The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-04-05
State Treasurer Archer Defaults.


State Treasurer Archer Defaults.
Those who know State Treasurer
Stevenson Archer received the great
est surprise of their lives when they
learned that he had misappropriated
State securities entrusted to his care
in his official capacity. The inform
alton of this astounding fact was first
made public by message from Coy
ernor Jackson to the Legislature at
the hour of 1890, Wednesday night
of last week. The message to the
Senate, which was also communicat.
ed to the House of Delegates, is as
follows:
ANNAPOLIS, March 26, 1890.
Gentlemen of the State OF Maryland i:
"On Monday evening, oath instant,
| received from the comptroller of
the Treasury a communication as fol-
lows
FREDERICK, March 23d, 1S90.-To
his Excellency. Y. E. JacksOn-Dear
Sir: 1t becomes my painful duty to
inform you that information reached
me in Frederick on Saturday evening
last, which cOnvinces me that there
has been a misrepresentation of the
State securities in the hands of State
Treasurer Stevenson Archer. l be-
lieve that at least two of the banks of
al IF Nj
Archer, secured by bonds of the kind
belonging to the State sinking fund,
one being secured by Piedmont and
Cumberland bonds, another by treas
ury relief bonds. and that another
loan was negotiated by Mr.. Archer
and Frederick city bonds were de-
posted as collateral, bearing the same
numbers as some of the bonds be-
longing to the State sinking fund.
The gravity of this Information is
such that it becomes imperative upon
me to communicate it to you at once
in order that an immediate investi-
CATION of the account of the State
treasurer may be made, and such fur
ther action taken as may be neceS-
sary to protect the States interest.
| am, very respectfully,
l.. VICTOR BAUGHMAN,
Comptroller.
"As soon as this letter reached me |
endeavOred to communicate with the
treasurer, but l have been unable to
do SO, and it has been reported to me
that he is critically ill at his home in
Bel Air. l feel it my duty, without
further DELAY, to make known to you
the information conveyed to me by
the comptroller, that your honorable
body may take prompt action to in
veStigate the affairs Of the Office of
the treasurer and ascertain whether
the State securities are intact or not.
| have the honor, &C.,
"ELIHU Z. JACKSON,
Governor"
The effect of this communication on
Senators and Delegates may be i'm
agined. They were simply over
whelmed with amazement and sor-
row, for in private and official life
Mr.. Archer was above suspicion, and
was esteemed by political friends
and opponents alike. They would
have been incredulous and secuted
the statement if it had come from
any but an official source; but there
was no room for doubt. and the leg
islators were for moment speechless
with surprise. Then in the Senate
Mr.. Poe, and in the House DIR. Shaw
moved the appointment of a Joint
committee to consider the subject of
the Governors message. Messrs.
Poe and Smith were appointed on
the part of the Senate. and Messrs.
Shaw, Laird and Harden on the part
of the House.
ANNAPOLIS, March 2S.-The VISA
BILE amount of Estate Treasurer Steven.
son Archer's defalcation is S127 900,
and how many more thousands only
weeks of careful investigation of
his accounts can show, These are
the figures reported to the Senate and
the House tonight by the special
joint committee which to-day exam
ined the States securities in one of
the vaults of the Safe Deposit and
Trust Company in Baltimore, and
great was the surprise of Senators
and delegates and the hundreds who
thronged the legislative halls when
they heard a enumeration of the
amounts. The credulity of all upon
whose ears fell the astounding an.
nouncement was taxed to the utmost.
The report was only partial one
and is to be followed by another, in
which will be detailed the full sum
of the defalcation. A bill will be in.
trOduced tomorrow and will be
showed through both houses, under
a suspension of rules, empowering
the committee to continue its inves-
tigation after the adjournment of the
Legislature, The committee will