Los Angeles herald., 1892-03-04
FORGED WARRANTS.
A State Investment Company
Officer Under Arrest.
Some Peculiar Transactions in
Teachers Warrants.
George MunrOe Charged With a Sc
riOus Offense.
The Traffic in Warrants for the Pay OF
City Employees-The Bogus Orders
in Question-Mr. Jack
sons Action.

A complaint was sworn to yesterday
before Justice Austin by j. W. Jackson
of Jackson & Cox against George Mum
roe OF the Estate Investment company" i"
charging Munroe with forgery. A war
rant was issued, and placed for service
in the hands of Constable Clements.
The defendant was arrested about 80
O'Clock in the afternoon and brought be-
fore the justice shortly before 5. The
case was set for examination at 80
this afternoon, and Munroe was held in
$250O bail.
The charge OF forgery is based on the
fact that score or two of forged orders
for salaries of city employees have been
discounted during the last two
weeks. 1t is a well-known circum.
stance that the employees of various
departments have been in the habit OF
having their warrants discounted in ad-
vance. Policemen have done so, fire.
men have INDUCED in the same practice,
and teachers OF the public schools have
not refrained from obtaining ready
money in this way. In all cases, orders
were given to the purchaser
for the respective warrants. There
is law against this practice, but
its provisions have been avoided by the
dating ahead of the order. Thus, if an
employee desired to obtain ready money
in the middle of February he would give
an order for his warrant for that month,
and date the order March 1st. The
hoe
until the warrant was due and present
it at that time.
The State Investment company has
discounted so many salaries, and that
sort of business has formed 30 great a
proportion of its financial transactions,
that Secretary Munroe has found it nee
essary to have regular blank orders
printed in which the name of the seller
and the amount of the warrant could be
conveniently entered. After purchasing
orders at big discount, the Investment
company has been wont to sell them
again to individuals satisfied with
smaller profit. ]. w. Jackson, of the
law firm of Jackson q Cox, and the COM
planning witness in the case against
Munroe, has been a purchaser under
these circu instances to rather a large
amount, the figures running into the
thousands.
On Tuesday morning, Mr.. jackson
presented number of orders for war
rants at the city auditors Office. They
were endorsed to him by George Mum
roe, secretary of the estate Investment
company" The first five were from the
fire department, and Mr.. Jackson was
astonished to hear that the warrants
had already been called for and paid.
There were also two orders for warrants
on the school fund-one for $50, the sal
ary OF Helen Henry of the Spring-street
school, and second for $11O, the salary
of Professor Lehmer of the High school.
The auditor still had the warrants called
for in the orders, and handed them to
Mr.. Jackson. The latter at once took
them to the city treasurer to be cashed.
The amount for the $50 warrant was
paid, but the warrant for Professor
Lehmer's salary was only 500, while the
order called for $11O. Mr.. Jackson
therefore took back the order and war
rant, and said he would see about it.
Soon after Councilman Innes appeared
in the auditors Office and called for
Miss Henry's warrant, explaining at the
same time, that the lady was ill. 1t was
the councilman's turn to be surprised,
when he learned that the warrant had
already gone out. He Immediately
went back to Miss Henry and informed
her of the situation. The young lady
came to the city hall where she ex-
amined the order and pronounced it a
forgery. Then there was CONSERVATION
all around and Mr.. Jackson was the
most disconnected of all when he was
notified of the matter. He went to the
| city treasurer's Office, however, on Mon
day morning, paid back the $50 and
took the order, The result of Mr.. Jack
sons investigation was yesterdays COM
plant. The queerest part of the story
is. that when Jackson bought the bogus
orders, he was requested not to present
them before the 2Sth of March, as the
seller would take them up before that
| time.
George Munroe did not succeed in OBJ.
tanning the required $2500 bail, and last
night was locked up in county Jail.