Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-12-01

book, he Informs me, is about ready. The
pa, ments by clerks and notaries are required
by law TO be made before the 18th of De-
cember Of each year. l presumed that all
the clerks had paid their accounts before |
came into the Office. Such payments would
not appear upon the books posted by my
clerk of receipts made since have been in
the office. l would not, therefore, have
known from the accounts of the clerks on
the general ledger what clerks had failed
to make reports and payments, and as did
not intend at the present to report any of
my predecessors work, was relying upon
the statement to be furnished me by Mr..
Smith of the delinquent clerks, to whom l
would write. | mean by delinquent clerks
those delinquent for 1882 8. AS did not
suspect, and had no reason to suspect any
thing irregular in this matter, would not
likely for some time have discovered that
any clerks were delinquent other than those
whose names might be furnished me by MIR.
Smith for that fiscal year. Some little while
ago, maybe six weeks, Mr.. Waddill, my
clerk u accounts, called my attention to the
fact that his father, who is clerk of Charles
City, had not been credited on bis account
on the ledger, with many payments that he
knew he had made, and he expressed to
me the opinion that something might be
wrong l stated, in reply, that he would
notice that none of the clerks had been
credited regularly with payments that
there was an utter lack of system of correct
asrount-keeping, but that that did not indi-
cate fraud; that the money paid into the
Treasury by bis father aud other clerks
would all be found credited to the general
account Of clerks of courts, but that he must
write TO his father and get his receipts, and
then examine these receipts with the credits
on the general account of payments made
ny his father for the various years repre-.
scented by the receipts, and this would show
conclu>iyely whether the State had been
credited Try all the money paid. I said |
did not doubt that the credits to the State
on This general account would correspond
with the receipts. Mr.. Waddll, about the
time that he called my attention to this
matter, mentioned to me that Mr.. Hume
had paid SOME money in person to Mr..
Smith and that Mr.. Smith was slow in
giving him 81 receipt therefor, and Mr.. Hume
had complained Of it. Mr. Waddill seemed
to think that this indicated something
wrong. told Waddll that there was no
cause to SUSPECT any bad faith in this mat
ter, as here was direct payment by Mr..
Hume in person 10 Mr. Smith and it was
only by Mr.. Smiths being pressed by over.
work That there was any delay in giving
the receipt. There could be no mistake
about the payment, and no possibility about
the failure to give the proper receipt. Mr..
Waddl;, a few days ago, obtained the re.
cepts from his father, aud after investga.
ton gave me memorandum showing the
years in which payments by bis father had
cd no tofn irt ba
account of the revenue and the list of re.
cepts signed by w. K. Smith for payment
in a number of years in which the State
had received no credit which he had ascer.
taincd by careful examination of the hooks.
handed these papers at once 10 Mr.. Moon,
chairman of the committee, within a few
minutes after being informed by Mr.. Wad.
dill of the result of this investigation, which
he had made at my request | then re-
questtd Mr.. Waddill TO give me statement
taken from the general account of receipts
from clerks Of all payments into the treas
u-y by clerks during the last fiscal year and
the year previous; which statement he fur
nishea me last night file this statement
herewith. As | mentioned before, | had |
requested Mr.. Moncure to give me list of
the treasurers that had been slow in making |
partial list at once commenced correspon
dence with them. possibly would have
continued my investigation into their &C.
counts and correspondence with them even |
if Mr. Smith had furnished me the statement |
of the clerks, which bad prevented my look
ing more particularly after the clerks OF
courts whom | had no reason to believe |
were delinquent, and which will account
for my not being more persistent in de-
handing Of Mr. Smith Il list of those clerks |
delinquent for 1928. OF course l would |
have seen that every clerk for that year as
well as the coming year did account to the |
-tate, and their payments are just now be-
ing made 1T will he borne in mind that |
the payments by clerks for 1882 3 should |
all have been made before came into the |
Vliice, and all of their payments credited, |
and iJ-was only out Of abundance of pre- |
caution and care that intended to demand |
OF Mr.. Smith Il list of the clerks who had |
failed 10 pay for that year.
"Tue statement furnished by Mr.. Waddil |
ali the counties and cities in the |
State, md shows at glance what clerks, |
- lar ~ The books Of this Office show, have |
faIled> to make payments for these two |
years. / have no reason to believe that any |
money has been paid into this office since |
have been Auditor which has not been cred |
tied to the State. have no Information of |
pay ments made to my predecessors for
" hich the State did not receive or, dit other
than that shown by the receipts of Mr..
Waddil, heretofore alluded to- and the tes-
Iimony of Mr.. Hume given before the com.
nittce in my presence to-day, and informa-
ion given TO me in the committee by Mr..
WaddhlI of payments heretofore alleged to
bnvc been made by the clerk of Heurico
county"
Dir. Wadlll, Clerk Of Accounts in the
Auditors Office, fled the following state
meGi:
Commonwealth of Virginia,
Office Auditor Public Accounts
Richmond, Va. November % 1884.
statement showing the counties and cities
rom which no payments appear from the books of
he Auditors office have been made by the clerks
If the circuit courts, on account Of taxes on law
IL. H. III