Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-03-08


5. Do yon know MIR. GrymesS
o. What position did hehcldf
A Clerk 10 the City Treasurer, 10 wnicn
position he was elected by the City Coun-
Gil. :.
o. Does he give bondf -. N
a. Yes, sir, and has to qualify as q city
O. Had he so qualified prior to February
A. don't know positively, but think
he had. 1t was not my business W ''0'
tain. p,v ostb
o. What Is the custom in your once
A. We generally enter it on the book.
The cas-. and water-book. Then we
recent the bill and hold it until weget the
money. We have adopted that Plan v
cause we want TO be very certaih vi so'''"e
the bills on the book. ,,oI
Mr. Childrey was then asked by counsel
10 examine the Treasures books to see II
he could find Thalhimer's bill listed. ne
looked and said he could not. -,
n Won have heard the evidence or MI.
Warmer Do YOU find those other Two
hills OF Thalhimer on the book!
A. Yes, sir.
~ In whose handwriting is the entry ;?
a Mr.. Grymess. l am not an expert at
handwriting, however, but l should say
that tits his. .,;.L
o. Have you had any conversation with
Mr.. Grymes about this affair
A. Yes. sir. "wednesday morning. March
Atb. when / came down to my office was
the FIRST heard of 1t and OF course was
very much surprised. | think ] heard IT
from one of the gentlemen in the gas de-
partment and then saw Mr.. Turpin, the
Auditor.
WOULD AFFECT THE CASH.
Question by Major Stringfellow: Mr..
Childrey, If by some omission when the
gas bill was paid in your office the money
was put in the drawer but the bill not put
on the book, how would 1t affect your
cashI
A. The cash would have been over.
o. If there had been no mistake 1t
ought to have been overY
A. Yes, sir. ,
o. Was the cash over on the oath of Feb
ruary1
O. What were Mr.. Grymes's duties!
A. BEING clerk TO the treasurer IT was
his duty to receive money, receipt bills.
settle cash at night. etc.
o. You say that as matter OF fact the
money was IS over that day!
A. think so. 80,
o. Did you have any conversation with
Mr.. Grymes that morning? .,
A. Yes, sir. Imet Mr.. Grymes and asked
him TO take his books and come into the
Auditors office. Iasked him to look on the
books and see if he could find the missing
bills entered. He looked over the Urea
surer's books and sold he could not md
them, and that they were not there. L
then put nv finger on the page OF the An;
ditor's bill book where the Thalhimer bill
was checked February oath and asked Mr.;
Grymes whose figures they were. He SAID
they were his figures and that he would
give the Auditor an order on his salary TO
settle for the amount. declined TO accept
this. as receive no money without war
rant from the Auditor.
What then 2" asked counsel.
A. He went out in the hall and he
asked us to advise him what to do, saying:
AZ am in a hole" He and / then walked
into the Treasurer's Office, and he asked
us again what he had better do. advised
him TO 90 with me to the Mayors office
and Law his case before his Honor and let
him advise what should be done. He
agreed and we went to the Mayors office.
WHAT MR.. GRYMEs DID SAY.
O. Did he make any admissions before
the Mayor?
A. In conversation with the Mayor he
said that if he made the entry in the Audi
tors book he must have done so in his
sleep. =,
the oath of February?
A. I expect | was in my Office all day.
o. Were you in there between Ii and 2
o'clock
A. | couldn't swear that was. some
times go TO bank early and sometimes near
o'clock.
Q. How many persons are employed in
your Office?
A. There are three besides Mr.. Grymes.
These are Messrs. Greenhow, Reynolds,
and Craig. The son of Mr. Reynolds was
also there sometimes as a friend and as
sistant of Mir. Grymes. Witness also adj
mitted that he employed Mr.. Reynolds at
times when very busy. Being asked the
salaries of his clerks Mr.. Childrey begged
TO be excused from answering, as they We're
employed by him personally and not by
the city, except MIR. Grymes, who was paid
81, 500 per annum.
O. How many of these gentlemen were
in the Office on the morning OF the 25thf
A. | couldn't tell you.
Q. Is it their duty to be there?
o. In case of their sickness or absence it
is known to your
A. Yes.
O. You didn't have any reported case of
sickness on that day, did you?
A. No. sir.
Q. If you went there to pay gas-bill
how would il be entered first!
A. BY putting down the number OF the
bill, the name of the consumer, and
amount.
Q. What is your manner of settling up
cash at night?
A. Every day about O'Clock. sometimes
later the accounts of the two money
drawers-one kept by Mr.. Grymes and the
other by Mr.. Greenhow- are settled up.
We add up what is receiyed-so much
water or so much gas-and then the war
rants from the Auditor for different &C
counts. We count all of our money first
end make il tally with what the receipts
should be. If they don't tally we 60 over
them and continue this until the accounts
balance.
CLOSELY cRoss-ExAYnNED.
Mr.. Childrey was then cross-questioned
closely by counsel for the defence as re-
CARDS the manner in which his books are
kept and as to the relations of his Office to
that of the Auditor.
is not the Auditors Office check on
the Treasurer's Office, and are not the
books kept in that way 7" asked Major
Stringfellow.
Yes, sir" replied MIR. Childrey.
@. There being O check, If party re-
ceiyes the money and fails TO pay 1t in he
would necessarily know it would be found
out, would he not?
A. mo, sir: not necessarily"
Q. understand. Mr.. Childrey, that the
essential object and nature of the Audi
tors Office is that of check on the public
money. That being the essential nature
of the Office / take it for granted that
comparison of the books kept by the two
Offices would necessarily show a discre-
pancy il any existed. Then if that is 80,
and this Thalhimer bill ought TO have been
entered and was not in fact so entered on
the Auditors book, and the rule was that
at the end of the days business the cash
received by the Treasurer was made up
and reported to the Auditor, isIt not a fact
that such discrepancy would of necessity
have been found out
A. Such an omission might be over
looked, though the Treasury could hardly
be robbed in this manner except by
collision.
q. Why wasn't the alleged false entry
found out as soon as the books were COM
pared!
A. Because il was marked as paid in the
Auditors book and VS. were not looking
for it.
n 4. - ~ 90 arra,rad +baf rv;tbouf