The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1891-10-09
L. B. Booths Assignment.


ter takes place i'm any community, Mad
am Rumor at once starts out on its bus.
rounds and the natural consequence i
that, as rule, the rumors that pass OF
the street, handed from one to another
make much worse case than actually
exists; or,if not, one tnat is certainly M
better. SO, when the report was circu
lated, II week or more ago, that the audi
tors, in examining the accounts of the
town treasurer, had found a shortage In
his accounts, the entire community was
terribly startled, as well 1t might be-
for it was matter of personal concern
to every tax payer and citizen. 1t was
sincerely hoped that it might prove a
false rumor, but such has not been the
case and later developments seem to
Justify the BEE to state such facts as
have come to light up to the time of GO
ing to press. AS the shortage has been
made good to the town by the treasurer
bondsmen, it need not necessarily follow
that the public know just what that
shortage was. 1t is stated, however,
that, at the time the auditors discovered
IA deficiency, there was much larger
fciency was made good by the bonds
men. In the interim, considerable mon
ey was raised by the treasurer and turn
ell over and, in that way, the bondsmen
were relieved to n considerable extent.
OF course, it would naturally follow
that, after that exposure, there must OF
necessity follow a change in the town
treasuryship, and it was not so much of
a surprise that Mr. Booth was not nomi-
mated at the regular Democratic caucus,
as it was that he should have any fol-
lowing at all, getting, as he did, some
40 votes as the party's nominee. Being
also treasurer of Trinity parish, these
disclosures made the members of that
organization, especially the vestry, who,
by law, are custodians of the parish
property, extremely anxious 80 ascer-
tain whether the securities in his pos
session remained intact. Accordingly,
the auditors of the parish were request
ed to call upon the treasurer and ask to
see the securities supposed to be in his
possession. This they did, Saturday
night. The treasurer refused to show
anything, claiming that they had no au-
thority to call upon him to examine his
accounts, except at the time of making
his annual report. They counseled and
advised him in friendly way, but to no
avail and had to report accordingly.
The vestry Immediately appointed a
committee of two from their own num-
Der to wait upon the treasurer and call
for the showing of the securities. In
accordance with these Instructions, the
committee waited upon him on the morn
ing of election day and asked him to
show the securities in his possession.
To their surprise, he utterly and persist
emily refused to do so, saying that when
the proper time came for making his
annual report, he would then do it, as
he always had done. There was to be
vestry meeting, Monday evening, which
the treasurer promised TO attend. He
would then make Il statement of the con-
dition of the treasury. He left on the
8 O'Clock train, Monday morning, how
ever and did not return until Tuesday
evening, when he was again called upon
by the committee and their attorney for
the securities. He said he was expect
ing call of some such kind, as he had
already been called upon twice for the
same purpose. He had refused TO ac-
cede to the request before and should
continue to do so. Good counsel and
kindly advice, backed up by authority,
at length prevailed, and he promised to
turn over, at a later hour, all that were
in his possession and did so. Among
the securities reported at the last an
nual meeting were two $1,000 first mort
gage coupon bonds of the Northern Pa
cific railroad. Those he failed to pro-
duce, saying, "Those are gone" Upon
being questioned as to whether they
had been hypothicated or sold, he re-
piled that he had sold them for 116 IL
and used the avails for his own personal
account. He gave the name of the firm
in New York that sold them, saying
that they were sold either the latter part
of March or the early part of April. He
also turned over to the vestry the ac-
count books and handed in his resigna-
ton as treasurer, which Office he had
held continuously since 1888. On eX-
amining his accounts, there was found
an entry of $50 interest from a coupon,
July l, 1891. AS this entry did not ac-
cord with the statement that the bonds
were sold the March or April before, he
was called to explain and still claimed
that the bonds were sold at the time he
stated, but admitted that the entry of
the July interest for $50 was a false
entry. There was found to be short
age in his accounts, so that, from the
best information thus far obtained, the
deficit will somewhat exceed $500. As
he had no bondsmen, the parish have
nothing but his estate to look to, and it
IL expected that twill be loser by quite
a large amount. AS he was out of town,
Monday, it was all the more noticeable
from the fact that the town treasurer's
report was not read and public interest,
personal concern and curiosity increased
AS the day wore away. In the evening,
others who put in an appearance
was Plumb OF the Plumb Hardware Co.,
who had claim against him to consid-
cradle amount. lie purchased quite
large amount of goods at retail price,
flour, barbed wire, horse rakes and
other staple articles, had them charged
to his account and removed them from
the premises. Since his return on Tues
day night, Mr. Booth has said that, after
he left town on Monday morning, he did