Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1895-03-30
1T PUZZLED THE JUDGES.
ACCOUNT BOOK OF OyERsEER DAVIS
SCANNED BY THE COURT.
Accountant Smell Called Upon to Go
Through the Figures and straighten
Them Out-An Old Man
Made Happy.

The county court room was well filed
yesterday morning when the trial OF Solo
mon Davis, the Sni Mills road oyerseer
was called. Specific charges were filed
with the county clerk against Davis some
ten days ago. one charge was to the ef-
feet that Davis, in his annual settlement,
charged up $29sO for blacksmithing when
it ought to be only $3.50; that he had given
receipts to persons showing the payment
of road tax, when the same has not been
worked out; that 500 given by the county
court TO be worked out in duplicate was
received by Davis. and the contract never
carried out.
The specific charges were signed by d.
l.. Neyins, j. c, Faulkenberry, II. Cline,
j. II. Brown and j. II, Keller, all resi-
dents OF the district. Mr.. Davis was repre-
tingent had none.
Presiding Judge Stone called for Mr.
Davis receipts and expenditures for the
purpose OF conducting a court Of inquiry.
II soon developed that the accounts OF the
road oyerseer were wonderfully mixed,
Judge Stone attempted TO straighten out
the account, lie got lost in the muddle
Of charges for picks and long handled hoes,
bought by the road OVerseer. AT the end
OF his effort he had the county in debt to
the road oyerseer. Davis account book
was called for. but the court was informed
that the road oyerseer had lost 1t. This
ADDED to the complication. A plow which
cost Sl7 was charged up to the county.
Davis said upon questioning that he did
not know whether the county had paid for
IL or not Judge Stone, after several futile
attempts to disentangle the account, gave
II up as a bad job ana admitted that moth
ing but an expert could unravel the mat
ter. The next item in the road oyerseer's
account was taken up; also the specific
charge that duplicate work had not been
carried out. Davis was called upon to eN-
plain the matter as TO his charges. Davis
stated that the court gave him. 800 10 be
used on the main road with the under
standing that the residents of the district
We're to work out the balance, The esti-
mate Of the engineer on the work was 500
lie said that j. II. Browne wanted 10 do
the work, A long history of Brownies per-
sonal affairs followed, but the matter was
never explained to the satisfaction of the
court Davis lawyer attempted TO explain
the apparent oyercharge, but he, too, went
down in the muddle. Clerk Phelps had a
turn, but he proved no better.
The court finally conceived the idea OF
turning the whole matter over to Account
ant Smell To unrayel the account and for
this reason the court ordered the case con-
tinued. Mr. Davis was ordered to bring in
all of his receipts and the court promised
the condition OF affairs in the district. The
inability of the court to straighten out the
account does not necessarily dispose of the
case, As soon as the expert accountant is
able TO report all parties VIII be notified to
appear again before the court.
The court approved the settlement OF III.
H. Noland, eX X-circuit clerk, and the same
was passed upon by County Accountant
Smell,