The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-04-10
THE CITY COLLECTOR.
THE CHARGES OF Mr. "iLLlAM
IN ERSKINE.
.s.,thing Criticism on Mr. Blacks
o1.iaI Aciions-Che Paper Re-
,erred TO Speci 1 Com
miuee by Council
Last Night.

~ N, MAJOR and Council Of the CITY Of
Wbss.i'g;
c,.,r,v,,ES - Your memorislist, q
IN Of the city OF Wheeling, and q
never having recently In the per-
% .ccs OF some of his duties as an
.,,1rney. become acquainted with GER
an Irregularities and official wrongs OF
~. EaoTge . Black, the City Collector,
-, in the opiuiOn OF your memOrlalist,
w., the said Blacks entire unttness to
I,I5 any Office OF public trust, and which
..i,,sted with q strong degree OF proba-
liz tb,, both the city Of Wheeling and
-. ci,izsps are sufferers ~ his hands,
-s.r.,tfully ask tor prompt and thor
,ib ,ryestigstiOn into the financial
AIRS Of the city, and that the said City
C0Ie. tor be with all speed removed from
Many of the facts with reference to
As vs,er taxes OF Smith " Co. are
I,r,,less already SO well known to the
members OF your honorable body that 1t
/. unnecessary for me to repeat them IN
,s,. COMMUNICATION. Yet l shall, rs
S.i.sy IS can, place such OF the Promi.
Tsrt l.c,s in order before you, rs most
..-rngly tend 70 convince my mind OF
griI. on the part of the Collector.
After the Collector had made levy
% satisfy water tax OF S2I5 u alnst
smith * 70. for the year 1917, and be-
Tore IL was discovered that the lawful
s:.s.suer, was S75 only, complaint was
ms5e TO him that the tax was un-
;,.,rv large. He said S275 was
m, smouut Of the assessment
and that If we wanted it reduced We
mus. spp to Council as he OF course,
dLo power to reduce it; that 1t was
jnms.er.a. 10 MIN personally, for II the
CO.ru. should make the reduction he
should claim MS commission at any
rste. He has since admitted on oath IN
open court that that assessment, except
s. 70 SIS thereof had no existence eX-
cep. 10 his uuld; that the 500 extra, had
never been entered IN any book After
ysris | saw Mr. 3 aCk NJ his office and
msds LqI,i,s from which be soon
Issrre1 Jaat / was aware OF the true
assessment fixed by ordinance. lie
pleasantly assured me that the
500 ezra was perfectly regular
ald the customary thing, and that
BE- must, OF course, collect 1t, but eX-
pressed a perfect willingness still, that we
sr1ld prlI.Ou Council tor reduction
rym SZ7j, rs he was entitled 10 iuII
commissions. [ insisted that the as
sessmeut was SIS, aud that we were en-
titled 10 receive our balance (the S42S
draft given him by me IS attorney for
Joseph Fleming, being then in his nsnds)
from him, and not from the city tress-
ury. Seeing l was determined, he said
he wouldsee the Mayor and try 10 adjust
the matter. At this same Interview In
his office, he plainly stated TO me that the
book "W ater Rents 1871" was his prI-
vste property, to which had no right OF
sccess, but which, rs favor, l was per-
iecav welcome 10 see.
The said book was the ci.y's property,
sad had been made out so far as then
complete, by the City Clerk. 1t did not
then contain any assessment against
Smith * Co., not even the S75 having
bssa entered thereon. On smother day
Il think March Is b. he explicitly IN
formed ne that be had no records OF sup
Elementary assessments III hIs office, aud
referred '.c TO the City Clerks office.
la his communication TO Council of
Msrcl 18Th, be ssys latter giving some
bst lsw as Q, It's being the duty of the
Committee on " ater Works 10 make
special ss,gss -urH,s) that upon his sug-
gss.Oa the Committed made nominal
assessment or Smith " Co. OF $75, leaving
him 20 ascertain by personal
Investigation whether or not any addl-
tons. asses, meut should be made, and
tia, the minutes of the committee will
show .lal be was so instructed.
TIE story that the committee minutes
viii show such an arrangement Is found
8. De g myth No member of the COM
I..ae ! believe remembers the arrange
men, and in fact nobody Is found 10
y0.g1 Tor the statement So lar IA l know,
eIeep. bis Honor the Mayor and even his
recollection of 1t when he stated il TO me
over three weeks ago, was only AN i'm
prass.o0-sn impression which being
quite definite as 10 the nature OF the ar.
rs1gament seemed indefinite only rs TO
ITS eIs.aucc.
The Collectors only authority TO make
assessments S found 10 section four az
o.iae ordinances in relation 10 his duties.
l. is SIS follows:
Sri. J, shall bc the duty OF the said
collector 10 make "a supplementary Inst Ot
O.. persons, parties and firms who may
LaF" been omitted by the Assessor or
Who may have commenced using the
Na... o' the city subsequent TO the return
o.. '.u Assessor for any year. And in all
sue. cases the Collector shall make and
tA.U. upon '.r assessment book the
several ruu.e, and extensions required TO
." Made HE the Clerk, and shall report 10
.e Clerk a' the end OF each month The
addition wIae 10 the general assessment.
For .le yesr 1876, Smith & Co. were
wholly omitted from the assessment book.
beng manufacturers, their water rent
could ga.y legally be assessed by Coun-
c.. /. was the Collectors duty to in.
c--e .lam la list of omitted wstcr con-
s--a-s, ard the Councils duty 10 assess
Their water Tax. Nevertheless, the Col
.ee.gr attended 90 the pecuuiary mater
l'l.yn lie collected $500 from them for
water .s1 for that year without entering
any ssses-meu. anywhere, and without
ANY assessment being made. He made
no monthly report OF such assessments to
'1e Clerk. The only account that can
pos'Io.y contain j.. Is his annual settle
AenI IN which be- on October 80, 1871,
accounted Tor S9Oi.5I as the aggregate Of
'le supplementary assessments. He
SAYS It is included in that
sum. !, so, It's over one.third OF it;
Sol some member Of the committee with
won lie settled ought to be able to re-
member II. Where is the Itemized
statement he furnished that Committee?
~ ~ I'D no. accompany their report TO
council. Mr.. Blacks deputy showed
me strictly private book in which be
sa'1 l10se assessments were entered. Is
SLa' I,a' book accurate? If so, why privste2
NJ Black SAID on oath before the
Alolupsl Court or March 3O.b, tha. he
.s1d iurnlsh all the items OF that $9O4 81;
AA' The others were sll in the same
P.aGe' and he agreed to come prepared
t..'h ".'h the list on April 4.h, to which time
rs examination was adjourned He
.," -1Is prepared, but only with written