The sun., 1879-06-23
LUTHER CONKLIN'S STEAL.
A COUNTY TREISURER VINO DEFA ULTED
FOR OYER TWENTY YEARS.
The Man whom Every One Trusted RobbIng
the People or Sill ,OOO-A Wrnnaie with
the BGndsmen-A Long Fight In Prospect.

the hdhdsmen-A Long right In Prospect
OswEGo, June pa special session OF the
Board Of Supervisors in this city gave another
turn 10 Oswcgo Countys great scandal-the de-
fnlcation Of the late Treasurer. Luther II. Conk-
lin. The session was called to receive tho re-
port Of n committee appointed in February last
with authority to institute suit against tho
bondsmen, or to receive proposals for a COM
promise Of the deficit.
The voluminous history Of violated pub
lic private and corporate trusts reveals no
more sad and startling story than the fall Of
Luther ii. Conklin. Living in the village OF
Mexico. he was its most conspicuous citizen.
having been for twenty years and moro n
| ngurehcad in poliiics. business. and So
| ccty. Treasurer OF tho county, n bank
er. founder. patron and promoter OF q
church. high officer in Free Masonry. n man
OF friendly disposition and accomplished man
ners-ho was known and liked by almost every
male resident of Oswcgo County. and few had
wider acquaintance throughout Northern.
| Western and Central New York. He was
friend and counsellor to everybody In all public
| business pertaining to county affairs on ac-
| count of long familiarity with them. and equal
| ly he was tho trusted adviser of men all over
| In 1865 Mr.. Conkln was elected Treasurer OF
| Oswego County. and for seven successive terms
! OF three years each was renominated and re-
| struggle Of opposition. 50 That on the lst OF
/ January last he would have completed tho
\ twcnty-hrst year ol his trcasurership. and In
! all which time suspicion was not hinted against
MIN. rms period covered war timc when the
duties Of County Treasurer were specially COM
! plcX. and involved tho handling Of and ac-
| counting for vast sums Of money;
| About the middle of December last Mr.. Conk-
fnal settlement with the Board OF Supervisors.
then in session. He was here about ten days
! engaged in this business. His report had been
/ loOkcd over. his balances accepted and the
! Standing Committee t. settle with the Treas
| urer was ready to report his accounts correct
and recommend fun settlement. when the
4 OF tho work discovered what nppcared To- be a
I attention was called 10 il. and also Mr.. Conk-
linz, but he profcsscd 10 be able 70 explal IN It
! satisfactorily after looking over h 9 records at
| Mexico. He went home for this purpose and
the report was delayed, Even then his word
was taken as IL was believed that he could
| make his account clear. But he did not re-
| turn; IL was reported that he was III next it
! His wife was snow-bound at the house OF rcla-
| tivcs in this city. all this section Of country
being locked in Che first Of the great blockgdes
| OF last winter. Neither his relatives nor those
| interested in tho true condition Of his official
affairs could reach him. and on Monday even
| ing. December %. he died. Tho statement
telegraphed by the physician was that on Mon
day morning about 2 o'clock persons In tho
house were awakened by his heavy breathing
and found him in convu sions. which were sue
he remained until he died The doctor certi-
fed thnt his death WAS from apopleXy caused
10y heart disease. The funeral was delayed
several days by the storm but when held was u
magnlilcent Masonic pageant. and attended by
the Board OF Supervisors and nearly all the
public on GERS AMI prominent citizens Of
Oswego and neighhoring counties.
Closer examination OF Mr.. Conklins accounts
satisfied the Committee TINT tho deialcatlon
during the last term of three years amounted TO
ABOUT s59Vn. rms assertion created sensa-
ton. The Supervisor from Mexico introduced.
hha cauiI To D' pq 2n rfS9fd So hat
ns he had lived, an honest man. and Mr.. Conk-
lins counsel; leading lawyer OF the county,
telrgraphed that the charge wns cruelty false. "
and would be Immediately dsproved. The Su-
pervsors' Committee reported deficiency. and
recommended the appointment of n special
commi;est 10 examine the Treasurer's books and
tho day after tho funeral Mr. Conklin's counsel
attended the meeting of the Supervisors and
ATTEMPTED TO cNplain the apparent deficit. and
was very severe IN his language as 10 all who
We're CONNECTED with making the charges
Soon il was discovered that the Treasurcr's
| bond OF flOOODO Tor his term from 1879 to 1876
had been stolen from tho County Clerks office,
and no record could anywhere be found TO show
who were his sureties for that term. This
awakened fresh suspicion.
