Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-08-17
THE STEAL.
Is the Bottom Reached in
the Investigation?
WHO STOOD IN ON IT9
The Public Finances Managed in q
Very Loose and Careless Man.
ner all Around.

Yesterday great developments were ex
pected in the great county defalcation
business. These expectations were
clouded with complete disappointment.
The Grand Jury met in one of the rooms
of the Superior Court, but the Foreman,
Major Furrey, was not present, being out
of the city. 1t was also discovered that
the minutes of the Grand Jury could not
he obtained, for the reason that they
were in the Majors possession, and
locked safely up beyond the reach of any
pereon's hands. The body therefore ad.
journed until next Monday, when the
Foreman will be present and produce the
documents.
There is plenty Of work for the Grand
Jury to do. 1t would be we'll to have the
Auditors books again overhauled and
more thoroughly "experted." In saying
this there is no desire nor intention cf
throwing any suspicion on the integrity,
nor on the general ability of the gentle-
man who went over the books before
But as the very meagre reports of the
case leak out, it looks as if the steal had
been thoroughly planned, and as if
many heads and more hands had been
concerned in it. 1t is matter of fact
that Mr.. Blackman, little over year
ago, exported" these very same books
|pf Mr.. Montafio for the Grand Jury of
that time, and that he not only gave the
office "clean bill of health" but that
he was decidedly supplementary in the
terms in which he gave his favorable
opinion. That report of Mr.. Blackmsn
was made in June, 1888, and is now
q matter of record among the archives
of the county. The office OF the Auditor
did not merit the clean bill of health,
much less the complimentary terms in
which it was written. That the clean
bill was not deserved Mr.. Blackman's
report of this year proves, for four of the
defalcations or forgeries were committed
prior to that date, viz: between May,
1887, and February, 1888. Mr.. Black
man did not discover these frauds when
he "experted" the books year ago. He
did discover them this year. Nor
were the books Of the Office 30 kept as to
call for much complimentary language.
There was, if the reporter understands it
correctly, only one book of much value.
In this, under the separate funds, were
entered all sums Of money received, and
the "contra" eide showed what moneys
we're drawn cut of the treasury on war
rants. There was no way of getting at
the treasury excepting by means Of a
warrant. The accounts naturally musi
agree.
1t is, moreover, reasonable to suppose
that the report made by the expert in
June, 1888, was of great encouragement
to the gang of "boodlers," for in that
very month, not many days after this
report was made public, the big raid was
made on the School fund in the big
CARRIER warrant for So, ,S00 In July two
more were made, and in all eight raids
were made after that report, and before
the termination of Mr.. Montsfio's term.
Are these all the raids that have been
made! 1t is conceded that the discov-
cry of these frauds is exceedingly diff
cult. The eyes that missed them all
once may have missed some of
them in the second "experting." Here
is something it might pay the Grand
Jury to look into with some care. There are
six departments of the Superior Court oi
the county. There are drawn in each for
term trial juries about sixty names.
Here are 800 men who may each
have to draw money for his services
The Deputy Clerks in these courts from
time to time return to the Supervisors a
list of such jurors as have served during
the term, the number of days for each,
and the amount of money each is en-
titled to. Has any investigation been
made to see if any frauds have been
committed in these jury lists? 1t is
known that many of the frauds I'M
earthed have been in connection with
these lists. Have the lists been all
verified to see that the names of all re-
turned were entitled to the sums set op-
posite them? II an investigation should
show that there are names in these
| lists which are not on the Great
Regieter, would not that be al
most sufficient proof that there was
a fraud committed in the case
Has any one verified these lists2 The
people want this matter sifted to the very
bottom, and will be satisfied with no less.
County funds have been handled very
loosely, and the books have been often
kept very negligently.
A former County School Superin-
tendent went out of Office and left little
discrepancy of $12 800 between the debit
and credit side of his ledger. Various
attempts have been made to explain how
this failure to balance happened, but
these efforts have not been regarded as
very luminous. The County Tax Collec-
tor took to himself wings and few away
few years ago, and left hole in the
taxpayers' funds of $12,500. Mr.. Ham
mond's bondsmen have never been COM
pelled to make that deficit good. A plan
was proposed to the Grand Jury of year
ago by an expert for set
of books for the Auditors Office
which would have made stealing
rather difficult. Nothing was ever done
with this, beyond paying for the plan,
which lies buried in the report OF that
Grand Jury.
Here is the City School fund often
amounting to over 100000, in the hands
of men who do not give cent of bonds
that these funds will be safe. The
Chairman of the Finance Committee is
the Clerk of the board, and now and
then the Chairman of the Building Com
mittee asks that.his committee be allowed
to order work done without asking for
bids or letting formal contracts. For
tunely for the city the gentlemen who
comprise this board are all of high re-
pute and integrity, and fortunately they
have heretofore had the sense to refuse
to allow work to be done except by let
ting contracts. But who knows how soon,
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