The herald., 1893-10-21
FLEMING'S BOND QUESTIONED.
Eight Sureties for the County
Treasurer are Rejected.
The Supervisors Call Upon That Off
cial for New Bond.
The Loose Way the Superior judges
Have of Passing on oficial Bonds.
The sureties Were Not Ex-
amined.

The board ofsupervisors have called on
County Treasurer Thomas J. Fleming
for new bond. The matter has been
kept absolutely secret by all concerned,
but was ascertained by HERALD re-
porter yesterday afternoon.
Mr.. Fleming's appointment by the
supervisors to take the place made va.
cant by Treasurer Shorb's prolonged alb
sence in the east, ia still fresh in the
minds OF the reading public.
Ever since Mr.. Fleming filed his bond
OF $500, 600 in September the trouble has
been brewing which has resulted in the
request of the board of supervisors to
make new bond.
As will be remembered Mr.. Fleming g
sureties were confined to people inter-
ested in four of the clearing house banks,
the others having refused to any further
handlethe county funds under the con-
ditions imposed by the law upon that
class OF deposits.
The bond was made up by 23 eureties
who qualified in various sums. 1t was
approved by four of the judges of the
superior court, and under it Mr.. Flem.
ing took charge of the Office and has
since been in possession.
Shortly after the filing of the bond
some question arose as to the sufficiency
OF come of the bondsmen and an invest
igation took place.
The names of ten of the sureties, en-
bracing some very well known business
men and bankers were given TO the super
visors ae not helng in good enough
financial shape to make the bond safe
one. Two of these have since been
found to be good.
An expert was employed to look into
this matter as far as the assessment
books would show it. The result was
sufficient, in the minds of the supervis-
ors to call for action on their part under
subdivision l, section %, of tine county
government act.
By this provision county officer may
be called upon by the supervisors to
voluntarily make new bond before
they proceed to other measures. 1t was
this provision which they invoked, and
Mr.. Fleming readily acceded to the
wishes of the board.
For several days past he has been
busily engaged in getting new suretes
to replace the names which are not re-
garded as sufficient. These names will
not be given at present, because it might
do the gentleman en- injustice and in
vite invidious comparisons.
For the further reason that, while the
assessment roll is the basis on which the
new bond was called for. they may have
funds which were not placed on the
assessment roll, and may be in reality
just as financially solid if not more so
than some of the other sureties.
One very interesting feature of the
affair is that after the solidity of the
gentlemen was questioned an opportu-
nifty wac given them to 60 before the
judges who approved the bond and be
examined. They all declined this
honor, preferring to go off the bond
rather than be subjected to the process
OF disclosing the nature and extent of
their resources.
This also brought up the fact that the
manner in which Mr. Fleming's bond
was approved by the judges of the
superior court was very perfunctory. 1t
is stated as fact that it is claimed is
susceptible of proof that the suretles
were none of them examined by the
judges before they approved the bond.
The bond was taken around to the
judges by Mr.. Fleming's attorney and,
upon the representations made, they
aft xed their signatures to the bond
without inquiring into the details of the
property interests of the various sure
ties.
Had the Judges made the proper
inquiry into the standing of the sure
ties as required by law there Is very
little doubt that the facts which after
wards developed would have prevented
the confirmation of the bond at that
time.
The developments in the present case
have called attention to the looseness
with which official bonds OF this charac-
ter have been made and approved by
the authorities, and will result in a
closer attention being paid to such
things, both by the public and the
judges themselves.
1t ia understood that Treasurer Flem-
ing is meeting with success in making
new bond, and that in its makeup the
same four banks represented before will
do the principal work in securing the
sureties, and that the State Loan and
Trust company will take very promi-
nent part in assisting the treasurer to
give the bond required.
Since the new treasurer went into
Office the county funds have been re-
moved from the other clearing house
banks to the four interested, and are
distributed amongst them at the present
time.
The counting committee, consisting OF
the chairman of the board of supervis-
ors, the county auditor and the district
attorney, will count the cash on deposit
each month. They will make their
monthly count next week sometime.
Much Complaint