The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-03-28
WASTING THE FUNDS
Queer Action Of County Commits
siOnerS in DR.. RObeSOn's Case.
Allowed Him Salary Regularly. AL
though He Left the County Six
Months AgO-Otber Instances.

missioners for the last few years discloses
a state of affairs that is particularly of
interest TO the taxpayers who have in
trusted these Democratic gentlemen with
the administration of county affairs. An
extravagant expenditure of public money
shows readily.
Some time late last spring 1t was noted
in the daily papers that DR.. w. c. Robson
who formerly lived near Southport had
suddenly left the city and that his friends
did not know where he had gone 1t has
since been reported that he had moved to
Ohio. Dr. Robson was secretary of the
County Board of Health, one of the county
sinecures. Although he left this city last
spring, the record of the commissioners
shows that DIR. Robson has been paid his
salary from time to time up to within a
few days of Jan. /, 1894. Inquiry at the
commissioners court showed that the Off
Gals had not seen or heard OF DR.. Robson
since early in the summer, although the
commissioners have been regularly allowing
him salary. 1t was supposed that the sec
rotary of the County Board of Health WIS.,
tied the county Jail, but the officials at the
Jail have not seen DR.. Robson since the
time it was reported that he had disap-
peared. Nor have they heard anything of
him On June 5, 1893, after he had left the
city, DIR. Robson was allowed 1886 by the
commissioners and on July 3, he was given
S42.16, or at least the records allege that
he was paid this amount. The records
show that in September. October, Novem-
Der and December of this same year he was
allowed S4l.66 for services each month At
meeting just before Jan. /, the commits
sioners appointed a successor to DR.. Robe
son, although he had been carried on the
pay-rolls for over six months.
DR.. Robson was we'll known in the south
ern part Of the county and his absence from
the city was unexplained at the time. al
though he was a man not known to have
any bad habits or to have been I'm any
trouble. He was a Democrat and was ap-
pointed by the commissioners on account
of the influence he was supposed to have
in the Southport neighborhood. The fact
that the commissioners had made him al
loWanceS after he left the county did not
become publicly known. 1t is alleged that
sometimes the minutes of meeting of the
commissioners are not put on the record
until several weeks after the commission
ers have met In this way the allowances
made would escape the eye of the reporters
An examina ton Of the minute book for
last year would lead one 10 suppose that
the county or Marion was extensively en-
gagged In the care of horses, or that the
stock was very fine In September Sol
Leopold was allowed 1915 for insurance on
horses belonging to the county. A few
months before that he was paid sl4 premium
Tor insurance on horses at the workhouse.
ON Dec; l. OF the same year, he was al
lowed $3.50 for live stock insurance max
ing total of S5S45. The county has two
horses at the worlkhouse and the value of
both or them would not exceed $500 1t is
somewhat unusual for county or city gov
eminent TO insure horses, when there Is
considerable county and city property that
Is not insured
One peculiar entry on the minute book is
that OF Oct. Il, 1893, where Prosecuting At
torney Hoffman is allowed $3.50 for serv-
1892, to May q, 1898 The allowance was
made five months after the last date and
there is no explanation why the amount
months.
The money spent by the County Commits
sioners on. the county roads and for which
there IS practically nothing TO show is enor-
nous. All through the minute book are
records Of allowances to Superintendent
Behymer, superintendent of roads 1t is
last year, on the roads every week than
the city does on its streets through the
was allowed $226.5O for payroll for the
fest half of June and the size of this pay
roll for each two weeks varies but little
For the last half of June the bridge force
was given S2S2S5 while for the month OF
June the payroll at the county asylum
amounted to $44O.61. An average semi-month
in expenditures for janitors at the court
house was in the early part of June when
the payroll amounted to $3.50 In June
allowed $50 for the first two weeks of the
month. They were respectively en-
gsineer and assistant engineer at
must have been particularly valu-
able at this season when the thermo-
meter was in the neighborhoOd of ninety
good Democrats throughout the summer
months, although there is more need OF
electric fans than steam engineers.
Compromise" Baker, county assessor
has been feeding well at the commissioners
trough. On June ID he was allowed $103
for use of horse and buggy and for postage
ty was supposed to have used the horse
and buggy is not specified. During the last
half OF October Baker got a payroll of 1853
allowed, although II is not known that the
county assessor has ever had enough work
to do to keep him busy. County Recorder
Donnelly is also in the lumber business, and
on the records of the commissioners APP
pears an allowance OF $550.27 to Landers &
Donnely for lumber for bridges. j. l..
Reach, of the late city Democratic COM
was paid $3.50 on June s. He was also al
lowed other sums.
The commissioners have leaning towards
allowances for horses and buggies, and on
June 20 the following bills for rigs were
paid: Township Assessor Wolf, $40; August
Woerner SOL; Jacob Egenolf, $9l; Frank
Byrkit, sol; Charles Mankedick, S262 %. On
the same date S. c. McAllister was given
1890 for car fare. On Aug i, Louis
Broadhaft was given 81 for carriage hire
TO a child's funeral and p. H McNelis, he
whose saloon is a famous loungtng place
for Democratic politicians, was allowed s.
for road viewing on July II.
henchman. was paid $50 in November for
furnishing the jail with sixty bedticks. On
July 20. H. w. Laut was allowed s65i3S for
wOrkhouse. on Aug. Z, Collier q Murphy
were allowed $203.5O for pauper burials, al
though previously on the record the pau
per burials are itemized and are not PAID