The morning call., 1893-04-30
ROYCE'S THEFT.
No Possible Chance to Re-
cover the Funds.
BONDS REQUIRED HEREAFTER.
The Grand Army People VIII See That
No Repetition of the Scandal
Is Possible.

'Have you got a check for me ?" asked q
tall man with a black mustache of A. l..
Rockwell. the secretary of the Veterans
Home Association. yesterday afternoon.
There are no checks here for anybody"
said Rockwell in reply, "we have no treas
ury now to draw on, and as far as money
goes we are in the soup"
Secretary Rockwell was laughing when
he said this, but the man who wanted the
money due him could evidently not see
where the joke came in, and he was not at
all pleased at the pleasantly.
But the fact OF the matter remains that
people with bills against the Veterans
Home at Yountville will have to wait a
littlo while before they can collect their
dues, all Of which is due to c. E. K. Royce's
lately discovered defalcation.
Royce is rapidly getting we'll and he will
soon be about again, without any material
change in his well-known quiet ways.
His self-inflicted. wound is healing nicely,
and the episode of room 50, Burlington
Hotel, win soon be a thing never mentioned
again, except by those who are directly in
terested in It's consequences.
AS stated IN The GALL yesterday, the
Grand Army people are likely to take some
steps toward reforming the Yountville in
stitution, and it is quite likely that here
and require bonds from the officers also.
Captain Samuel Deal, one of the oldest
Grand Army men in this city, who is now
director OF the association, is in favor OF
such a movement.
I'VE ought to have everybody who
handles money under bonds" said he yes
terday, land the only fault the public can
hnd with the directors in this Royce matter
is that we never insisted on his furnishing
the securities every other treasurer of sim
fngtiTntinnG g rad To rItr
There can be hardly any question but
that in future all the parties interested in
the Veterans Home, especially the Grand
Army contingent, will insist on making the
bond question an issue.
w lille THIS seems TO be very much of the
nature OF a locking of the stable door after
the horse has made his escape, it will,
nevertheless, do some good and prevent the
occurrence Of such cases as that OF
Royce.
Besides it is about all the Grand Army
people seem TO be able to do, because the
most prominent OF them admit that they
Will never be able to remedy the past.
1t Is all nonsense to talk about holding
the past or present directors responsible for
Royce's steallngS," said a lawyer and ex-
officer of the army, who stands high in
Grand Army of the Republic circles, yester.
day. I'VE cannot do that. because These
men never were placed under bonds, and
they are Eot responsible for what Royce or
anybody else has stoleu."
The directors themselves feel that way,
and there is not one of them who considers
that he personally can be called upon to
make good The moneys the treasurer of the
home has sQuandered.
As the investigation into Royee's affairs
progresses all hopes of recovering any of
the funds he has embeZZled vanish.
The much-talked-of fee in the Steen-
Hendy lawsuit, which it was at first thought
may eventually put Royce into position to
make good the amount he has stolen, was
assigned by him long ago to a Mr.. Rothgeb
OF Alameda, to whom he was largely in
debted.
Tomorrow nights special meeting of tie
directors Will doubtless be an interesting
one. and a number of prominent Grand
Army officers have already received in
structions from their posts to be present.