The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1894-04-13


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ISSUED FRIDAY MORNING.
OFFICIAL COUNTY AND CITY PAPER.
ia. WARDwELL. &C.. THOMSON.
WARDWELL 4 THOMPSON.
FRIDAY. APRIL 10, 1894.
TERMS, 1900 PER ANNUM
GONE WRONG.
In the commissioners proceedings
In this issue will be found a resolu-
ti0n referring to some crooked work
with the county books, done by Char.
les Rcdpath,depu auditor under the
late Mr.. KabcrnaRle aud later deputy
under the present auditor. The facts
arc, that Mr.. Rcdpath in two cases at
least, where he owed business men In
In town on storc-bills, arranged with
them to pay their taxes. He made
the plea that as he had no money that
he could arrange with the treasurer
to withhold q monthly sum from his
salary until the taxes were paid. This
was satisfactory to the business men,
but Redpath Instead Of arranging
with the treasurer, went to the tax
lists to which he had access and mark
cd the taxes which he had agreed to
pay. as paid, but made no tax receipt
to correspond. The result OF this
work was to make the tax apparently
paid, but no account would be carried
to the cash book as there were no re-
ccipts made. Only a complete check
ing over OF all receipts OF the year
could discover the discrepancy. A
quarterly checking would net do as
the discrepancy might apparently be
made previous quarter; still the
treasurer and his deputy might re-
member whether certain parties had
or had not paid taxes, and In this case
this is the way the matter was dis.
covered, deputy treasurer Mcbride no
ticing a tax paid, which he did not re.
member being paid. Investigated and
found that the entry was a false one;
and the receipt as dated and mum.
bcrcd In the false entry had nothing
to do with the tax in question. The
treasurer was Immediately Informed
and with the auditor steps were ut
once taken to locate the guilty party.
Several clerks had access to the books,
but suspicion fell on deputy auditor
lsedpath. He acknowledged that the
work was his, and confessed to have
made one or two more false entries of
the same nature; He also acknow.
edged to have placed certificate of
"nO taxes due" on a warranty deed Of
his own to CIV. Ryan, on which there
actually was about 80 due. These
are all the facts so far as developed.
It is not probable any others of q like
nature against Redpath will be dis.
covered. The county is at no loss
whatever The crooked work was simp-
ly hiding the fact that certain taxes
were not paid. Legally, the crime is
forgery in the third degree punishable
by five years in the pcnitcntiary.
Mr.. Redpath, in acknowledging his
crime. said that he intended to pay
these taxes himself, and his friends
are charitable enough to believe him.
There are pccuniary and family cir
which go to establish
this opinion. There has been sickness,
death, and other heavy demands
on Redpath for the last year, and
though he was getting $50 month he
was heavily in debt, and his friends
believe that he committed this crime
simply to gain time and satisfy his
creditors. The whole amount invol-
we'd, US far as known, and from the
stated. it is probably
all known, is less then $500; and as
we stated, there has been no money
actually taken away. nor the county
made liable. Only some people who
thought certain bills run by Redpath
had been paid by him by his paying
their taxes, find they are mistaken.
The offence while legally u great
crime, was really more of an offense
against individuals than the public so
far as damage went, and those indivi.|
duals without exception, were willing
in pity and charity for his fumily. and
for the offence to let him go. believ-
ing that the publicity Of the affair and
the loss of his position was sufficient
punishment; and the matter thus res
ted until this meeting Of the board:
The action of the board Is shown by
the resolution. Meantime, while the
board was looking up the matter and
discussing methods of procedure, Red
path settled the question of arrest by
disappearing, which on the whole is |
probably the best solution of the
matter, as no especial good could come
to anybody, by the expense of prose.
cution and the placing Of Redpath for|
term of years in prison, while his
family existed only by charity.
Redpath was a man of good personal
habits, did net drink or gamble, was
a capable clerk, pleasant and obllging
In disposition. His crime will always
be a dark shadow on his life, and a
hindrance to future success. That
he may 60 and sin no more, IL the
best the most charitable can say, and
the most severe cannot ask a much
harder punishment than Punishment
leaving such a memory behind HIM.
The amount of money expended by
the commissioners at this meeting is
something prodigious, aggregating
over &8,l0O. The entire list Of bills Is
too long for US to publish this issue
without crowding out more valuable
matter. About half Of it goes for OF.
fetal salaries and court house and
jail expenses. A bigger slice than
usual goes on county poor account
and Justice cases, in which large
number OF blind.pig cases figure,
seem to be pretty expensive. Anltem