The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1890-04-25
The Egis & Intelligencer
Bel Air, Md, April 20, 1890
TIE ARCHER INVESTIGATION.

The Legislative committee on Wednesday. il
Baltimore, resumed the investigation of the trans
actions Of the late Treasurer, Stevenson Archer
The following letter from Mr.. Archer TO STATE
Treasurer Brown was read:
Dear Sir: Yours Of the 18th instant duly re
ceived. am confined to my bed and cannot meet
you as requested All the moneys OF the state o.
which had control were deposited to the credl
OF the State OF Maryland in the Farmers and
Farmers National Bank of Annapolis. and re
quire no act on my part to transfer them 10 you
The keys of Safe Deposit are not In my custody,
but are in the hands of legislative committee VINO
will hand them to you upon your recepting for
''"'' u WA STEVENSON ARCHER.
The State bonds in the boxes at the Safe Deposit
Building were recOunted by the committee III the
presence of the treasurer and the exact amount OF
the defalcatiOn of Mr.. Archer was found to be
SI32, 4Oi 25, as follows Bonds missing, Sl1sOOO;
cash received from the sale of West Virginia Cen
trail Railroad bonds and failed to be returned into
the treasury, $9,S3125; coupons, Sc $40. Total,
Sl34 37125. From this sum is deducted 81 $40. the
amount of coupons found in the pocket book OF
MIR. Archer and handed over on Wednesday to
Treasurer Brown No trace has been found OF the
$4,000 of registered bonds that are missing.
Several witnesses were examined, among whom
were Mrs. Fannie D. Street, of Bel Air, who testi-
fled that she had received two treasury relief bonds
of 81 600 each from Mr.. Archer as collateral for
his note for 81 s7625. which had been given her in
Archer was indebted to her father, and as he ad-
ministered on her husbands estate the money was
She still holds the note and bonds. The interest
has been paid by clipping coupons and having them
cashed. She has held the bonds since May Fl:
1888. The whole amount of debt was $500, all Of
which had been paid except the amount for which
she holds Mr.. Archer's note.
George l.. VanBibber stated that he is nephew
and law partner of Mr.. Archer In reply to a
question he said two months ago he would have
estimated Mr.. .Archer's Indebtedness at $50 0OO.-
He has since found it to be much larger. Since
the defalcation has become known persons have
consulted with him in regard to notes and due bills
from Mr.. Archer, and Of these he has made list
of thirty-six names with an aggregate indebted
ness of about $4,000. The recorded Indebtedness
Mr.. Archer has paid in the last three years
amounted to about $4,000. There are also debts
in which he is interested as bOndsman of $4,000
Mr.. VanBibber said he knows of other debts of
about $4,000. He has heard that MIR. Archer paid
debts amounting to from $40 900 to $4,000 but has
no definite information as to the truth of the re-
port. Mr.. Archers individual transactions were
private, and he kept no record whatever in his
office of his Indebtedness or its liquidation. Mr..
VanBibber stated that Mr.. Archer has spent no
money in Hartford county politics within the past
four or five years; that it would have been impOs-
sble for him to have spent over 500 in this con-
nection without YanBibber having knowledge Of
it, In the campaign for circuit judges only S4.5
was spent. This was all the witness knew.