Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1893-10-05
Treasurer Dawson Missing.

John 9. Dawson, treasurer of Audi.
bon county has been missing since
Sunday, September 2ith. On that day,
when convalescing from q severe III
ness he left home, saying that he was
going to Hot Springs, Ark, for his
health. lie told his deputy, Thos. Wal
ker, that he was gong 10 the home of
his brother, Frank Dawson, in Viola
township for rest, and would return
the following Wednesday, lie did in
fact 80 to Franks in Viola, and from
there to Dedham, where lie took the
Milwaukee train, westbound, on Sun.
day, since which time nothing has been
heard of his whereabouts. His friends
have endeavored To communicate with
him at Hot springs, but their kilograms
have not been delivered, and messages
sent to the authorities of that city have
brought no satisfactory response,
The conclusion Is almOst inevitable
that no has abscopded, and it is further
presumed that he Is short in his &C.
counts with the county. This judg-
mcnt is justified by the facts which led
up to his departure. 1t had been sup
posed by his bondsmen that the most
Of tho funds we're In the Citizens bank,
but when the crash came In the affairs
of that institution and 1t was Shown
that but 1856 Of the county's money
was deposited there, the suspicion OF
the bondsmen was excited, and an ac-
counting was demanded of Dawson.
They wanted a settlement Sept. 18th,
but he urged that the extra business of
tax collecting at the time made ID I'M
possible and promised to draw up a
balance on October z, when the books
would be closed for September. But
going away on the 9th he was not here
to make his promise good. His alb
sence was first publicly noticed on
Wednesday the 9th, since which time
all efforts to locate him have been un.
availing. The amount of his shortage,
If any, is only a speculation at this
time, but the facts developed seem to
show that it has been accommodating
for some time. BY the balances on
hand the fifth of June last, as shown
by report he should have had Si3, 74O 96
lnyesti cation shows that he had at
that time in the First National Bank
81 1925, in the Citizens Rank $780,.
AZ, in the Commercial Bank S4,37S.43
aid in the Exchange Bank of Extra
SS, lO0; total of Sl6,7il.IO; or 5000 SO
less than his report showed that he
ought TO have. The Exchange Bank
item Is in round numbers. If these
were the actual facts the board of SUI
peryisors were negligent in not de-
handing evidence OF his deposits.
They occupied several days in investi-
eating the Office, found the figures cor
rect, and reported everything all right,
but omitted the most essential duty of
counting the cash.
Mr.. Dawson's hGndsmen are John Il.
Jenkins, Thos. and VIM. Cochran, Jno.
w. Gray, Chas. Van Gorder, +. NJ Leet,
A. f. Armstrong, h. Bilharz, r. M.
hickey, Il. A. Bates and III. b. Owen.
Books of the office were closed Tuesday
an investigation of affairs is now pro-
cceding with Thos. Walker, Cal Mar
lin, ID. T.. Freeman and j, b. Doak as
accountants.
Dawson was elected treasurer two
years ago and was regarded as u prom
Using young man. He has grievously
disappointed his friends and us it APP
pears, violated his trust. The full
truth cannot be known until the COM
pletion of the investigation, next Mon
day OF Tuesday