The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-10-09

The chair thereupon appointed Supervisors
Mclntire Ca c., Miller, Stormont, Fades, wy
, lie and Pool rs such COMMITTEES, to act in con-
| junction with the chairman Of this board.
Thereupon, board adjourned til 0 O'Clock to
morrow morning.
! WEDNESDAY, Oct. 6, 1850.
Board met pursuant to adjournment. Present
same rs yesterday. Minutes Of yesterdays pro-
Ceedings read and approved.
Chairman Z. Z. Lewis, rs chairman OF the spec.
ial committee appointed yesterday, presented
the following report:
To tie RonordJh Board Of Supervisors OF La
Sale County, INh.oS; GENTLEMAN-iourco commit
tee, to whom was referred the duty of inqulring
into the cause Of the destruction OF the records
in the recorders office, would respectfully report
That they have given the matter as much atten-
ton as the short time afforded would allow; that
they have not discovered anything that is not
common information upon the streets; that the
facts in connection with the matter may be brief.
~ stated about as follows: The office was locked
up at & o'clock Saturday evening, Oct. I'd, by
Deputy Recorder Wilson, with everything in us
ual good order. There are five keys to the Office,
carried respectively by Recorder Arnold and his
two deputies, one by Tailor Mecay and one by
Charles II. Hook, who had charge of the Office
during evenings to enable the abstract man TO
work his men during evenings.
| The fire was discovered Sunday morning about
6 O'Clock. On opening the vault the iiremen
found four cans of some combustible fluid, prob,
ably keroscnse oil, two of which were unsoldered
and the oil leaked out-thc other two remaining
whole. These, together with a suspicious look
ling object doubtless a torpedo, were distributed
along the vault lengthwiSe, and were covered
with a wndrow OF the large deed records, SO ar
ranged as to burn readily as possible. lhis
row of records was more or less on fire.
| The windows Of the office and vault were all
IClosed and fastened in the usual manner. The
door of the vault was unlocked, and the key OF
which there is but one, in the place in the Office
where usually kept. The door Of the Office being
locked, your committee can tnd no reason loi
attaching any blame to Recorder Arnold or any
of his deputies, or indeed, to any person to them
known in connection with the matter. your
committee, for reasons apparent to the board, &c
not recommed the Offering Of any reward Mt this
time for the discovery Of the criminal, but would
recommend that the board take action as follows
ReSol,ed, That committee of three be appoint
ed to prosecute search for the pcrpetrator of this
fearful crime against the people OF La safe
county; that such committee be empowered tc
take such action in that direction as they, in con
nection with County Attorney Mayo, in their dis
erection think wise and proper that they be fully
authorized to employ such professional assis
lance, legal and otherwise, and incur such eX
penses as they may deem necessary. To the emo
that such committee and all others interested may
know the sentiment of this board on the subject
we recommend the adoption of the following res
oluton:
ReSolred, That this board feel that no pains
should be spared to bring the perpetrators OF this
wicked attempt 70 destroy by wholesale the rec
ordS Of the titles of all the property in this coun
~ TO a Just punishment for the great oense, and
that in the opinion Of this board the people viii
not only Justify but demand the expenditure OF
the money necessary to accomplish that result
| Respectfully submitted,
| f. c. LEWIS Chairman.
Supervisor Mcintyre (Nat.) moved the adoption
of the report.
Supervisor Barton offered TIE following reso,
luton as an amendment to that portion OF the
report appointing committee OF three, &c.
ReSoEyed, That the chairman and clerk OF this
board be authorized to offer a reward OF SlO,OoO
for the arrest and conviction of the party or par
ties who perpetrated the destruction of aportion
of the La Sale county records, Oct I'd or Sd, 1851
! Supervisor Burgess moved as an amendment
to the amendment that the sum be 50 O0U reward
Instead Of $4,000
Supervisor Barton accepted the amendment
The question recurring upon the amendment the
ayes and noes being demanded, Supervisors Bar
ton. Dresser, Flaherty, Lowman, Miner, Nelson,
lO'Donnell and White,-S-voted in the aflirma
tive Supervisors Adams, Armstrong, Beach,
Bellinghausen, Burgess, Center, Drakley, Fades,
Ferguson, Fox, Gardner Gray, Hemig, Hodg,
son, Hoffman, Hoge, Klove, Lauf, Mclntire ca.
c., Mcintyre (Nat.), Metzger Miller, Palmer,
Parr Pool, Reynolds, Singer, Stevenson, Stor-
mont, Wyle, and Mr.. Chairman-5l-votedin
the negative. Amendment lost.
Supervisor Barton then moved as an amend
ment to the report that reward OF %, 900 be Oh
fered in addition to the recommendation OF the
committee Lost. The question recurring up
on the adoption of the report Carried.
| Supervisor Ferguson, chairman OF the special
committee, presented the following report:
| Mr.. Chairman and Gentlemen o. me Boar" OF
Supervisors: Your committee appointed 10 ihves-
tgate the matter OF the destruction OF inc rec
ords in the recorders Office have had the mater
under consideration, ana would Respectfully re-
port as follows; That we find record DOORS NOS
49, 100, u.s. 49, III, ~, rs, III 10, 10, ~,
l2s, 100. l3O, III and l32 have been totally ues-
troyed and all the pages OF record DOCKS from u
page No. 100 to 500 in book ia, from page no.
to 29o in book ITO, from page no. 10 200 Nv ~