Omaha daily bee., 1883-05-09
ANTHONY REFS.
The True InWardneSS Of His
Overlap,
Thomas Patterson's Version
Of the Alleged Detail
cation.
NORTH PLATTE, May z.

To the Editor OF THk BKE:
My attention has been called to the
following paragraph In the Grand Is
land Times Of May 81: "The charge
of embezzlement made against A.
Rels, late treasurer Ct Lincoln county,
by T. @. PATTERSON Of North Platte,
turns out to be wholly groundless;
every cent was duly accounted for,
and the charge was shown to be the
work Of q man crazsd with hste and
bent on revenge" I presume this Ia
an answer to the charge of embe zzle.
ment Of the building association funds
per dispatch to THE BEE Of April 9th.
If so 1t IL q gross mistatement of the
facts, which are o. follows: Anthony
Reis has been secretary Of the North
Platte Building association for
the last five years. All moneys that
come into the association pass through
his hands. Last December . state
ment was made showing that the ssso-
citation would be oon wound up. A
proposition was made to appoint q
committee to examine into the affairs
of the association, which proposition
met with considerable opposition at
the hands of Anthony Reis and his
friends, one of whom proposed ''that
the association be permitted to run
out without Investigation, and when
1t had run out that the books of the
association be burnt up" But the
majority of the association were de.
termined on an investigation. The
committee were appointed but on the
threshold of their work were met
with o serious obstacle, In the refusal OF
Anthony Refs to permit the commit.
the to examine his books or accounts,
or even to see them. By q stratagem
and some fjrce the committee secured
possession of the most important book
which was the minnie book of the as.
ISOLATION, when they discovered that
the secretary had failed to make any
entries In said book since June, 1882,
and the other records were In q very
confused condition, bnt the committee
set to work with q determination to
get the bottom facts. Nearly two
months ago the report that was read al
the meeting of the 26;h of April wal
completed sko wing that the secretary
had withheld 81, 500 of the funds be-
longing TO the said association. A
copy of this report was then furnished
to Mr.. Reis by the COMMITTEES with q
request that he examine 1t and II
there were any mistakes or any ex-
plantations he had to offer the COM
mittee would be glad to heal
from him. After waiting 81,
weeks to hear from hin
a meeting of the association wa
called for April 26; h to hear the re,
port. 1t was Mr.. Reis' duty, as sec
rotary, to be present at the meeting
and he was especially requested to b.
present by the president of the asso
citation. Notwithstanding this, he
absented himself from the meeting
The report referred to was then rea'
to the association by Samuel Goozee
chairman Of the committee of investi
cation, and the members of tn
association present, by a unanimou
vote, elected Samuel Goczee secre
tary, vice Anthony Refs. whose tern
had expired, which action was Ger
tainly as an emphatic endorsement o
the report as the association coul
make.
Now, as to the statement of TIL
Grand Island Times that I was 18Th
author of the report" [ will say tina
although o heavy stakeholder in tn
association, I was not q member of tn
committee and had nothing to do wit
making up the report. As to the fur
Their statement of The Times, that tn
charge was "wholly groundless, ever
cent was accounted for, it Is withou
foundation, as there has been no set
Element made by Refs up to this date
,spectfully,
Il. @. PATTERSON.