Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-09-29
HERE'S ANOTHER.
Th0s. B. CatrOn and Other Prominent
Republicans Sued for Public
School Funds.
The Defalcation Of Treasurer Mondra.
gon at Last in the Courts-How
the Schools Have Been
Crippled.

iheAo was Aico IA THO oiuce VI Inc cleI d
of the district court yesterday a suit un-
der the title, Board of Education of the
City of Santa Fe against Narciso Mon
dragon, T. B. Catron, Edward l.. Bartlett
and Atanaclo Romero. The suit was filed
by City. Attorney A. B. Renehan and is
the companion suit to another filed last
May by Mr.. Renehan against Mondragon
and his bondsmen in favor of the city of
Santa Fe.
The number of the suit filed yesterday
is 1902. Back of the filing of this suit,
in which T. B. Catron, the Republican
nominee for delegate; E. L. Bartlett, the
chairman of the Republican central COM
mittee, and Atanacio Romero, the Repub-
lican county clerk, appear as defendants
Is story whose details are familiar to
some, but unknown to others.
| For the benefit of the latter, as we'll as
for the purpose of
pERpETUAT1Na THE RECORD
of an interesting event in the history of
this county the facts are here recounted.
About the 1st of May, 1898, Narciso
Mondragon,a local Republican politician,
was elected as city treasurer. He thereby
became ex-officio treasurer of the city
school board. Upon his election Mr. Mon
dragon found it necessary to give bond for
the performance of his duty and 7. B.
Catron, Edward L. Bartlett and Atanacio
Romero promptly affixed their signatures
to his bond. As a result of his appoint
ment to this position of trust, Mr.. Mon
dragon soon came into possession of
CONSIDERABLE CASH.
From Mr.. j. H. Vaughn, his predeces-
sor, he received $2,4se.41 on May 1, 1898.
Later he received $1,157.41 from County
Treasurer H. B. Cartwright, and later he
This added to the interest paid by the
bank made grand total of S8,lS4.77.
The latter part of July, 1898, certain mat
tiers which need not here be mentioned
convinced parties in authority that all
was not right with Treasurer Mondragon.
Accordingly an
INVESTIGATION WAS MADE
with the result that Mondragon was re-
moved and expelled from his office on
September s, 1898.
The same examination showed that of
the $8,184.77 which he had received, he
had paid out in warrants $l,397.62 and
had in bank only $2,760.82. This left the
! ~ Ax>h No. k11 Il
as Mondragon could not account for it
the conclusion was quickly and correctly
drawn that the money had been appro-
priated by Mondragon either for his per-
sonal use or that it had been used in
other unlawful directions. There are
those who solemnly affirm that the money
or large part of it was used in further
ing
! THE POLITICAL ENDS
of the Republican party in this county.
Whatever became of this $4,O26.33,
however, it is certain that the city board
of education started in upon the school
term in the fall of 1898 with a great
shortage staring it in the face and with
the prospect of great difficulty in meet.
ing it's obligations.
The evidence as to the shortage and its
exact extent being indisputable,
FORMAL DEMAND WAS MADE
upon T. B. Catron and the other bonds.
men who had obligated themselves to be
responsible to the extent of $4,000 fo1
any shortage that might result from
Mondragcn's election to the Office. The
response to this appeal was the same that
had met the demand of the territorial
authorities upon Mr.. Catron for his brick
bill few months previous.
Mr.. Catron and his associates refused
to come to the relief of the board and al
a consequence the board was obliged te
defer its obligations to more con
venient season. Its teachers, all of whom
needed their salaries, we're obliged to dis
count their warrants through the yeal
for whatever they would bring and the
board finally finished the year $1,1OO il
debt. The whole year was spent in at
tempting to