Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-01-04
RATHER MIXED.
An Examination into the Books and
Papers Of the Chairman Of the
County Court.
Papers Said to BE in a Wrefched Con.
ditiOn and Hard to Get at the
Proper Time.

! 1t will be remembered that on Septembel
II, 1881, the special grand jury made re
| port that they could not proceed with theil
| investig alton of the office of Chairman o.
! the County Court, because the books wers
not written up and properly posted Another
| examination has been made partly, and the
report upon the work so far done il as fol
lows:
PARTIAL EXAMINATION.
To Hon. L. b. Horrigal Judge of the Criminal
Court of Shelby County:
SIR-The undersigned committee APP
pointed by your Honor to make an exami-
nation OF the books, vouchers, etc., of the
chairman and financial agent of the county
beg leave TO present this partial report of our
Iabors to date, in accordance with your Hon.
or's suggestions: We had a conference with
the subcommittee of the last grand jury,
who had charge of this part of the work,
and received all the Information they could
give us. We have experienced the same
trouble complained of by them, viz: the
want OF proper papers. The vouchers, war
rants, papers, ETC., were in = most
wRETCHED CONDITION,
and in the greatest disorder when we found
them; thrown carelessly on the floor and on
chairs in an unoccupied room, among rub
bish, and covered with dust and dirt After
due consideration we concluded to commence
our examination with the warrant books and
the papers pertaining thereto, and then pro-
coed with the general books. Notwithstand-
ing we have worked diligently from the first,
our labor up to this time has been entirely
on the former. We are satisfied we have
completed the largest and most tedious part
OF the work, and unless we meet with unex-
pected hindrances we will be able to COM
piete our labors in & few weeks.
HARD To GET AT.
The examination has proved much more
extensive than was anticipated. We have
been greatly delayed, and forced to do extra
work by the want of necessary papers at the
proper time. This being the central office
OF the county to which all of the other
officers, courts and institutions make their
revenue and expense reports, makes large
accumulation of vouchers, lists and papers
each year; costs bills from the various courts
at each term, etc. When it is remembered
that we have examined and checked over
every warrant, certificate and voucher from
January l, 1874 (when Esquire Holeman
took charge), to November 1, 1881, nearly
eight years. some idea of our labor NAV be
arrived at. The warrants alone amount to
nearly fifty thousand. :. a These were checked
three tines First, the certificate of author
ity; second, the stub; and third, the warrant
itself.
As before stated, we have been delayed by
the want of papers and vouchers. There are
some still missing, which the clerk has been
unable to find up to the present time; they
are costs bills, or lists from the various
courts, amounting to S31 ,496 Is. There are
war; ants from the various courts missing,
whch have been redeemed by county officers
and received by the chairman in settlements
of January, March, April and May, 1874,
Il L,,-
of the Office seems to have been very care
lessly conducted by the clerk, particularly as
to the care and filing of papers. While
there Is no place to keep the books and
papers properly, yet some better effort for
their preservation and
SAFE KEEPING
should have been made or attempted than
we find to have been the case. We find va
rious clerical errors in the several registers
of warrants, which will be fully noted in our
final report. This Office, which is the most
important one in the county, should have,
we think, as perfect a system of book-keep-
ing, and as careful a preservation of papers
as any bank or business house. We find that
where parties apply for warrants, and are
not able to sign their names, the attestation
of the signature is made by the chairman's
clerk. This, we think, ia very wrong. In
every such case, the witness should be an
outsider. We do not think it proper for US
to make any suggestions in this report
as TO changes in the system of
keeping accounts in this office,
or what is necessary to be done for the better
preservation of the records and papers,
Our final report will embrace all these points
that we deem essential. We have found it
very difficult to make partial report at
this time, as our examination is incomplete,
and we could not go into details. All of
which is respectfully submitted,
EDWARD BOURNE,
JOHN J. DUFFY,
C. A. s. RICHARDSON,
]. A. JONES,
MEMPHIS December %, 1881. Committee.