~Fuu Hand" and "Flush"---
About $265, 900 Missing.

The Public Funds Pay for many a
"Ful1 Hand" and "F1ush"---
About $265, 900 Missing.
Gbe1d1 Correspondence or The Tribune
ST LOUIS, Aug. 3.-When George Won Hollcn
ran sway, leaving the Chicago City Treasury
minus considerable sum Of money, the St. Louis
newspapers felt called upa2 to republish column
after column from the Chicago papers in order
that their readers might know what was going
On in the world, and especially that they might
know what bad luck had befallcn Chicago.
They treated the Gage case In the same way,
and it ls even now referred to as glibly as
Though it were an affair Of yesterday, as will
be seen BY reference to the Gioht. Democrat Of
yesterday. But when the thing strikes home,
these papers treat the matter very differently.
St. Louis has just been victimizcd by default
ing official who double discounts Won Hollen,
but the papers are silent, except In briefly motto
ing the official proceedings in the case. The
County Auditor is IS short'' about quarter OF
million dollars, which is gone without hope Of
recovery, but the fact is knowing only in official
circles. The public only know that there is
deficit; the newspapers have made no effort to
give them any further information. The 'tbot-
tom facts" have been kept carefully from the
public ere, and will be disclosed for the first
time in this communication. The people Of
this city know more about the Gage and Won
Hollcn cases than they do about Col. Heath's
case, although the latter concerns them to the
extent Of several hundred Thousand dollars.
ST. LOUIS IS PARADISE FOR OFFICIAL THIEVES,
and Missouri has the best code Of laws outside
OF Turkey for the relief and protection Of de-
faultfng officials. Somcbody-I suppose it WIS
Lord Bacon, for he was always botherins people
with wise saytngs-oncc remarked that there
never was \ iuancier south OF Mason and
Dixon's line II there are any lnanciers in this
State they are occupied with private affairs
The law-makfng business is relegated to rascal
~ politicians and desperate poker players. The
defalcaton Of Col. Heath, Auditor Of st. Louis
County, furnishes one Of the numerous in
stances constantly occurring to illustrate the
peculiar way Of transactfng public business in
cdent to an ancient slaVe-holding population.
Public affairs belong to "statcsmen -; public
money belongs to public officials; the people
have no business to mcddle. THIS is the priu-
cipie upon which laws are made In this COM
munity As is evidenced with singular force in
the Heath case.
About three months ago it began to be Wits
pered about that the Auditor could not make
his annual statement, but these suspicious
created little interest, and the newspapers rc-
mained silent. Later the Auditor confessed to
the County Board that he was q short,'' aud the
newspapers published faintrhcated paragraphs
TO the effect that
COL HEATH HAD BEEN "CSFoRTuNATE,"
end could not make up his accounts. Still later,
the County Board demanded additional bonds
from the Auditor, and he was allowed weck to
consider the matter. The next week he in
formed the Board, or County Court as it is
called here, that be would not furnish the re-
hr7f,1 tArn
law which dxed his bond at $12, 900, while he /
was tho custodian Of sum exceeding on an
average quarter Of a million. Soon after this, !
Col Heath was persuaded to resign, and the |
n'ained in charge Of his Office until last week, |
when he reluctantly surrendered it at the earnest
cntreaty Of his friends. He has SINCE been in
dicted Tor enbezzle1ncn1, but there is no chance
discovered thai the School Fund Is short $780,
600, and there is scarcely doubt that the total
deficit will be $l00.000 more than this sum.
His bondsmen have been sued for $4,000, the
full amount for which they are responsible. |
THESE FACTS ARE OF RECORD,
and they comprise all the information which has
appeared in the St. Louis newspapers relative
to this CAST. But there is much '*truc inward
ness y in it that is interesting and important-a
chapter OF poker playing experience, OF the wis
dom OF legislation BY poker-players, aud the
happy effect Of selecting for public officers men
whose confidence in their own prowess may lead
|
Col. Heath, who had served Is Ijeutcnant-
Colonel in Missouri Union regiment durirr thc
War, was elected Auditor in iS65 and re-clsctri
In ISL During nearly tue whole Of the first
term the duties Of the Office did not include the
custody OF 4 large a,nount Of nuhlic monrv A.
tic term implies, the Auditor was merely The
luokkcepcr at the county. All hills |
for s1n1l1es we're s11hu1i;tel to him for annror,i
or rejection, A cumforzable salorywas atinchcd
10 the Office, and Heath raanaced to worry a]one
through several wears. and ia aco,1jrt ouitc : |
reputation for yicilaace nwatcbinr f}e inf
of The county,
Meanwhile, he had formed the acnuaintance |
d several OF the best pokrr-players IN the CIV
ill of them men OF good social position, and re-
outci to te "perfcct gentlemen" Among the |
number we're three or four members of the State
They were all gentlemen of lux
lricus tastes, fond Of fine vine and women,
,orses, and cards. Heath was at ONE the leader
md the dupe Of his fast friends. Hc led them
h Ill the ways Of c1trayagant living, md cut the
ouGest {ir1,re. in the party He made nae nj { .