St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-21
A MISSING TREASURER.
Kentucky's State Treasurer Skips
After the Discovery of His Detail

hentuCky'S State treasurer SklpS
After the Discovery OF His Detail
cation.
FRANKFORT, KY, March 20.-Gov
Buckner this morning suspended Treas
urer of State James W. Tate. Tate is
charged with defalcation in his office,
and it is said has fed the state. The
defaulting official has been treasurer
for twenty-one years. He was conSid-
cred the soul of honor. 1t is thought
Iate's shortage will amount to between
$4,000 and S150,O00. The discovery of
rates shortage is the result of the eX-
animation of his books commenced some
days ago by an expert accountant. The
governor has placed the treasurer's
office in charge of Auditor Hewitt and
Attorney General Hardin. In his mes
sage to the legislature Gov. BUckner
says he has reasons for believing the
deficit to be large. In the house COM
mittee was appointed to investigate the
case i'll connection with the officials in
charge of the office. Pending the in
vestigation the Office, of cOurce, will be
closed. The state has abundant re-
sources at hand and all current eX-
penSeS, payments, dues, etc. will be met
without interruption or delay. Treas
urer Tate's bond was for S300,O0O and
is well covered. He was in Louisville
Saturday night, when he was observed
to be drinking hard, very unusual
thing for him. Since that time he has
not been seen and his whereabouts is I'M
known. James William Tate was
elected state treasurer in 1861 having
been nominated by the Democrats. He
has been reelected continuously at each
election since then, making his tenure
IN office twenty years on Aug. 81, last.
In the last Democratic campaign Mr..
Tate had no opposition for the nominal
ton as state treasurer. Everybody
laughed at the idea of opposing "Hon-
est Old Dick Tate" He received the
Democratic nomination for the tenth
consecutive time. His majoritieS have
always stood among the largest on his
ticket. and merry, honest, jolly "Dick"
Tate has been one of the most widely
known and universally liked men in
Kentucky. In addition to being state
treasurer, he was a commissioner of the
sinking fund and was one of those in
trusted with the management of the
state penitentiary. A dispatch just re-
ceived from Frankfort says Mr.. May
has offered resolution authorizing the
offering of reward of S., 900 for the ar
rest OF j. w. Tate. 1t is a joint reSolu-
ton and lies over one day under the
rules.
When Auditor Hewitt announced his
readiness for the annual settlement
Treasurer Tate put him off. His cash
book was not all entered up, then other
excuses were made. This thing has
been going on since January, until at
last the auditor got tired. Thursday
Mr.. Tate went to Louisville, saying he
would be back Friday. Friday he did
not return, nor Saturday. His family
grew uneasy, as did the auditor.
Telegraphic correspondence elected the
fact that MI. Tate had paid his bill at the
Louisville hotel Friday morning, taking a
a Cincinnati train. Then Auditor Hew-
EFT ordered a balance of his vouchers,
which was compared with the banking
balance, and it was found that there
was in the bank S124,0 less than the
vouchers called for. Then came the
conference investigation, the suspen-
sion by the governor, and now about the
whereabouts of the missing money.
Some say Tate has gone to Mexico,
others to Canada; others say he has not
left the state. His wife and daughter
are very much Frustrated. A dispatch
from Frankfort to an afternoon paper
says: The experts have not yet gone far
enough in the investion, but rumOr says
that the defalcation has already run up
as high as $500, 900, and there are no signs
of a cessation in the discovery of these
startling facts.