The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-04-07

cent fiat, that is, for bonds and accrued
interest, and | return to you the amount
and same money l received for them
| from the attorney who was authorized to
GEO. w. CRANE.
Mr.. Crane Has a Long Talk.
Last Thursday" continued Mr.. Crane,
Il was called to the state house and in
the attorney generals office | had long
talk with the school fund commissioners
and Governor Lewelling during which 1
explained to them all l knew about the
bonds and during our conversation they
informed me that they had purchased
the bonds through n. ID. Mckinley and
ID d. Hornaday."
Governor Lewelling and Attorney Gen
eral Little are both out of the city today
but the other state officials are very
much worked up about the exposure of
the stupidity of the school fund commits
sioners.
About a year ago these same bonds
were offered for sale by Simon Green
span, but the board of school fund COM
missioners did not buy them because
they did not have the money.
superintendent of Public instruction
I'll. N. Gaines, who is chairman of the
board OF school fund commissioners, de-
nounces the story of the stealing of
funds from the state in the purchase of
the Hamilton county bonds as Repub-
lican outrage and a deep laid plot to
drag down the Populist party.
Calls 1T a Republican Plot
He said: ..Tt is a plot of you Republi-
cans; it was deep laid, but it won't work.
We will put the whole outfit behind the
bars, where you belong. - Geo. w.
Crane, - n. d. McGinhey, -- F. p.
Lindsey, - the Republican party;
every Individual who had anything to
do with this. We will put the whole out
fit behind the bars, where they belong.
money under false pretenses and we VIII
make them pay the penalty. George W.
Crane was the originator of the whole
scheme. If he was not. why don't he
bring back the other $1,000 which he re-
ceived for his bonds? Why does he stop
by refunding $4,000 why don't he bring
all of it back? 1t is ii viilainous scheme,
but the men who worked it will pay the
penalty"
Mr.. Gaines admitted the truth of the
purchase of the bonds, and his story
agreed with that of Secretary Osborn
Mr.. Gaines said he was not present when
the first $4,000 worth of bonds was pur-
chased but that he and Attorney Gen
eral Little purchased the last lot in the
absence of Secretary Osborn.
what Secretary Osborn Says.
Secretary of State Osborn. when seen
by a STATE JOURNAL reporter, said: "This
is villainous Republican trick, but 1t
won't work. The people won't be de-
ceived. There is but little in the story,
but the facts of the whole matter are just
these:
1T was about one month ago that N.
ID. Mckinley appeared before the board
of school fund commissioners and offered
for sale $4,000 of Hamilton county bonds
which we purchased. 1t was represent
ed to us that the bonds were
all right in every respect ana the
records showed that the Indebtedness
of the county was below the
limit prescribed by law for the purchase
of bonds by this board. The board did
not know that Hamilton county had ever
issued any bonds that were IN dispute as
they had never been reported oy the
county clerk.
about ten days ago another lot of
these bonds were purchased by the board
through ID. ID. Hornaday and 1t was not
until after the last purchase that we dis
covered that there was any lrregularlty
in the bonds.
ssWhep the bonds were brought here
the coupons were all clipped, showing
on the face that the interest had been
paid up to the present time. AS soon as
we discovered that the bonds were lrreg-
ular. we wrote to the county treasurer Of
Hamilton county, who informed us that
the bonds were worthless, and that the
county intended to repudiate the
bonds l admit that the board was
deceived in purchasing these
bonds. We were QecelVeu Hrst oy IA0
coupons being clipped and second by the
renresentation of the parties who sold
the bonds that they were all right in
every respect. George w. Crane. and
his attorney, Lindsey, certainly knew al
about the entire transaction from the
first and are responsible for it. There is
still a CHARGE however that the bonds are
all right as Mr. Crane himself says case
testing their legality is still pending in
the supreme court If the court noids
the bonds can be collected then they are
Of course good security, but If not, then
we will have recourse on the parties
who deceived US.
sit is true that these bonds were
Craenspan- but I have always been
doubtful about anything that Greenspan
had a hand in, but the reason we did not
purchase the bonds at that time was that
we did not have any money. Inere were
no available funds"