Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-12-27
A Big SUM MISSING.
Brooklyn Experts Make a Sem
sational Discovery.
NEARLY 100000 OF COUNTY FUNDS.


It Is Alleged That the Deficiency Has Been
Concealed by sharp Banking Trick.
County Cashier Tourney Out OF Town on
yisit-Trcasurer Is Liable.
BROOKLYN, Dee. 27.-Charlcs Dutton
and John II. Sparrow, expert accountants
have been Spending n month or So going
over the hooks and papers in County
Treasurer Adams office. Their work is
finished, ard their report has been sub
mittcd to the supervisors committee and
will be presented to the board of county
fathers today.
This report shows total shortage of
kS6, $40. OF this s65. $40 was found in
the accounts of the treasurer. 4 discrep-
anCy of SEA. 100 is shown between the total
amounts drawn 10y Cashier Lawrence J.
Tormcy for the payment of jurors and the
total accounts actually paid Jurors be-
tween the years 1854 and 1898. This dis
crCpancy Is against TOrmcy.
This report was submitted to the COM
mittcc on accounts of the county TREASURER
Of the board Of supervisors last Friday.
| At the residence Of MIR. Tourney. gle Dean
street, it was said that Mr. Tormey had
been ON n Christmas trip out Of town
since Saturday. Ii was likewise insisted
that he will lie hack this morning.
Expert Accountant William Chambers
found Tormcy short about $500 in his nc.
cuunts FOR The year ending Aug l. Tho
cashier lost no time in making this amount
good.
| Tormcy went into Office the same year
that Treasurer Adams did-lSS2. The
! discrepancies in his accounts begin, nc
cOrdi@g to the expert reports. in 1854
They vary from 81, 900 to $4,000 for each
year during period of nine years Ono
Of the supervisors. in speaking of the Tor
mcy shortage. said:
Shortage Cannot lie Explained.
1t Is possible to account for the short
| ages in the trCasurcr's accounts on the
theory Of CarcleSSncss and miserable meth
DDS. but for the shortage in the Jurors ac-
counts there il no explanation so far as
IAN see except the worst.
Tourney had complete charge Of the pay
mcnt of jurors. All the lists rs certified
by the judges were sent To him. He paid
the jurymcn. He was allowed the utmC ST
latitude
lie would ask the treasurer or deputy
for the lump sum OF several hundred dol
lars. usually $500. and lie given q check
for that amount on one of the banks Of
dcroSit.
At the end of the year he made out hi:
I
to:als received by him correspondent with
the amounts Paid out on the jury lists
These statements were never questioned
by the committees OF the board OF super
viSOrS.
Since Tourney went into the office abou
$4,000 earned by jurors has never been ap
piled for. Accurate account has been KEEP
OF this, AMI this was taken cogniZance o
in arriving at the $40 % discrepancy
TormCy has bcCn prominent in politics 70
a number OF years.
Treasurer Adams Shortage.
The Shortages in Treasurer Adams nc
counts lie an the year in which he wen
into Office and continue up TO a year or =
ago. Adams ia under heavy bond ina
will require him TO make the whole $50,
600 shortage good
! The late Deputy TrcaStr Gardner lii
mo; of the signing OF checks for Adams
1t is said that he was very lax in making
payments 10 contractors and officials il
advance He also made the Office an &C
cCmmodatiOn cxchan 20 office for those VIII
wanted to send trcaSurcr's checks To A
bany 10 pay state taxes. Humid: eds q
checks ard stubs have been found mad
payable mostly to strangers and simpl
marked cash" There is no record G
these in the trcasurer'S books
The cNpCr.s have also discovered that
systematic method has been used to cove
up the hurtagrs year by year when III
supcrvisinmal committee WAS making II
examination.
\ plan was TO draw n check for Sl2, 90
or Sl5. coo at the end OF the month ON OIL
hank and deposit an the next day in al
other. The effect OF this was to get
credit from hath hanks for the amount
the check. Before the check would &
around for collection to the hank upo
which the draft was made the account Il
the first of the month would have bee
made out. The supcrvisional commit,
never thought of questioning the big ha
anccs shown in this way.