Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1878-11-14
Another hurprise 10 EeiIaire.

occupied by the BeilaIre Gas Light and COX
Company, rs which E. q. Morgi IN is Presl
dent and Ii. ID. Meek Superintendent ant
Secretary, but the flames were subdued befor,
any serious damage was done other than tC
the books of the G-s Company, and the de
structiOn of their accounts. The President
of the Company surmising that all things weIt
not straight in the management Of the Com
panys affairs, on Friday swore out warrant
for the arrest of the Secretary, charging hin
with setting fire t. the Office of the Company
for the purpose of destroying tSe books.
Mr.. Meek for two or three years spast ha:
been a prominent leader of the Democra
cy Of Bcllaire, apparently sparing neither
time, labor nor means in rallying the boys Il
the support of his party. At the County
Convention of the Democracy this fall, ht
came within a few votes of receiving tnei
nomination for Sheriff, and later in the seascI
he was elected on the Democratic ticket a
Justice Of the Peace for Pultney township,
defeating as popular man as John J. Powell
by $50 majority.
II was apparent to the Board of Directors o
the Gas Company that considerable sum o
money was being spent in setting up pOitica
affairs, but they were not interested in tina
matter until it began to be nuised about tina
more was being spent than the salary of the
secretary would amount to, anC then it be
came matter of comment in one of thei
Board meetings, and at Mr. AleekS Ieques t
a Committee was appointed TO examine Ii
books, he asking few DAYS to finish posting
them, which WAS granted. The follOwin!
from the lntelligencrr of Monday. is sub
siantially the story of the President Of tn,
Company:
at was near the beginning of the prcsen
month when the extension was granted. Or
Wednesday evening last, the night ON whicl
the FIRE took place, the Secrerarry explains
the fact OF tIe company's books being fOunC
Ont Of The SAFE Oy saying that he left his Otfic,
f,r the works, when are several squares dis
Iaht, ifieHdIug to return. As he Was detained
Jntre until a late hour the books were left Of
MS desk where he had been posting. Blu
that the books We're not Ul Ine desk durir!
The fire appears from this: Mir. II. NJ. lngler
one oi the Water Works trustees (the Wate
Office being in the same room, at the earles
moment Of accessibility to the room after tn
fire. Ill his HnXiety to see if ihe Water Work
books were il jured went TO the safe whicl
Immediately Joins the cupboard where the fir
q gInated- In doing so he stumbled over tin
books upon the floor at the foot of the cue
board, evdenlll having been piled upon tn
ire. 1t being dark, he supposed that the desl
c'ntaining Tie Locks Of the Water Works hat
fallen to pieces, owing 10 the heat of the fire
and hurriedly gathered them up and threw
them on the desk, which was ten or twelv
feet away The FIRE, it must be understood
originated at the foot of the cupboard, ten o
twelve feet from the stove, and at about tn
same distance from the Secretary's desk, hat
been started ON the floor, in all probahilit,
with lighters, and on it was found the book
which the Secretary had left lying on the table
The Secretary in company with another per
sor, remained in the office, after the fire, unit
morning.
About 8 O'Clock Friday morning, the door
of the office were locked 10y the President
orders, the books put into the hands of a com
mittee for investigation, and Mr.. Meek ten
porarily suspended. This commitlce discov
cred l04 pages to have been cut out Of thC
cash book, and the cash account to have beer
removed from the ledger in the same manner
all since the fire and the meter book il
missing.
rhe Secretary was asked to come in anG
explain the missing leaves, but replied that ht
could not, and strongly asserted his limo
cence. On this evidence Mr.. Morgan, t-t
President, ,swOre out an affidavit for his arrest,
he having been found in bed.
taken to a room where only three members OF
the said board were present, with the hope
that he might confess to those who had alwaS
stood by him, and whose confidence he had
always shared. Mr.. Meek's explanation OF
the books having been found on the fire and
not on the desk, is, that during his run in the
fall campaign he made many enemies, and
from the fact of his often having left his dock.
ct on the desk, some of his enemies threw
what was supposed to be this book upon the
fire.
Upon being taken be ore the Mayor,
on Friday, he entered into a recogniz'
ance in the sum of $500 for pis Lpear.
ance on Saturday-James F!tton, Fl.
G. Wilson and w. NJ. Meek tecoming
that night, upon the advice of friends
and against his OWa inclination he left
that region. There seems no good
ground for suppOsing that Mr.. Meek
set fire to the Office himself, for it is ad-
mitted that he was at home in bed at
least m hour before the fire broke out;
but the deficiency in mis- cash account
is given rs reason why he might
want to get rid of the books, and might
be induced TO arrange with "a friend''
tor the destruction of the Offiye Mr..
MeHk's report to othe Company in May
of this year showed that he had in his
hands about S2300 in cash ard accounts
which were charged against him, and
which he was required to collect. SI250
OF this is now in the Banks Of B 4llaIre.
1t is estimated that since that ii ne and
up to the preSe mt that the rt ceipts and
expenditures Of the company about
balance, 50 that Mr.. NJ. cannot be a de.
faulter, even if all accounts in his
hands were cOliecGible for but little
over 81 600. This sum could have cas-
lily been made up by his friends, and
would have been,i if such deficiency ex-
listed. Therefore, we see no in luce
ment to commit the crime alleged and
less for leaving Bellaire.