The San Francisco call., 1895-07-18

outside research, and Messrs. Collins and
Kirkpatrick were under the necessity OF
making daily trips to the Office of Fair S
trustees.
The Fair trustees opened the books
under their charge to the inspection and
leisurely examination OF Receiver Collins
and his expert, and matters glided along
with unctuous smoothness for a season.
But the time came when it was necessary
to 60 back to the old records. A search
was made for ledgers, journals, cash and
copy books, and, 10, they were gone. 1t
did not seem possible at first that SO many
heavy bound volumes could have taken
wings in night. They had gone the way
of the missing pages, however, and were as
conspicuous by their absence as are Smith
and Bresse. According to Receiver Col
lins these books must have made nearly, if
not quite, good wagon-load.
Thus, it will be seen, matters were still
further complicated. The exporting was
but temporarily retarded, however, and
between the Office of McGlaufin and that
of the Fair trustees theireceiver and his ex-
pert oscillated with the regularity of an
eight-day pendulum. But the fates did
not seem to be hand and glove with the
broker. Illness in the family of his expert
caused another delay, which is still inter-
mittent from the same cause, and, on the
head of this, one of the Fair trustees re-
fused to give Receiver Collins any further
information. That trustee was l.. Bresse,
the brother of Eugene, the missing former
partner of the much-cistraught broker.
Mr.. Kirkpatrick, the expert, is still kept
from his labors by the serious illness of his
son, the lib pages of cashbook and the
wagon-load of ledgers and journals that
are as little in evidence as the men whose
names are connected with their vanish
ment.
Mr. McGlauhin and Mr. Collins look at
each other across a field of ink-scarred
folios and sigh. They sigh singly and
they sigh in concert. With loyalty to his
trust that is commendabIe, Receiver Col
Inns jumped into the breach and until Mr..
Kirkpatrick gets back he will devote eight
or twelve hours day to an unraveling of
the entangled ske1n of figures and entries
which at present constitute the sole record
of the business of McGlauflin & Co.
Receiver Collins may be excused for sigh
ing. He sighed yesterday while discuss
ing his troubles, and he sighed the day
before while running an optical race
against time up and down several columns
of figures.
Yes" he said, with this sigh that has
become habituai to him since he started in
to join the head and tail of the firm s
affairs, 81 am convinced there is fully q
wagon-load of books gone out of this
office. Where are they? That is hard
question. 1t does not seem that one man
could have handled them all in a night,
but they are gone"
In answer to question concerning the
length of time it would take to complete
the exporting of such book as are left, he
said: 1.-The Lord only knows. 1 cannot
say we are half through. ] lost whole
day last week by being refused aid at the
Office of the Fair trustees, and SO it goes
one mbarrassment follows another. The
refusal of Bresse to give me any informa-
ton | think was due to the remark that
Mr. McGlaufiin made to the effect that the
wrong man (Angus) was suing for half the
commission on the sale of the Fair wheat.
Anyway he (Bresse) was very much
worked up and declined peremptorily and
in loud voice to allow me to have access
to the books or to furnish me any verbal
information. 1t seems an endless job.
The books SO far do not show any dishon-
esty on the part of Smith, and if he were
only here great weight would be lifted off
my shoulders"
HAS McGlaufin made strong effort to
find him? Has he had detectives en-
ployed in the search?"
"Yes; he has done everything in his
power. believing that he was not the
guilty party and that be could be of val
liable assistance in tracing the crooked
work to the right man. I'll tell you, with
a wagon-load Of books gone, the only man
who could possibly unravel the tangle
not to be found and everything occurring
to cause delay, the position is not pleas
ant one.
However, the suit will be brought
against Angus and Bresse, in the hope of
getting some light on this mystery, which
seems to grow in mysteriousness the far
ther we get into it,
Louis Bresse says it is unfortunate his
brother did not make more of a confidant
of him before he went away so that he
would not have to take the word of the
newspapers for his from time to time
whereabouts. II suppose" he said yester-
day, 81 should have to believe he was up
in balloon if the newspapers said as