The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1883-01-18
Report OF The Legislative
Committee Of Investiga-
ton.
Cash on Hand After the
DefalCatiOn Amounting
to O9,59S.7S.
The Deficiency in the Treasu-
rer's Account S31S, 1911.

teu 10 LuS Legislature.
Mrs Speaker: The joint committee
sPpointed to investigate the accounts
Of the Comptroller and Treasurer
and make a settlement with said Off
cVrs, beg leave t. report that they
have made an examinat, Ola Of the &C
counts Of the Treasurer and find that
according to the Csnptroller's books
(Which by Law are required to be 50
kept as % show the exact amount Of
money that should be in the Treasury
az all times there should have been
IN the Treasury Of the State OH the
morning Of the 9th day of January,
1888, five hundred and thirty-nine
thousand, four hundred and five dol
lars and siXty-one cents 1888, 4o3, 81
We found on hand in The iron safe
en- tho Treasurer's, O ice 9,O54 81.
lso exchange on New York
which the clerk, J. &. Fleming, had
Purcha sed under orders from u. T
Polk, Treasurer, tn pay some January
coupons on the go 6 bonds, and which
the committee directed him to restore
~ the vault-S495.00
This is credited in Folks account,
STrA hence makes ne difference la the
amount Of his deficit.
A,e found on deposit with the vari-
GUS banks an Tennessee, 5000 al 81.
From this it will Therefore be seen
that there Is on hand in the safe III
the Treasurer's office and ezl deposit
in the various banks thrURgdrnmt the
Stale of Tennessee ths sGa of $2Q9 :
1913. 70.
There is also a small lot .sf old sill
yer coin defaccd on hand in the safe,
which our committee valued at IS.
and put in n small box and placed ia
q drawer in the safe. AIao the Mex
York exchange for S495,
The Treasurer 10 entitled to n cred
it for money which Ire haas paid out
III tV use Of tho State, EgSt for which
no Warrant has as yet been Issued t.
hinl Ivy the Comptroller, 81 ,427 ~.
1t will he seen that there is n d, f.
cicn ia the TrsaRnrer's account oi
The cash that should he on hand II
S3IS,379,3I.
On or about the goth Of DecemAser,
1880, Jas. l.. Gaines, Comptroller
turned over to the Treasurer, d. T
Polk, fifty United States bonds Of
one thousand dollars each. $50, 900
Coupons due on same to January /,
1883, S34,2S7 30. Making a total OF
1854, 1877 -.
these bonds and coupons the com
mittee are unable to find, and learn
from the clerk in the treasurer off,
CO, that they are not on hand, and he
duCs not know where they are and
haB never seen them since he has
been in the Treapurer's office. The
Treasurer, Mr.. NJ. r. Polk, being
gone they can obtain no clue t. the
Whereabouts uf these bonds. jus. l..
tGaines hold. Nj. +. Folks receipt for
same.
lie flight mud abandonment of
his office by NJ. T. Polk, and his flight
from Nashville and his subsequent
capture a:c matters with which the
General Assembly is familiar, and
need not he referred to here. In
conECq uencc of Polk's absence. the
committee has been a great loss and
difficulty to ascertain the cause at his
heavy defalcstio:,, but have traced
it out 40 hest they could ant submit
ihe result Of their labors.
From the testimony of J. c. Elem
ing. the clerk If Mr.. Polk, in. the
Treasurer's office, and his cOniidea-
tlnl friend and bnok-kecper, thev lear,
that he first entered Mr.: Folks en-
ploy, No his book -kocFerin the Treas
urer's office, in the year 1873 MSrch
Is, and has been constantly en- ployod
Elnce that date up 10 now At the
time Mr.. Fleming entered the oshtN,.
on March IL, 1878, Mr. Folks cash
account as Treasurer was short be-
tween $4,000 and $4,000. This
deficiency increased gradully, from
that date on to JareuAry, 1881, at
which time it reached "a 600. Du-
ring the time Mr.. Polk vas IG New
York, funding bonds under the Co.
he drew checks, toR large amount,
on the Treaslrer's office in favor OF
the United States National Bank,
Victor EeWcomh, IlolYaTtcn & Co.,
Pearl * Co. and Cohns~oppCr Il Go,
which were paid by the clsrk, G.
Fleming, ont of the funds belonging
TO the state.
ItAppears that Mr.. Polk, while in
New York engaged largely in spccu-
IatiNr in Louisville {, Nashville,
railroad stock, with Victor Newcomh,
Nv which he lost very heavily, but
the exact amount your committee
cannot ascertain
These checks the committee can
not fnd, as they were taken away by
N. T. Polk.
AS to TN, So checks the committee
are of the opinion that the ATTORNEY
General should be iustrueteE TO ex-
anime fully and see IL the parties
above named are not liable for tho
respective amounts paid them on
some, and if in his opinion. they are
to at once take the necessary steps
and institute proceedings for tAe re-
csverV ofsame from them.
II also appears that NJ. 7. Polk
engaged with pool in spsculatIng
in Memphis * CharlestoA railroad
stock by which he was a loser, but to.
what amount. and wat has become
of the stock, the committee is unable
10 ASCERTAIN. 1t also appears that
he enga ged in sPecuIatirg in Tonnes
see bonds, and Loss thereby,
ant II what amount the committee
..,.,t.f ascertain.