The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-05-29
AUDITORIAL INVESTIGATION.
RICH DEVELOPMENTS.

keIIogg's Cousin willis Draws Fraudu-
lent warrants and Kellogg Gets the
Money.
The committee doint to investigate the
affairs of the ex-Auditor and Treasurer met
yesterday at p. m.
Mr. D. Brainard was the first witness
called, who, after being sworn, testified, in
substance, as follows, in reply to the inquiries
made: .. .-
Was chief book-keeper In the Auditors
office from January L. 1875, to October 1,
1876 -twenty-one months; and was bond clerk
from July 15, 1874, to December 81, 1874.
While chief book-keeper, superintepded the
keeping Of the books. or was supposed to do
So My own immediate work was to keep
the fund books and tax ledger; TO balance the
accounts in the Treasurers office.
Generally the Auditor would give me
ORDERS IN PERSON, o.,
and sometimes by IT.. A. Scholtz. the chief
clerk His duties were to act In place Of the
Auditor, and to interview parties whore 1t
was not necessary that the Auditor should
see the parties in person. A portion OF the
time he wrote up the consolidated bond book,
that Is, after the funding act was passed.
know there was series Of bond books In
the office when was there, showing the pur-
chase and cancellation of bonds, and there
was book relative to the free school fund.
Have no special knowledge of book OF re-
demption. No books were taken away from
the Auditors office, and have no knowledge
of any being destroyed. When / vas there
the office contained complete record from
| 1s41 to the time left, except during two years
| of the war. when the records were at Baton
Rouge.
| In my opinion ] made entries which were
| contrary to law; cannot specify now the vari-
GUS items, though il / could see the books /
could point them out. Do not know person
ally OF the Auditor making direct settlements
with the tax collectors while was there; only
know of it from hearsay.
There were large number of
/ WARRANTS ISSUED ILLEGALLY.
To Mr.. Keeting in the Office under
both Clinton and johnson, and Illegal war
rants were issued under both administers
tions, though it is almost impossible to stats
items. Under Clinton there were warrants
issued for the payment of the militia of the
State, which, by accident, found out were
on vouchers payable to other parties thar
those named in the warrant. In one instance
the party to whom the warrants were de-
livered told me this don't say that the Au-
ditor knew it.. The fact is he couldn't help it,
as he had orders to do it from superior au
thority.
To Mr.. Aldige-John s. Wills, Gov Kel
logg's cousin, received the warrants referred
to: they were presented to him in his name
for supplies furnished the State militia.
There was a balance to that appropriation
and they wanted It, Several thousand dollars
were SO issued In 1876, perhaps in the sum
mer or early in the fall The bill of items
purported to be payable to John s. Wills, and
on that bill the warrants were issued, payable
to Wills. Think the vouchers had first to bt
approved by the Governor. These vouchers
should be on file now in the Auditors office
| Ii you had the warrant stub-book you could
find them easily. When warrants are issued
it was the custom to file the vouchers away
During Mr.. Johnsons term Of service cal
recolleet OF warrants being issued agains
funds for which there was no appropriation
Als99 warrants ,,s were issued against .t tn
sued against the funds of .othe
years. In instances, warrants for printing
!. were issued against the appropriation Of 1873
, when that appropriation had been exhausted
and they were then issued against the appro
{ priation of 1874, which was not exhausted
! The books Of 1876 will show 1T. Warrant
were also drawn ostensibly against one fun,
i when the voucher would show that it ha'
been issued against another fund.
a Don't know that there was any manner Il
which the Treasurer could detect these irreg
ularities in the drawing Of warrants, and h
could certainly not prevent it..
| Mr. Clinton used to allow his chief clerk tx
check the vouchers upon which warrants wer
{ issued, but Mr.. johnson supervised that wOrl
} himself; never knew that johnson colecte'
= money directly from the tax collectors N
money was collected in his official capacity a
Q least Was in the Auditors office when tn
Herwig committee pretended to make an in
a vestigation, and that was purely
r BLAcKMAILING TRANSACTION.
Ifexperts were appointed, they examined onl
the status of certain appropriations an
D nothing else. Mr.. Weymouth was prevente
from having access to the1office, and was th
only one who was refused an examination
! the books He offended the Auditor in SOM
: way; think it was in his eagerness to serv
Mr.. Herwig.
It was generally understood that none
would prevent their report from being pre-
sented to the General Assembly, and on thi
suing warrants upon vouchers which cam
!, from the Board Of Audit operations =. I
: Herwig seemed to be the most prominent ant
Mr.. Twitchell was the one to whom the wal
rants were to be issued.
? Quite number Of stub warrant books {
i 1875, with the appropriation book of that veal
. were then produced, and the witness wac re
quested to examine them.
Q He did so, and turning TO the index asce1
: tanned the warrants and amounts he had RI
ferred to, as follows:
January Is, 1S75-Vouchers Nos. 447 to Al
. inclusive, in the name of John s. Wills, t
{ bills for supplies furnished the State militia
S3329 81. This was collected, being six wal
/ rants for $500 each, No. 452 for S332 97 an
d all were collected.
q The others were warrants Nos. 454 to 45s il
. elusive, five warrants for S400 each, one fe
!, a $500 and one for 1929 50, making total {
: S2429 so, which were not collected, but wei
Il cancelled, and all were issued to J. s. Wills.
: This book, continued the witness, referrin
9 to the Treasurer's printed report for 1877
= does not show the printing warrants issuet
d that entry should be in the -appropriatie
q book of 1876 (the one missing from the Aud
a tors of1ice) The item of S55 600 in the printe
a report was what the Treasurer paid and ma
. be part, but these books refer to another &C
= The Y.nfar.rnd tn To ha