Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-01-23
LOCAL AFFAIRS.
An Inquiring Committee of
the National Guard
REPORT ABOUT MAJOR RUSSELL.
It is to be Given to General johnson
TOday-The West End Board
of Trade.

When General E. P. Johnson took hie
present position as commander of thil
brigade OF the National Guard, an unfor
tunate heritage fell to him in the shape
of an old quarrel between Major w. H.
H. Russell and several of the officers o.
the staff, together with an accusation
that the officer above-named had misap'
propriated funds belonging to the com.
panies. The circumstances connected
with the charge of misappropriation oi
funds date back several years to the
time of the "boom." The management
of the finances of the companies wae
in the hands of Major, then Cap
tain, Russell. The Guard had the
lease of Motifs hall and enjoyed a con-
siderable revenue from its nightly rental.
The organization had, moreover, various
other sources of income, and it was
known that large sums of money passed
into Major Russell's hands. Neverthe.
less the finances of the Guard are said to
have been often very much embarrassed
during great part of this period and the
charge was finally openly made that
Major Russell was appropriating the
funds to his own uee.
For long time the organization was
honey. combed with quarrels, in which
personal misunderstanding and indi
vidual acrimony cut 80 large figure as tc
render il quite impossible to tell the
whole story. Several partial investiga.
tions were held, none of which were sat.
isfactory to those making the charges
against Major Russell. One or two of the
best officers in the Guard left il, ,declarin,
that they would not endure such STATE
of things The care of the funds wal
transferred to other hands, but Msjo
Russell's accounts-so it il alleged-wert
never satisfactorily cleared up, defici
of several thousand dollars remaining
unexplained.
Last July special committee of thre,
of the officers of the Guard, Colonel G
Wiley Wells, DR.. w. G. Cochran and II
d. Osborne, was appointed by Genera
johnson with orders to sift the matter tt
the bottom and submit complete re.
port on which action of some kind could
be taken. The report of this committee
has been delayed from time to time, bu
is now at last completed and ready to be
made public. The committee has gon'
over all the accounts and has put unde
examination the various officers wht
were concerned in the affairs of the or
ganization at the time when the alleget
embe zxlement took place. The worl
YVES undertaken in q thoroughly consci
entioug spirit, with the definite purpos
of putting to rest all of the difficulties
which have for 80 long embarrassed the
Guard.
The report was completed yesterday
and was left in the hands of Col. Wells,
who will submit it to General Johnson
today, and it will probably appear in the
HERALD of tomorrow morning. Col.
Wells and the other members of the
committee were seen last evening, but
they refused to make known the nature
of the report. General johnson said that
as it was formal military document it
could not be made public until it had
passed through the proper hands.
1t is pretty we'll understood, however,
what the nature of the report is to be.
1t ia said that the committee will affirm
that Msjor Russell's accounts are short
several thousand dollars, and ask for his
resignation. 1t is said also that a charge
of incapacity as an officer will also be
made against him. The result of the
action of the committee will probably bt
that Major Russell will leave the Guard
and that the troubles which have SO Ions
beset the organization will come to al
end.