The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-04-27
STOLE RELIEF FUNDS.
The Serious Charge Against
Agent j. p. McCoombs-
AN INVESTIGATION ORDERED.
The Gsass.a Relief Ccaaittes Has sss-
pesdeA shs Ags.s Pesdisg - Iavss-
ste.tisn-8owe - fhe Charges.

Secretary r. NcCoonbs, Of the relief co.
mIffse has been puspended from his poaitton By
the COMMITTEES. pendfng Tie inv0s1eafson On .
charge Of mssappFopriafing mooey 70 hts cwn
nse which wse intended for the relief Of . dis
tyessesd family. The investigation viii be made
81 onee, and . meeting Of the COMMITTEES viil b
he'll Aoadsr 10 1Ake 6nai sc;tou ca The matter.
Il il quite probakse that Necoomhs VIII not
oaiy be found guilty 81 shfs eharRs but vIl also
have other serious charges 70 meet
Il the stories - 70 the manner IN which Nc
coonks has disposed OF Ia ruoney cf the relief
fand are true. IL shows hin 10 Be . most unscru-
pnleus and daring sxindisr
It's claimed that by systematic system
which slccsssfuiiy HOODWINKED even his en-
ployers. the membeu Of ths committee, be has
daily and weekly aossrsesed for his owa use
sueh sans ~ he saw a.. from the relief fands OF
which he wa< the guardian, sad that II IL not -
al improbable that he has made Away with sew
eral hundred and maybe thousand dollay.
For some time there have been vague rumoFs
that a. was not rtghf with Mr.. AeCooraoA he
dressed always in the heigth OF fashion, and
lately he has been Spending hisfisne and money
IN dives and gambling houses. His deneanosfo
nany Of the applicants for charity was In many
eases insulting. Dissatisfaction wss frequently
expressed. bat !: never assumed definite form
un,il isst Thursday, when Mr.. Phillip
sellers. who lives In tent near
Terrace ard Sixteenth streets. reported
to Msyor Moran his suspicion that he had not
received eli OF the relief which had besn drawn
for him. Later. his wife made affidavit that she
had. at Mecoombs solicitation. indorsed her
husbands name 20 . check. the face Of which
she did no; see. and had received from him the
sum OF SO The check was. upon investigation
al the bank. found 70 be for so, and llen
Immediately charged Mecoombs with appsopTi-
ating the missing so.
Agent NcCoombs methods Of obtaining the
finn TS fee In TIM
~ varied a. they were UBIQUITOUS. The commit
tee required him 10 make out . report of each
csse which he thought worthy of relief. Al
least one member OF the committee, which con-
sists OF Judge Lewis. Governor Ferry, John
Leary. @. II. Hebron and Grifith Davies was
required 10 sign the order for money drawn
from the fund, and amounts over $40 required
the signatures OF two members Of the commit
tee For long time Agent AcCoombs disbursed
large amounts in grocery orders These orders on
his books show for SO each. Al the grocery
stores, number Of which . Posr-IxrELLIsES-
cE. reporter Waited yesterday. the dealers stated
that the usual amount paid them for these
orders. which Tailed in name with those on Nc
Coomhs books was SIS This showed regular
stealing OF - on each order. or just one-quarter
OF the amount drawn from the relief fund The
grocerymen stated that AcCoombs while he
did not pay in cash, ordered the groceries he
wanted. usually from so TO SIS worth, and re-
CURED the change TO be given TO him IN cash.
driver Of one Of the grocery wagons said that
on many occasions he delivered goods on these
orders 10 houses OF wesithy abandoned women.
Another of his methods. according to the
charges. was 10 make out orders for fictitious
persons 10 whom be furnished Aid regularly In
this 1t 10 supposed he had . confederate.
Lately he has been drawing large number OF
orders to pay railroad fares for supposed paup-
ers 10 get out OF town This matter will be fully
fssu steA n sSaA al
large loophoie BY which he secured moro money
for himself
The monthly expenditures OF the committee
recently have been over - zoo when the fund
was rst raised in June. lss9. inst after the great
FIRE. il amounted TO sios.soo. OF this amount
there 10 now s2S.es7 remaining in the treasury.
In al OF his actions ncCoombs has been so
bold and apparently earnest In the work that he
kept the good win OF majority Of the members
OF the committee. Judge Lewis aud Governor
Ferry. however, have been away for several
months aud did not know what wss going on.
Mr. Dawes has always regarded Mccoomhs -
an unsuitable and unsafe man for the position.
and has had nothing 10 do with him ON that ac-
count Mr.. Dawes refused on several occasions
10 sign the orders which McCoombs brought TO
him.
Agent Mccoombs secured his position. Mr..
Leary says. through the influence OF Judge
Lewis, who recommended him highly. Before
the IRE ne WAS q beften Ter IN the Arlington sa-
loon. and later was connected with gambling
house.
Mr.. Leary. who has had more to DO with
Agent McCoombs than any of the other MEM
hers OF the committee. said last night: II think
Mccoombs can clear himself sn right but we
propose To make thorough examination of the
charges against him. II he bes been guilty Of
the crirnes that are charged against him he 10
the sl.ckess scoandrel ever saw. don't be.
iieve them. however. aud wont take mere hear
f.ro Avoidance