The Russellville Democrat., 1891-10-08


 Mir. J. l.. Bay first rendered to the board for ex-Treasurer Woodruff, on this item, thirty-seven packages of fands, numbered l to 37, inclusive, claiming the same to contain In the az gregate $299,0l3 (this included $47,- SAY 31 in auditors certificates), the ten der being made from day to day as rapidly as the same could be scheduled and counted by the board.
 Upon thorough examination and ip- vestiga.ion of all this state scrip and other funds, and comparing the same with the registers and other records, and upon careful count and additions of interest, the amount found by the board was $29l, ,546.09, being $7,466. .9l less than the amount claimed by Mir. Woodruff. This entire discrepancy, with the exception of $l, appeared in the interest additions.
 In the investigation of this item, the suspicion was created in the minds of the board that the state scrip, known as the s.Churchill excess" of $24, ,S17 S2, with which Mai. Woodruff had never been charged (and which was, or should have been, held in trust by the state treasurer), was among the packages so rendered.
 This suspicion was verified upon closely and repeatedly interrogating Mir. Bay, who finally admitted that package numbered 9, containing S14, s17.S2, and Sl0,000 of package number ed 8, was the scrip turned over to the joint committee of the general assem- ply of 1891, by MT. Woodruff as the Al h, { {.x port of that committee.
 Excluding the "Churchill excess, of S24,Sl7.S2, the amount rendered up to this time on this item, according to the count made by the board was S266,- 71S.27, which, although counted and scheduled, had not been passed upon by the board as to it's acceptance or rejec- tlon as proper tender.
 Mir. Bay insisted that the board take action upon the tender made, and re fused for some days to present anything further on this item until action was had, though stating all the while that he had more state scrip to tender.
 However, on the l1th day of July, 1891, he resumed the presentation of funds on this item, and rendered as be- fore, packages lettered A, B, c, D, K, F, G, H, I, J, K, l. and M," containing as was claimed, S27, ,977 .23, which, upon being scheduled and carefully counted, was found by the board to contain BPS, 0l5. @, an excess of S3S 80 over the amount claimed by Maj. Woodruff.
 Package "M" of this tender, contain ing $3, ,106.l5, was mutilated by being clipped so as to cut off the number of the auditors warrant upon which it was issued, the name of the person to whom issued, the date of the issue, and the signature of the state treasurer. Up to this time this package, "M," was the only scrip or funds presented to the board mutilated or cancelled in the pe- culiar manner desc -ibed.
 During the investigation of the state scrip presented in this, as also in the previous tender, it was noticed that sev- eral thousand dollars of interest bearing state scrip bore the endorsement of hav- ing been redeemed on December l., 1890 the greater part of which was also entered on the registers as redeemed on that day. Ii being within the knowl- edge of the members of the board that on December, l, 1890, ex-Treasurer W. K. Woodruff had redeemed SIP, ,966.- fl in state scrip with currency, receiv- ing credit therefor on currency account, it appeared to the board as If this scrip so redeemed with currency, was in- cluded in the scrip rendered, and they demanded or Mir. Bay if such was the case. Without either admitting or de- nying that such was the fact Mir. Bay made evasive answers to the questions of the board. The board insisted of Mir. Bay that if the SIP ,996.il was con- tained in the tender of state scrip so made, that he locate It by designating z the packages containing It, but he con- tinued to eyasively reply to the requests of tue board.
 Upon again being questioned by the board as to the SIP 2,966.4l redeemed with currency, Mir. Bay said that the board had 1t in their possession, and at some future time he would locate It for them.
 In making the examination Mir. Griffith pointed out and designated upon the register certain pieces of scrip as being of the SIP, ,96b.41 currency re- demption, such pieces being also upon