St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-27
SOME ONE GUILTY OF fINNO-
GENTLY, DEGRADING THE
COUNTY REPENTs.
SENDS A CHECK FOR $500.
TREASURER HASTINGS is IN A
GUANDARY WHAT TO Do
WITH 1T.
SCHOOL SITES NOT CHOSEN.
Directors Waste Time in ArCu-
ment-Great Crowds at the
show.

Another mystery has developed at
the county court house. But this time
1t Is not one in which human life is in
Volved, or will anybody be accused of
committing crime. On the other
hand, it is simply a mystery of finance
which centers about County Treasurer
Hastings and which puts that official
IN a rather peculiar and embarrass-
ing predicament Some gentleman.
whose conscience has been awakened
by recent events, has sent a cashiers
check for $500 to the treasurer. giving
no name and reiat ting no circum-
stance except that the act was done
as a peace offering 10 conscience.
Every effort is made to prevent the
name OF the sender from becoming
known, and the entire circumstance
Is yelled in such obscurity and mys-
terry that Treasurer Hastings may re-
quire the services of g, detective before
he unravels it to his entire satfsfac-
ton. The letter accompanying the re-
mittance is as follows:
"A citizen who once had dealings
with the county of Hennepin has dis
covered that by wholly innocent err
ror on his part the county has been a
loser TO the amount of $500. He wishes
to cover this amount into the treasury
of the county and to have it credited
as conscience money He cannot
give his name without exposing him
self and other innocent parties 10 IN
just and unpleasant comments. The
county treasurer is respectfully re-
queSted to acknowledge the receipt of
this through the Evening Journal
TWO PERSONS PENNED IT.
There are two principal points of
mystery about the letter. The cash
ier's check, which accompanied twas
purchased in Chicago on Aug. d. The
letter was mailed in a large, square
envelope in Minneapolis some time dur
ing the forenoon yesterday. Treasur-
er Hastings and Deputy Slocum have
examined the handwriting closely and
it was discovered that in order to pre-
vent detection, two persons penned the
letter.
The second point of mystery about
the letter is that no method by which
the county could have been cheated
out of $500 comes to mind readily. The
assessed valuation of personal and real
property is fixed outside of the juris-
diction of the person taxed, and no
in unless a return was not made of Sc
curities possessed by the sender and Of
which no information was obtained by
the assessor.
The treasurer also finds himself in
an embarrassing position for another
reason and this is why the detective
may be called upon to search out the
sender of the money. Not knowing
how the county was defrauded out of
it, he does not know to what fund
it belongs. There is no conscience ac-
count and accordingly there must he
an account in which it can go and
from which it may be used. To learn
the right account makes it absolute
~ necessary to know the circum-
stances. Meanwhile, the county treas
urer will retain the check, the authen-
ITCHY of which cannot be doubted, and
he will use every effort to learn all
about the matter.
The inmates of the auditors Office
were considerably stirred up over the
matter yesterday afternoon, and Dep
uty Miner peculated considerably up
on the subject. It is almost certain that
no mistake has occurred in the county
auditors office, however, and the only
time one is likely to have &C.
Cured in the treasureT's was during
the H. o. Peterson administration,
when matters became terribly mixed.
Later developments are anticipated.