Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1890-07-01
YEARS OF STEALING.
The State, County and People
Systematically Deirauded.
No Longer Any Doubt Of Corruption
in the Sheriffs Office.
Tho Shortage Already From 5000 to
$4,000 In Two Years.
PARTIAL LIST OF TAXPAYERS ROBBED.

tAicio Ncic NuOicodic II oudo uuh o1 .
tented corruption and rottenness in
the sheriff's office under the Boyd
regime. This is admitted ON all
hands, and the only question now at
issue is tho location of the moral re-
sponsibility. o. S. Brown was the
office deputy and the books were man
ipulated and frauds psrpetrated by
him. Boyd denies all knowledge OF
the stealing that was going on, but
claims that ne was the victim of mis-
placed confidence in turning over the
books of his Office to Brown.
ALIrTLE NATTER OF $73O.33.
Another matter OF over $3.50 has
come to light, after having been over
looked for two or three years. In
April 1887 a levy was made OF l2t cents
on the 500 to pay the interest ON the
Christian county Railroad bonds and
the sheriff was instructed to collect;
the money. The total tax was $9.129-
20, but in making his settlement with
the county Mr.. Boyd or his deputy
Mr.. Brown turned over only LII cents
Of the levy, keeping back nearly
one-twelfth Of the amount collected,
the sum withheld being S30.Ss.
Strange to say the presence Of a little
surplus of $3.50 in the profits of the
sheriff's Office was never detected un-
til the attorneys of the Auditors agent
brought it to light. Mr.. Brown adj
mits that this item is correct and due
the State, but cannot understand how
the mistake occurred. OF course he is
now willing and anxious to disgorge
and is sorry the little mistake ever
occurred.
LAST WEEKS DEVELOPMENTS.
Brown has virtually confessed to a
shortage Of about So, 600 and the act
ual investigation was just begun yes
terday. 1t was proven last week that
the sheriff had listed in 1888 $3l2, OOl
OF property and reported only S,4OO
This left a shortage to State and
county of So, 1870 ON this item alone.
Brown started out with sweeping
denial of the whole thing and tabooed
the idea of fraud. He was given the
benefit of his statement in Fridays
KENTucKIAN. After the paper had
gone to press he came to the Office
and confessed that $4,000 or 500,
600 of the amount was correct, but
claimed that the property had been
listed since Sheriff Boyd obtained his
quietus in September, 1888. The qui-
etus, it is well enough to remark, was
not obtained in September, but on
Nov. Il, 'SS, only few weeks before
Boyd's term expired on Jan. l, 'S9
After examining the schedule Of prop
erty listed, Mr.. Brown subsequently
admitted that all but about 100000
was correct and the taxes unpaid,
This admission is confession of a
shortage in taxes Of over $1,000. The
fraudulent settlement with the coun-
ty, referred to elsewhere, amounting
to $3.50 he also admits. He further
comedies that there may be
certain clerical errors and
inaccurate calculations" to be made
good. These if they amount to but
few hundred dollars would bring
the confessed deficit up to 5000 in
one year. The agent of the Auditor
however thinks his calculations are
correct and that the defalcation will
amount to much more than Brown
admits. This point will be settled by
the investigation now in progress.
Mr.. Brown also admits discrepancy
for 1887, but claims it will not be large.
According to Agent Randolph's state
ments through his attorneys the short
age SO far proven in three items for
1888 is $i.546, viz: $3.50 ON property
listed, $3.50 on false settle
ment and S637 stolen from
private taxpayers. This latter item
is only partial statement and the
true figures will be enough to bring
the shortage for 1888 above 5000,
the bulk of which is confessed by
Brown and of course Boyd's RESPONSE
'bility for the acts of his deputy can
hardly be denied. 1t is a nice mess
and shows that several different meth
DDS were resorted 10 TO rob the State
and people.
There is still another way in which
stealing was done. Increased rates
would be used to calculate taxes, or
the totals would be raised and the
people robbed OF whatever it was
thought they would stand Where
the tax rate was being changed every
year it was an easy matter to increase
mans taxes without detection. For
instance the rate of 1888 was lowered
several cents from 1887 and the tax
payers were in some instances required
to pay the old rates, or still higher
ones. A single instance will show
how this was done. A tax receipt has
been found for S22.55 on a $500
town lot and S25 of personally in
1888. The rate was 81 cents ON the
first and 81 cents ON the latter. This
calculated gives S19.53 as the exact
amount due. The stealage in this
case was SO OF, or about fifteen per
cent. added to the amount due.
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