The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-20

tently waited for the result of their labor. On
the night of the 18th of June the office of the
county auditor was entered by some person or
persons unknown, and many of the records,
which would have to be gone over by the inves-
tigating committee were so mutilated that little
| il anything could be learned from them. VIM.
| y Miller. deputy auditor entered the Office on
+! the morning of June 18. He discovered every
| thing in great confusion Books and papers
were scattered all over the floor and it took only
| a glance to show that the official records
of the county had been mutilated.
| Whole pages of different records had been torn
out, torn into small bits and slips, and scattered
over the floor. Among the records thus mutt
| lated were the transfer books, the tax-duplt-
| Gates assessors book j. commissioners allowance
| record books and stubs from which county ord
ers are issued. register of county orders issued,
register of county orders redeemed and deposit
/ ed, and number of redeemed county orders.
| register of county orders redeemed and journal
! of orders had previously been brought from the
| treasurers Office and been placed in
the Office of the auditor. This regis
| ter torn and mutilated to some extent.
The portion of the records mutilated embraces
those of recent and older date. Some of the rec
ords have been restored by FASTING together the
| small bits into which the leaves were torn but
| this long and tedious work, and only a
| very small part of the mutilated pages have so
| been repaired, and these can now be only par
| italy read In the stove were found the charred
fragments of different records, but of which par
ticuar class OF records was not known. The
Importance of the mutilated cooks was not
understood until strict investigation of them
was had, when it was found that
| it would very seriously retard full and com
plete investigation of affairs in the auditors and
| treasurer's offices. The duplicates had been
| carried from the auditors Office TO the door of
| the treasurers office, whore it was made to APP
| pear that an effort had been made to force en-
| trance into that Office. which. being unsuccess-
fnl, these duplicates were left lying in the hall
| This outrage was charged to the same mob of
citizens who had once before visited the town,
but certain tax payers allege that the
mob had no hand in the work
They say that no evidence could be obtained
that the mob or any of its members, were in the
town on that night; that the Office. which is
fire proof structure of brick and iron, was care
fully locked the afternoon before the outrage,
and that next morning it was found as carefully
locked and secured.
The grand jury was ordered to investigate this
outrage, but after a session of two weeks adj
journed without returning any Indictment in
gard to the a-agitating questions. They pre-
sented report that there was much unfinished
business before them relating to county affairs
but as it could not be investigated without
long and expensive session, they respectfully
asked to be adjourned. and that the grand jury
of the next term Of court be allowed to, conclude
the unfinished business
Meanwhile, the investigating committee pur-
sued its INQUIRIES, and after thoroughly examin-
ing the books of the treasurer and auditor made,
in substance, the following report, which is
sworn to. and is very volumlnous, covering over
ninety odd sheets of legal cap paper. 1t shows
that the committee worked faithfully and i'm
partially to obtain the true inwardness of county
affairs. 1t shows, that the committee found,
from book reports and papers. that Louis w.
Bowling, ex treasurer Of the county, had OBJ
tanned double credit on county orders of 81
062 GO: that the orders had been redeemed and
deposited in the office of the auditor once then
recovered from the office second time and re-
issued through the same channel All, or nearly
all, of the orders bore double redemption mark,
bearing different dates. 1t shows that the
treasurer had reissued and charged himself with
$l93 50 for old county furniture sold, but after
wards the record of this transaction was erased.
The auditor also failed to charge the
treasurer with this amount 1t was further
| shown that the treasurer had collected, as far as
the committee could learn $94l. So in taxes, for
| which he gave tax receipts, but failed to &C
| count and that in 1882 he had cash in hand to
| the amount of 81. 818 SO more than he reported
| and charged himself with in his report of 1888
a total shortage, so far as found of $40 or IL.
| The committee shows that from November.
1879, to June. 1885, AMI w. Brewster, auditor,
had been allowed, as county auditor. the sum
of $16,2071 10, and that he had drawn
| in county orders, payable to himself, the sum
of 500. 0l719. showing that he had overdrawn
his salary, during that time, in the sum
of S., 50. In every quarter excepting three,
| he had overdrawn his salary in sums varying
| from $40 to 5000. IL also shows that the orders
| issued to the auditor were placed on the stubs
of the order-took and the records had much
lower figures than the face of the orders. For
| instance, an order for $315 issued to him, was
| charged on the books as only So. Is The com
mittee reported that, account of the mutia-
| ton of the auditors records, they were unable
| to trace to the end many evidences of fraud.
They also reported that they had been unable to
| examine into the condition of the school funds
| of the county, as the auditor, who had the regis
ter and books of the school-fund at his eslence.
had fatty refused to produce the
| quest to do so. They also stated that, owing to
| the short time given them in which to make
their report, they were unable to thoroughly
make an examination of the taxduplcate and
the delinquent list. They were also retarded in
their work by the entire destruction OF the in
solvent record.
A DENIAL OF THE CHARGES.
Mr. Brewster and Mr.. Bowling deny any
fraud. and say that. had not the books been
destroyed, they would have been amply able to
prove their ertreinnocence of any wrong in
tent They say they may have been careless, or
that clerical errors may have been unintention-
ally committed. but that the county has not
been defrauded.
Upon receiving this report of the stigating
committee the County Board employed Peckin-
paugh & Hays and George w. Self to assist
Maj. w. Funk, prosecuting attorney. and Judge
Denbo. county attorney, in bringing suit
against Louis w. Bowling and his sureties,
on his official bond. to recover the sum of $I5.-
900. The suit was filed against Bowling, as or
dered the style of it being, 1.-The State of Indi-
ana. on the return of Amzi w. Brewster auditor
of Harrison county. VS.. Louis w. Bowling, ex-
treasurer OF Harrison county. and his surities on
his official bond" Judge S. K Wolff. a learned
jurist of New Albany, was appointed special
judge to try the case. and on Tuesday. Oct. 6, it
was called for trial.
Just before adjournment on the first day of
the trial, Auditor Brewster created sensation
by coming into court and personally filing
motion to dismiss the suit alleging, in sworn
affidavit. that the attorneys of the State Nicho-
las Peckinpaugh, Major Funk and S. W. Self,
without authority and without consent. had
| hundred witnesses to be summoned and exam
ined. thereby causing great costs and expense to
| the county. He further stated that he would