The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-06-03
AUDlTORIAL INQUISITTON.
JOHNSON WON'T sQUEAL, HUT sTMEET
wILL-KELu.OGG's DEvILTRY
BROUGHT TO LIGHT.


JOHNSON WON'T sQUEAL, nut sTREE
wILL-KELIOGG's DEvILTRY
BROUGHT TO LIGHT.
KeIIesz's Champion Feats at Inaietmeu
auashinE-IIow RE Tried to sact FieIa
Out Of His Wsy-Dlbblc's Tricks.
The committee TO investigate The affairs Of th
Auditors and Treasursr's Offices met yesterdal
Senator Wheeler present and Rspresentativ
Keeting presiding. with Representatives Aldig'
Leeds, Desmarais and Buck also present
George D. johnson, ex-Auditor, called an
sworn:
To Mr.. Aldige-As stated on forner occs
sion, decline 10 state whether | have or hav
not possession Of any
| BOOKS on pApERs
| belonging 10 The Auditors nf1 .. II depsnds
entirely upon the result Of the suit now pending
when will be able 10 say anything definite upo,
that point.
by Mr.. Aldige- Under the law you are com
| PEELED TO make q report TO the General Assembly
| Have yon yonr report now for the year 1877, ant
do YOU still refuse TO give 10 TO the committed
The witness i haven't refused TO give the re
port TO the committee. as have not yet admitted
that had such report. decline TO say whether
TO my kno Wedge any books or papers have been
taken from the Auditors Office; decline TO state
where they have been transferred to.
TO MIR. Keeting When Auditor l never issued
warrants where there was no appropriation. Oh.
tanned information with regard TO the legality Of
questioned Issues Of war; ants, and always con.
ferred wi h the Attorney General or Assistant At
torney General upon such matters. Sometimes
they were issued upon an
ORDER or COURT,
and sometimes upon the opinion Of The Off GERS
named. 10 the matter of the Issue Of some war.
atuo ,s,f lie.
preins Court, Ii was decided by that court that |
was merely ministerial officer, and without u-
dicial powers. Don't remember AZ 81 the print
ing claims. III in possession OF the office, could
explain IL very readily. Issued no warrants ex-
cept where authorised.
10 Mr.. Buck / certainly claim 10 be The Au-
ditor Of the State, and presume every officer or
official should be in charge Of the papers. NY
office has not been IN my charge sinoe the fret
NV da,s after the fret OF January. when law
was passed which put 1t In charge OF the Cover
nor, as In
A CASE OF SIEGE.
To MIR. Aldige-Know of no destruction of
books or papers while he Office was la my pos
session. Have answered as TO whether any were
taken away.
To Mr.. Aldtge-Was Adjutapt Genera, Of tbs
a'ate from November -, 1879, to March 81. 1875.
Have held no State position since that time
Have no personal knowledge Of the Wills war
rants, Don't think ever cav any vouchers OF
that kind. When the Senate Finance COMMITTEES
were examining my accounts suppose had
large amount coming to me from the State.
Senator Wharton told me there were warrspts
Issued to the for which no vouchers had been
shown. Wharton said they had the Auditor's
must be mistake, when he went iron, the com.
,nittee room and saw where several warrants had
been issued to
HENRY gTnEET PER J, a. VILLA
wrote Auditor Clinton letter about Il. and
he never replied Applied to the ATTORNEY q n.
oral, and he fled an information against Clinton,
aud before the prosecution was commenced the
asss .n General died. Understand that some
Of the warrants issued were withdrawn and can.
'elled after that. Kellogg did not approach me
Upon the matter OF the vouchers The informs.
ion wss filed In April, 1875. The fret letter OF
inquiry wrste TO Mr.. SholY chief clerk in Mr.. |
Ilintons office, and he told me
HE WOULD NOT ANswEn rr.
Took letter then personally to Clinton, and
10 soon az found that out applied to Attorney
General Field, because could not get the account
ettled by the Finance Committee Spoke In |
linton about IL o. the time, and he gave no rea-
on for auditing those vouchers. I told him I |
ever author'zed any one to sign my name for the |
Mr. Aldige then presented and had read the
riginal
BILL or INFORMATION
led by the Attorney General against Wills. 10
he effect that he attempted to cheat the Slate
ut of 1918.
The witness-How he drew the warrants 7
ever heard; don't know Wills; never saw him:
Understand he was the Governors DOMAIN. dis
overed this when the finance committee were
'veetigating the accounts Of the state officers;
,ink that was on the 10Th or 10th Of April; [
anted Senator Wharton to get Clnton's
Ithority for the iseue Of the warrants; he d.
yed and ] went to Bholtz and Afterwards In
linton; Wharton said then IL would make afii.
wit that had not received the warrants he
ould A0
AUDIT MY ACCOUNTS.
did go, stating that I never had received the
rs to prevent me from having the Attornev
eneral file tho information.
Recently brought suit against the Auditor
large amount OF money due me by the
ave- w,,. Inc SUIT came out OF the warrants issued
Wills. Some were withdrawn and cancelled [
ter the information had been fled. !
Know nothing about the warrants being re-
sed payment by the State Treasurer, or about 4
2 !, order Of court dissolving the injunction. t
10 Az. heoting- The warrants were issued
+ them az II. Street per J. &. Wills. Knew t
ey were cancelled. Before the information
Is filed went to see Kellogg. He advanced mo =
,ney to pay claims in 1873 and gave him l
|
Al one time Kellogg sent for me, and in the =
essence Il
or SEVERAL REPORTERS, p
asked me II the receipts he showed were not 4
Ia my signature to them. The warrants that .
re issued in 1874 we're for the same amounts. !,
he produced the old vouchers Tor the wear
,vious; and the way he found 1t out was by the =;
rrants being cancelled. The item or &2O. 900 "
militia purposes had been enjoined. and some
1t had been released. The Wills warrants y
re drawn against that, it seems; think three of
m were cancelled aud one or two were not
llogg advanced money several times. Never
NV him to obtain warrants n
IN HIS OWN NAME. 4
10 objected TO doing that. Kellogg told me the I,
lie warrants had been cancelled. The appro- w
alton against which they were drawn had been "
lausted.
% Mr.. Aldige--Gov. Kellogg was very abusive
me at the time. l could not say what his OBJ I
was. He assailed me in T
VERY UNGENTLEsIANLY MANNER,
retorted in the same way. Am now suing r.
State for some Of these claims. Am suing b.
lton. and presume / shall have to make Au- -
" Jumel party to the suit. -
I the time Wharton was colonel on the Gov r.