, 1881-11-27
THIEVES IN OFFICE.

<,o, cx.,.-- -,.
vcht1@ation by the Present Receiver
nIeanB by Which Clerks Grew Rich In
Past Eears-Tuxpayers Robbed Un-
.r,,r1o.x,r-,11,ar rra-oi,-..,
- "e A>oseA@.Aon" u
Convicted Clerk.
PHILADELPHIA, Nov 24.-The discovery Of H.
pontic fra,,ds IN tho fi,v ,rnv neceivar;s.ot,7e
rs,,rta a., i, ,h., tf,i,n,. .t,. ,a.,,t. "l'.'
lepol teu Ia lno '"eo eoio utofn1us. grows COLI
staNtiy In Importance as new developtuents are
made. The mntter has been under tnyestipa-
ton for long time, almost ever since john
-' ~ n.e'snN va 1"otaisu 1as.
eir1ns' hua'er WIS elecaeo ou ene hetorm
ticket, and, having reason TO suspect irregulari-
ties In tho copduct OF the office under nreyioi1s
administrations 1,nya, a e,crat 4r,.os,;r,t;.
o,n,os+ w.. ar,>,., ~ ~ a..,s,s ,,tae ha,.
almost Us soon rs ne entered olnce' oelnE assist
&c by City-Controller PattlsOn and some of the
1nefuhers nf the tdriycns' f,ommttoc of nno
Hurirod rho ',,,,aa,i,r.,ton 49, -hao,. ,e.s ~.
~ "~ " "e7'e'o'" "a 'eet Aep1
very auiet and was made public yesterday
through tnadvertence rather than by design.
Mr. Hunter desired u conference with the Com
,nitte,. of I'm. u,,,,roa 49,, .,-co,~aa ,o1, ~
" ,eat,. ona 'to"oteu' a11o eu e"1t 4oi
1neetin*' put 80 mnuy members responded,
u unu IL was found so difficult to keep the thing
Hence. 4ybe, Cbojr,nur csrrot+ ,vo7 o,so,+ -,
state rhs oh,oct ~ ,na aa.i',. nas W. aoua. ~
advised hi1t1 to say nothing about the Dad busi-
ss; assS pnIoicy before he had com11unicared it
therefore. adjourned with the iudctuit inforn,,l-
ton that heavy robberles Of city, State, and
pi: priFate 1utius had been discovered Ia the Tax
1ndls!oual losers or the extent of the embezzlc-
menus
,nit,n nas ~ slnce @ qgen asesained that the Con-
lnlttee OF One hundred mas been i'll possession
~ LUIS Information ever since inst October.
Mntn Ineodore Aanet. who was clerk in tho
Tax Ohice under Receiver Thou1us }. Smith,
o
member. mem Of tho committees the whole story:
III ss aea fes ae
eelyed & Cd from Ills aceomplces since bus detection
bad been 81 shameful that he - split On them"
IN revenge Ih6 committee went to work at
once, but the system Of fraud was SO complete
aud the r1n:; 50 strongly established that it was
decided to elect an honest Receiver Of Taxes AZ
the l1St step. and this was done In the election
OF slr. Hunter.
Inc frauds we're perpetratcd IN various ways.
hundreds Of doilars in the bills OF heavy taxpay-
ers, under pretended Increase Of assessment,
the surplus and sometimes the whole amount or
the bllt going into tho pocket OF tho clerk who
received 1t. Another method was 10 Collect
taxes Oh property, which the Assessor, through
accident or design. bad omitted from his list.
Iiahei says tue storm which il destined to wreck
me reputMuohS OF men nltherto respectable III
privalc i41e ;tnd rromtnent In public annirs has
o,,lS c oeSun M TO- oio~. Ac ms eivcn tho Commit.
sec on Fraud anu the Committee OF
UHe nuhufed some startling lilortnii-
hon; Hc showed how = single Institution
pauy) paid ii tax Of s0,ooo, w1'cn was pocketel . !
by Que man e9I''lecte; with tho officc: and II,
connection With tbs It may DC stated: on the
ent committee, that this institution has paid
sl0.og5 Ill taxes. Of which Mo: IL aar went INTO
tho Treasury. liaiiel says II WAS the practice |
tor years., while he was i'll tho ax-oice. for
taxpayers 10 bc presented with bills hundreds If !
dollars i'll excess OF the amount due, euch e.crk |
to whom tl,t bills were pntd keeping the cx- !
~2 i1Et, thlrt rtlsk