The special committee. assisted by m expert
accountant. began 10 examine the accounts and
records. and nlter over month OF dlligcnt and
careful Investigation reported to n special ses-
sion OF INC Board on the 26th 81 February 1879.
that they found the total dcialcuton TO be tlll.-
s61G7. extending through the whole twenty lone
years OF Mr. Conklin's ircasurership. and per
counts. These deficits were distributed as fol-
lows through tho seven Official terms: First
ls7Gs: fourth. f39lg IS; Nth. ss6i347; sixth.
s22 i97. .jj seventh, slg gfG7A
The clerk of the Board was then authorized
| TO make demand on the estate and the sure
ties on the whole period OF twenty ono years.
and on refusal to llquiduie the claim he was dI-
rected 10 tnke all legal steps 10 recover the
amount due the county. committee was also
appointed TO receive proposals from the estate
| Mnd hondsmen II they desired 70 compromise.
The liability on a bond does not expire until
twenty years niter IL Is given. some Of the
-. t''.' - - io 80 80 Vt.4Di 7
nave become lnsoNent Ia the hnancial changes
OF the past ten years, while still others are
amply responsible. There were ten suretics on
each boni WHO iustilcd IN sums ranging from
$1,000 tp $4,000 each. Such ~ were rcsponsi
hle took alarm and began 10 dispose Of their
property and IL Is said that all but two or thrce
transferred their real estate. They engaged
counsel, md caused another examination of the
books to he made preparatory TO a defence, aud
have caused II to be given out that they have n
| liability and thus the subect has been tossed to
and fro, being ever the most nspicuous topic
Of discussion for the past six months.
To yesterdays special meeting of the Board
OF Supervisors the select committee above re-
ierred 10, reported that tho inventory Of tho
late Ireasurer's estate, recently fled with the
Surrogate, shows $4,000 OF collectahlc and
stlOOO OF uncolectable assets. That after
all expenses OF adm lnistering the estate
there will remain sl3.500 OF net divisible
assets. including interest in real estate. That
| the representatives OF tho bOudsmen assert
their ability to substantially explain tho def
cheney prior TO 1873, amounting to about
10000, but show no figures or data upon which
they base such expenditures. That Of the
alleged deficit of S7l 800. arising since 1878.
they claim deductions OF about $4,000. That the
liabilities of the late Treasurer. not including
the county claim, are f2i 600. and including the
county claim. $l35.O0O, and inciuding county
claim not asserted to bo explained. 500 800 u
dividend upon which. from the net assets.
would yield the county about 50 500. Also that
the bondsmen propose 70 pay as a COMPROMISE
settlement the sum OF $4,000 within forty-Aye
DAYS. and in addition to provide for payment
Of $4,000 II trust funds held by the late Treas
urer boy order OF the courts. A resolution was
offered to accept the proposition in full
settlement OF the claim OF tlll000. but
after long and exciting argument. in
> which the bondsmcn were heard individually
and by counsel. IL was rejectod-2 to %. Vari-
ous other resolutions were introduced to accept
sums ranging from $4,000 to $4,000 In nay
ment, and II WIS AT length voted To accept
100000, and the sureties are to be allowed thirty
days IN which to pay 1t, in default Of which sui
will be- begun.
Tho bondsmcn say that they would have paid
! 5000 but viii not pay 100000, in which ease
suit will be instituted, aud the cause noticed foI
triWl on tho calendar for the September circuit
In this county. The grounds upon which the
bail resist payment are that lu,l u,lgment for this
, amount is not collectable. and thnt they are in
uocent parties and ought not 10 he baukrupted
on account Of the acts of their principal. Con.
siderable sympathy is felt for these men, aud