Los Angeles herald., 1892-11-01
BANBURY'S ELOQUENT SILENCE.
A Matter Which Demands
Searching Investigation.
The District Attorney Ignores the
Interests of Taxpayers.
Charges Made by the Thrifty Treasurer
for Exchange and Expressage
Which Presumably Cost
Him Nothing.

Jabez Banbury, the treasurer of this
county and candidate for a third term,
has failed to answer the charges made
against him by the HERALD. This pa
per makes the statement that he has
charged the county $4717.19 for ex-
pressage and bank exchange; that as a
matter of fact he has never at any time
paid one dollar for expressage, and that
the bank exchange he has obtained from
the Los Angeles banks should never
have cost him penny.
These charges are not idle. This pa
per is prepared to prove them by Wells,
Fargo & Co.'s agent, and is willing at
any time to send its representative be-
fore the grand jury, to the end that a
legal investigation be made. Mr.. Ban
bury has placed himself in most un-
enviable position. He has violated
section 72 OF the penal code of the state
OF California. which reads as follows:
Section 70. Every person who, with
intent to defrand, presents for allowance
or for payment to any state board or
officer, or to any county, town, city,
ward, or village board or officer, author
lied to allow or pay the same if genuine,
any false or fraudulent claim. bill, &C
count voucher, or writing, is guilty Of
felony.
Mr.. Banbury has certainly presented
to the board of supervisors of this county
nearly 20 demands for money which he
never paid out. The law fixes the pun
ishment in felony cases ut imprison-
ment in state prison not less than one
year nor more than IA years. Then, too,
if the board of supervisors do their duty
they will direct the district attorney to
commence civil suit against Mr.. Ban
bury to recover the money he has illeg.
drawn out of the county treasury.
The question is, will the district attor-
ney do his duty? The grand jury meets
today. These illegal charges of Mr..
Banbury should be presented to them.
As was before stated, the HERALD will
send its representative before that body
with facts sufficient TO throw light upon
the whole matter. As far as the figures
are concerned the grand jury has two
experts now examining the books, and
it would be an easy matter for them to
verify those already presented by the
HERALD. They will be found to be
correct.
MIR. MLACHLAN'S INERTNESS.
A HERALD reporter yesterday asked
District Attorney McLachlan what he
intended to do in the matter of present.
ing the illegal demands of the county
treasurer to the grand jury.
"Well, don't know. l am very busy
now, but 1 will attend to it in due
time"
"But, Mr.. McLachlan, the matter
should be investigated at once"
IF anything wrong has been done, 1
will certainly perform my duty"
"Well, the HERALD charges that wrong
has been done, and we can prove it,"
Mr.. McLachlan left without answer
ing.
Later Judge Waldo NJ. York, assistant
district attorney, who has the grand
jury in charge, stated that he did not
consider the charges made by the HER.
AID against Mr.. Banbury as of any con-
sequence.
''Judge York, the HERALD claims
that Mr.. Banbury has charged the
county some $4700 for that which has
never cost him a dollar. Now do you
still think in your official capacity that
the allegation is not of sufficient impor-
tance to be investigated by the grand
jury"
"Well, don't know that 1 am called
upon to tell you what propose to do
with the grand jury"
"All right, Judge. But by the way,
when is the grand jury going to make
report"
"Oh, that will be all right. A report
will be made at the proper time"
"Yes, about November 10th. The
election il on the 8th."
"No, sir. The grand jury will make
report between now and Saturday,"
And 30 it goes. In the meantime the
citizens await anxiouslv the action of
the district attorney. Will he have that
body investigate the evidences of Mr..
Banbury's thrift?