The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-01
Peculiar Transactions of De
Cardona of the Street
Department.
HE SAYS HE IS INNOCENT
More Charges of Forgery VIII Prob
ably Be Mace Against Ash
Worth's Clerk.

bOokkeeper In the Street Superintendent
Office, for forgery in "raising" wage war
rants has caused sensation in small polit-
zeal circles where he is we'll known. For
many years De Cardona has been an active
worker in local politics and he has worked
in nearly every department in the mu-
nicipal government. His arrest for forgery
was decided surprise as he was always
rated as honest and reliable.
The nature of the charge gives rise to the
belief that the city treasury has been sys-
tematically plundered for some time past,
particularly as nearly al of the forgeries
discovered so far date back to the end of
last year. How much further crooked
work has gone remains to be seen when the
Street Department books have been thor
oughly gone over by experts. The system,
as explained in yesterdays CALL was very
simple.
After the wage warrants had passed the
hands of the Street Committee, Auditing
Committee and Auditor, they were re-
turned to the Street Superintendent Of
flee, where the sums named were increased
so that, for example, So would be raised to
$2S. / most cases only such warrants as
had been previously cashed by money
broker were thus manipulated.
Detective Cody, who investigated the
books for week, in company with j. b.
Garland, the head bookkeeper, is satisfied
that De Cardona had confederate or two
in his operations. From all he can learn
De Cardona "steered" all those who
wanted to get cash on their warrants
ahead Of time to Ferdinand Smith, the
money broker at SIG Montgomery street.
The tags he sent to Smith were all taken
up by some one before the time to cash the
warrants. These tags were destroyed and
this left the way clear for the warrants to
be raised and presented by the same I'M
known party. Who these parties are the
police are now trying to learn. Detective
Cody is satisfied that Broker Smith was
aware of there being something peculiar IN
the transactions, but to what extent is a
matter of conjecture.
Mr.. Smith stated last evening that many
of the tags from the Street Superintend-
ent's office were taken up before the war
rants were cashed. He does not remem-
Der, so he said, who the person is who took
up the tags, or whether it was the same
person every time.
81 am a money-broker, said he, "and
whenever l have chance to make little
commission on City paper | will do so. I
have known Mr.. de Cardona for three
years, ever since he went into the Street
Department, and have had more or less
| business with him ever since" When
Broker Smith was told that the authorities
know De Cardinals confederates he evinced
the keenest interest to learn the name or
names of the persons.
| Detective Cody and Mr.. Garland state
that in all probability half dozen more
| charges will be made against the accused,
| three of which will be for dummy war
rants for sums of money ranging from $75
| to sos.
| De Cardona made partial explanation
of his position yesterday. He endeavored
to throw all of the blame upon j. B. Cart
land, the head bookkeeper in the Street
| Department, by insinuating that Garland
knows more about the raised warrants
than has come out yet. According to his
story Garland took a dislike to him as
soon as the former entered the office, or a
very short time after. He said:
do not know why he should dislike me.
| never did him an injury thatI know of. have
| always done his work while he sat around the
| Office and read law. AS was in that depart
ment under Ackerson and know all about the
workings of the Office, went about my bust
ness and had no occasion tc address Mr.. Cart
| land.
L am innocent, and he knows it, or he could
! know it if he would take the trouble to look
| into the matter. About the warrant of Nc
Kinley that was raised from SO to $28 it was
this way. One day deputy from the treasury
! came to me and asked to see the payroll. When
/ / showed it to him he said that there was some
! thing wrong. He had paid out $2o on Nc
| Kinley US warrant, and the payroll In our Office
| showed that the man was only entitled to SS.
did not understand then, nor do / now, sc
went to Smith, the broker who cashed the
! tag and asked him about it. Smith told mt
| that my tag was for So and cashed it for it:
! face value less IS cents, his commission.
J. went to the treasury to make further inquiries
] and did not receive any light upon the subject
They told me that all they wanted was not tt
/ lose by the transaction, SO l went back K
| Smith and borrowed $50, which paid into tht
| treasury, as preferred to stand the loss rather
I than have any trouble or unpleasantness IL
! the Street Department. That was my only
reason for paying it.
I. Was it possible for that warrant to have beer
| raised after it was returned from the Auditor
| Yes; it was in my desk with all the other war
rants and the warran is sometimes remain there
| three or four days l do not know who raised
| it. Mr.. Garland has a key to that desk the
same as and he can open it at anytime he de
sires. as he is the head bookkeeRer:ss 1t never
occurred to me to examine the warrants to see
| if they had been tempered with, but there wa:
| plenty of opportunities for others to have
| altered the documents.
! They say that there are others interested, ano
| guess they are right, but they are not inter
| ested with me, except TO disgrace me-
! do not know anything about the other
warrants that have been raised or the dummy
| warrants. / did not suspect that there was
anything wrong until about o'clock, yester
| day, when l was told to 60 into the Chiefs
| Office.