Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-04-02
A PECULIAR CASE.

| A Deficit 80 Years Old which is Not q Defici
$1,000 Increase to $21 900 by Adding
Interest-A POstOffice Clerk In Danger ol
Having His Salary Bagged-Jus. Ramsey
| in a Fix.
A curious and interesting case has been de-
veloped in the United States district cour
against two of st. Paul's oldest and best known
citizens which will test their liability as bonds
men. The circumstances of the case are very
UNIQUE, and the status of the affair as learned
from an interview with DR.. Day last evening is
about as follows: Away back in the pioneer
days of st. Paul, about thirty years ago, Mex
loan brigadier, an Ohioan by birth, named Col
Mitchell, was appointed as United States mar
shall for the district of Minnesota.
He soon tired of the position and fuallY
rendered his resignation, Mr.. Henry Tilden
being appointed to fill the vacancy. The latter
died in 1851 or 1852, leaving large estate
which was duly distributed to the heirs. La
looking over the records of the office some time
since an industrious agent discovered that at
the time of Mr.. Tilden's death there was de-
fciency 10. his accounts of $1,000. The indus
trious official saw chance to put feather in
his cap and the lead was followed for what it
was worth.
The interest was figured on the above and
reached the snug little fortune of $2l 900. OF
course Uncle Sam could never afford to lose so
much lucre, and in hopes of realizing the
amount the investigator discovered that
Messrs. JUS Ramsey and Benjamin Bronson
had furnished sureties for Mr.. Tilden and
signed their names as bondsmen.
A report of the officers labora was submitted
to the proper authorities at Washington and
the affair was turned over to District Attorney
Ri1IsOn for fin rthpr Investigation.
In order to fully appreciate the case the
reader should be informed that MIR.
Tilden was not criminal defaulter and the
question arises whether the government should
not be liable for its own negligence. The al
legged defalcatlon came about IN this way
During Tilden's term of Office he was charged
with disbursng $1,000 which was forwarded
from Washington and used as part payment of
the expenses Incidental to running the office.
While in office he expended large amount of
money in payment of fees ana other necessary
purposes for which the government gave him
no credit, the fact being that the sum expend-
ed almost offset the amount charged.
The position of the bondsmen in the pre-
misses, to say the least, is the reverse of pleas
ant, and in certain quarters the idea of the
bondsmen paying quarter ccnturys interest
which exceeds twice the amount of the princi-
pal is secuted az absurd, especially as there ID
no legitimate principal.
One of the bondsmen, MIR. Bronson, is now
employed in the postoffice at salary not to ex-
ceed 81, 200 per year. Considering that he has
passed the rubicon of life tie chances for col
lecting the money from this quarter are exceed
ingly slender, though the rule in such case is
to deduct the amount from the officials salary
until the account is closed. If Bronson is called
on for this we fear the Repubi
cans will not remain in
power long enough for him to settle, and of
course the Democrcts could not retain him un-
der civil service rules @ even to close an old
score.
The other bondsman, Mr.. JUS. Ramsey, is re-
siding in this city, is well to do. and Uncle
Samuel might confscate sufficient of his prop
erty to square up the Indebtedness which
would be most outlandish, not to say unjust
procedure. The case has been turned over to
Mr.. Billson for an opinion and those interested
may look for an early decision.
A case in point land in some respects parallel
to the above was the enforced payment by
Judge Nelson of tho deficiency which arose
from the defalcation of Postmaster Cave, The
latter defaulted for So, 900 or 1000, and Judge
Nelson being one of the bondsmeu the deicien-
cy was made up from his salary during the ad-
ministration of President Grant.