The evening world., 1889-05-28
WOODS EXCUSES.
Too Busy to Turn in Those Special
Sessions Court Moneys,
He Used Some Of The $7,2SO, but Not
Enough 10 Make a Fuss About
IL Will Take the Police Justices and
Common Pleas Court to
Remove Him.

Most men resting under charge of mis-
using S7,29O of the money of the city in
trusted to his keeping as an official would be
rervous, uneasy and quite crest'allen.
Not so Clerk George NJ Wood, Of the
Court of Special Sessions. whose faher and
bOndsman, Col. Edward 4. Wood, has placed
his check for that amount in the hands OF
Comptroller Myers. to cover the apparent
default Of his son.
Commissioners of Accounts Holahan and
Barker have been industrious since their adj
vent into Office. and they have submitted TO
Mayor Grant their report on thorough ex-
animation of the books and reports Of Clerk
Wood from Jan. 1, 1883. TO May /. 1889, and
their findings. are decided y not Ieassuring
The report is q tabular statement. II shows
that Clerk Wood has failed to account for
IS, l3l paid to him in fines by prisoners con-
yicted in the Court OF Special Sessions, COM
init ed and afterwards released on payment OF
their fines.
Another table has q list of cases in which
the papers were marked paid by the
clerk, but the money had never been turned
over to the City Chamberlain. Another
shows 81. 439 IN fines not reported the same
counted for by the clerk, and fourth table
is a | ne lIst of cases IN which n fine was i'm
posed with an alternative penalty OF inn
prsonment. in each Of VIII ch cases neither
paid nor - committed " was entered by
the clerk.
The fifth and last table is of cases Of bail
pris ners who in lieu OF bail deposited the
amount required with the City Chamber ain.
In these ca es Clerk Wood drew the money
from the Chamberlain, but never made any
return OF II in his monthly reports.
The deficit in this account was 4761. OF
this - 0 was in one d. post made by man
named Mosely. and u was discovered that The
Chamberlain's check was deposited in the
Twelfth Ward Bank, Harlem. to Woods own
personal account.
The total Of Woods apparent deficit is
81. 200.
Said Commissioner Holahan to an EVEN
"Our predecessors, Messrs. Shearman
and Adamson. made report to Mayor Hew-
lit, Jan. 20. 1923, on this young mans ac-
count, showing that he was short about $500.
part TO gel rid Of an official obnoxious to
Tammany Hall.
Now. how weak such n proposition !
Here is man short in his accounts. II is
report our findings. We have done 1t.
IF Tammany wanted 10 get rid uf Wood,
could there be auy better or more sound
reason for it2 Woods bond is for only
| is an apparent deficit of the receipts of his
Office for two and half months. II was
recommended year and half ago that his
bond be increased to $40, OO1, but no action
was taken.
"Mayor Grant knew absolutely nothing
about this matter till we submitted our rep Irt
to him. To remove Wood the Mayor or five
citizens must submit complaint To- the
hoard # Poiice Justices. They investigate
and reDort to the Court of Common Pleas, q
| tr a. il had and the three Judges of the Gen
eril Term of the Court of Common Pleas re-
port on the findings.
III he is found unfit then Tammany will
be rid of b m. II a public officer strives to
| do his duty wrong motives are ascribed to
| him."
Clerk Wood was found at his Office in the
Tombs build ng promptly at $50 this morn
lug by an EVENING WORLD reporter. but he
declared that he had no statement to make.
why" said he. - l have covered the al
leged deficiency into the CITY Treasury.
What more can be asked? l knew that my
acc UNITS were not exactly balanced. but
| h We been practically without help in the
office for more ihan yenr.
My deputy, the late Joseph A. Mon.
heimer. was detained from the ofhce early
last year by the illness of his wife. Then he
WAS sick him, elf six months before he died;
ana SINCE then: four months. l have had
only a clerk, whom / paid from my own
! pocket.
I" This isn't like bank. can't do my
business like counting house. There are
! sometimes seventy or eighty cases on the
calendar and things nre done hurriedy.
There are no stubs ior record of the transac.
ons. and suppose paper Is not marked
| from oversight!
i've ndled over 900, 900 in the six
years / have been clerk. but l don't know
much more about these charges than you do.
! - Yes; year or more ago there was q
/ deficit of about I 500. l covered that into the
treasury. and then went ut my books. found
tina had used some of that money. but much
ul it--I ant remember how much-I could
account for perfectly.
II think this affair will turn out the same
way when get at my books, and after o-daN
| Shall keep a strict daily account of all
noneys. ! think the proposit on to increase
my bond 10 100000 iS an eminently propel
Que, though the fact that this app trent deficit
was SO readily discovered is III itself prool
that am 1 o intentional defauter.
We In M ne than 3. 200 cas- last year
and Ihe apparent .hortage is the result ol
carelessn, SIS aud overwork."
The next meet ng If the Board OF Police
Justices occurs the last Mondav in June. II
j. the general opinion TINT Clerk Wo DIS de,
icit is he result general carelessness and
lack of responsihilitv.
At the Como rollers Office /; was stated thai
Woods accounts had Leen straight mp TO Jan.
|, lSsS, but it Is declared low outsiders that 9
closer scrut ny cf the acc counts of officials by
former commissioners of Accounts might
have discovered other shortages