Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-05-01

ants in this city are generally overrur
with business.
There is no doEbt but that these ex.
perts are invaluable to merchants in
trouble, and their quick eyes and ac-
curate reckoning have often averted
a serious financial loss. Still, on the
other hand, the accountant, in his
zeal to keep up his reputation, often
oversteps the limit of his authority.
Like the detective employment in the
recent MAY bee murder case on Long
Island, who frightened an innocent
man into confessing the crime IN or
der that he might demonstrate his
skill as a ferret, so the accountant
feels that he must detect some irregu-
larity in the books he is called upon
to examine, or he is an unSkillful eX-
pert
An interesting case that is now
pending in this city, is but one of
many instances where an accountant
forces an appearance of fraud TO pre-
serve his reputation The treasurer
of certain corporation doing bust
ness in this city employed an old
friend as salesman, placing IN him
implicit trust and confidence The
salesman was in rather reduced cir
cum>tAnces when he entered the treaS.
urer's employ, having been unsuccess-
fol in his business career from boy.
He was taken in a spirit OF charity,
but he repaid his friends kindness by
gradually turning the different direc-
IN hA 4 A..
went on, and the salesman forced
himself on TO a committee to handle
the finances for, as he was not sue
cess in selling goods, the directors
gave him trial at tiuanciering Then
filled with ambition, Ne aspired to
the tressurer's char, and by "a series
of underhand maneuvers succeeded
in obtaining this position. But the
end was not yet The boOk-keeper of
the corporation had been derelict in
his duties, and the books We're in a
somewhat tangled position The new
treasurer seized upon this as a weapon
to attack the refining official, and IN
simulated that some fraud had been
committed. So experts were employ
ed, aud four tried their skill, but found
no irregularity, when at last one was
secured who would do his masters
bidding H. was IN .he employ of
the new treasures, who, seemingly
being sent on revenge, intimated that
it would be as well 10 find some crook
edness.
For days he scanned the accounts,
but could find nothing wrong, when
the treasurer told the expert that he
had loaned the corporation a large
sum Of m ney. which, although not
down in the books he was informedthe
money must be inserted in his report
as money unaccounted for So, with
no other security but the word of this
tricky treasurer, he inserted the fig
ures given him by the treasurer, vir-
tually making out the former official
defaulter.
1t may be thought that this is an
isolated case, and that the accountant
was an unprincpled person, who had
his price. But on the contrary he is
one OF the most prominent experts in
Boston; he has been called into some
of tho most noted cases of defalcation
that have occurred in this vicinity
and has been employed by a great
many of the leading merchants; yet,
when he learned that the suspected
man had but little influence, while
the parties who employed him were
willing to pay for finding dlscre D
ancy, he did not hesitate to manufac
ture one and brand an innocent man
with the title of thief. There are
enough instances of deviation from
the path of honesty to be found IN the
community to-day. where crime actu
ally exists, and the man, who, for
hire wal, wilfully blast the reputation
of another. casting cloud over him
waeu he is free from guilt should not
only be ostracised from the profession
but should be made TO feel the extreme
penalty OF the law for his unprlncr
pied conduct.