Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-08-19

/ come OF the money raised Dy lHt west
Town Board TO redeem three $1,000
bonds that matmed in 1890? 1t is a
/ question that an expert accountant has
been given TO answer
The town books are deaf and dumb
on the subject and about all they re-
/ veal up 10 date is Overwhelming proof
that the system of accounting hereto
/ fore IN use among West Town officials
/ is about as bad as the ingenuity OF mar
| could devise Lost in the labyrinths OF
/ figures that are spread over The ac-
count books in the supervisors Office is
/ all trace of an item that will cost the
west town over $4,000. When
THE PECULIAR CIRCUMSTANCES
which accompanied this transaction
/ were brought 20 light all sorts of ru-
mors OF missing bonds, hidden defalca-
/ tous and such like were given currency.
I IL was pointed out too, that the bonds
of 1890 We're ia readiness for payment
abou- the time eX-SupervisOr Frank
+ NiehOd was in Office, but this was later
/ pronounced ineXact. Mr.. Niehon,
I whose present whereabouts are up-
/ known. is said to have had nothing to
/ do with the fund out Of which the old
bond issue was to be paid.
The Ojd thing about the bonds in
I question is something like twenty-five
/ years after they were issued they turned
/ up i'm Germany.
AS SOMETHING UNIQUE
1 and worthy of ungrudging admiration
/ the system of bookkeeping in the west
town Office is matter all by itself. but
Tm0re than q passing interest IS attached
10 the unexpected temperance Of these
/ three bonds that have been away from
+ Chicago for over quarter of a century.
Less than six months ago they came
I back-three crisp, gilt-edged $1,000
/ bonds, i've years - the time set for
/ their payment Their first stopping
/ place vas al The National Bank of He
u2.s and Cashier NOll at a glance re-
. cognlzed these as part of the issue of
| 1870. by means OF which IL was designed
90 secure POUNDS to detr3y the cost Of the
west park system. The bonds had been
/ bearing Z per cent interest for twenty
+ years and when they matured in 1890 a
special tax levy was ordered to take
/ them up. What the German bank want
+ cd vas the face value of the bonds and
/ Cashier Mol proceeded TO set the ma
/ chinery in motion 20
Make THE COLLECTION.
f He wrote Supervisor Erickson, commun-
.caJed with Justice EberhlrdJ and not
/ getting q reply, threatened to COM
/ me4ce law suit.
The town board didn't know what to
+ do. The members, or many of them.
+ were under the impression the bonds
/ had been paid. The books were con-
\ suited and after a long search il was
/ found that the bond numbers had never
/ been cancelled.
There was nothing found 10 prove
4 that the bonds had been paid but the
/ circumstance ,hat they were not can
+ celled went 10 show they had not been
/ or, as was suggested. it might only in
/ dictate Jhat the supervisor
HAD BEEN CARELESS
I in neglccring to draw his pen over the
numbers.
However. as the town board was
threatened with q lawsuit il took cOun-
/ sci OF its attorney, eX-Ald. Harris
/ That gentleman or any of the others
/ never questioned the genuineness of the
bonds. but the fund raised five years
/ before 90 paythese bonds had long since
/ become dispersed and no money was at
| hand for that purpose. Once more the
/ books were looked over Ii could not
I De ,0ld from the bulky ledger what had
/ become oil the funds, if any of it re-
| manned after the rest of the bonds were
paid. IL could not be told whether the
money was turned into the general
fund Or used for amy other purpose or
/ what this purpose was, if it was any
/ ching al ALL
THE UNCERTAIN OUTLOOK
/ that confronted The west town officials
in reference to these three bonds has
| caused hem 10 hesitate six months be-
fore taking decisive action. AS the
! matter now stands Supervisor Erick-
/ SON declines TO pay the bonds without
/ au order from the town board The
town board say they do not think they
/ have authority to give such an order.
They are hopeful that the money may
/ be traced back 10 the general fund and
! cine expert accountant has been direct
/ % To- use all his endeavOrs TO try aud
/ get The books straight But if the mon
/ ey cannot be traced TO the general fund
4 then Justice SeversOn. chairman of the
| board, said to-day that perhaps the
/ best way to collect il would be by
means of the courts
Members Of the present Town Board
ARE RETICENT
/ when it comes 10 q statement regarding
/ what may have been done with the
/ money They assert that the $4,000
/ may easily have been placed to the
! credit OF the general fund or elsewhere
where it did not belong, through the
! can el essuess of q bOOkkeeper, and bring
/ no charges of defalcatiOn against any
/ 0no There seems to be sentiment
/ among some OF them, however, that
there is screw loose somewhere.
/ though they decline TO make such an
open assertion.
1 A week ago last Tuesday the West
Town Board held q meeting, az which
the following committees was appointed
To investigate the apparent shortage:
/ Justices White. Severson and Eber>
/ hardt. This committee has secured the
/ services OF an expert accountant, but the
latter
HAS NOT YET REPORTED
/ upon th6 matter.
4 The west town was made defendant
/ Saturday IN an assumpSit suit
/ $4,000. The bin rec:tes the fact that a
I 10y the National Bank of Illinois, The
0bjec, of the litigation is to recover the
$4,000 The bill recites the fact that q
short time ago the bank received from
I Mayer & Co. of Leipzig, Germany, the
three S1ooe bonds which mamred in
. 1880 for collection.
{ The bank claims that the money
should have been eft in q special fund