Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-25
LOOKING FOR BAIL
Ez-Disbursing Officer Kieckhoefer
Still in Custody.
SECURITY HAS BEEN FIXED At $4,000
The Heavy Defacation Charged
Against the Prisoner.
THE ARREST YESTERDAY

Following upon his recent forced resig
| nation and the intimations OF discrepan-
| cies in his official accounts, Francis j.
| Kieckhoefer, late disbursing officer of the
| State Department, was placed under arrest
yesterday morning on three warrants
sworn out by the United States through
| Edward I. Renick, chief clerk of the State
| Department, charging the embezzlement of
| the sum of $i7, 1850 Mr.. Kieckhoefer
| was taken to the Police Court this morn
| irg from the first precinct station, where
| he was held in custody all day Sunday and
| last night and the matter informally dis
| cussed before Judge Miller. Mr.. Arthur
| w. Ferguson, attorney for Mr.. kieck-
| hoefer, waived an examination, and bail
| was fixed at $4,000. An unsuccessful eff
| fort was made to have the figure reduced,
| Mr.. Kieckhoefer was returned to the first
precinct station, and his attorney set out
| in quest of bondSmen
1t will he remembered that October %
| last Mr. Kieckhoefer, who had been dis
bursting officer of the State Department for
| a number Of years, having been appointed
| by Hamilton Fish during the second ad-
! ministration of President Grant, left the
service under pressure, the incident caus-
ing some surprise. as Mr.. Kieckhoefer was
generally regarded as thorough and COM
ton it was minated that a shortage,
thought to amount to about $1,000, ex-
listed in the accounts Of the late dishur5ing
officer, and, after an expert investigation,
1t was claimed that a further deficit in the
trust funds of the department to the
amount of si27.O00 was apparent. Adding
to this the original $4,000 made the total
amount of cash lacking in Mr.. Kieckhoef-
er'S general account, said the auditing
| officers of the Treasury Department, reach
$l3J,OO0.
The Trust Fund.
Several weeks ago the Treasury Depart
ment filed suit in the civil courts against
Mr.. KieckhOefer's bondsmen, to recover the
amount of his bond, 81 600. An effort, it is
said was made to settle the matter without
resort to law, but terms of agreement with
Mr.. Kieckhoefer could not he reached The
accounts of the trust fund, which il made
up of money paid by foreign governments
in settlement of claims of citizens of the
United States, were not investigated until
after the finding Of errors In the keeping of
| the regular State Department finances. Be-
coming suspicious, Secretary O!ncy ordered
| the examination of the trust fund accounts
| and as result the alleged deficit therein
vas brought to light 1t then developed
| mat the disbul sing officer not under
| bond for the SAT keeping of the trust fund,
and the officials We're a a loss to discern in
| what manner the deficit could be made good.
lac report OF the expert accountants WAS
| referred ny secretary oiney to the DEPART
| ment of Justice, and in turn to District At
! torney Birney, but. as considerable uncer-
! tainty existed as to the nature of the charge
! to be preferred, the papers in the case were
! returned 10 the department Of Justice Dur
| ing this time IT is reported that the govern
! nent officials quietly endeavored to get a
| hold on certain property possessed by Mr..
! kieckhGefer. hull in the proceedings fol-
| lowed. which was Unexpectedly broken yes
| terdey by the arrest of Mr.. Kiec khoefer
| This aggressive action was because of a
| fear entertained by the officials that Mr.
| kieckhoefer WAS about TO leave the United
| States for Europe to join his family, ac-
| cording to annual custom. For the past
| thee years Mr.. Kieckhoefer's family has
| been at Leipsic. Germany. Once out of the
| country, it was the opinion of the officials
| that to lay hands on Mr.. Kieckhoefer il
| such might he considered necessary, would
| be rather complex and difficult under
| taking. Therefore, to clnch matters Chief
| Clerk Renick SATURDAY evening swOre out
| warrants against Mr.. kieckhoefer making
three specific charges, to the effect that he
! appropriated to his own use $iS,2gh3S, July
= lS,3: 52.gl. ~, August 10, and SIS S.,T 30
| October %. The warrants set forth that
| Francis J. kieck hoefcr, while in the serv-
! ice Of the United States of America did
| fe!oniCLsly emDeZZle and convert to his own
use the sums stated, all moneys of the
| UAited States, which came into his posses
! sion as a clerk in the employ of the United
States.
The Arrest.
Since his removal from office Mr. Kieck-
hoefer has remained in this city, and has
displayed no tendency to get beyond the
reach of the law. He has been supported
by his friends in the 1eclara ton that he
has not been guilty of dishonesty. If any
discrepancies have been found, it was
claimed. they were due to errors in book
keeping, and not because of emheZEleme!It
Cn the part of the disburSing officer. Sew
eral times, it is said. Mr. kieckhoefer has
expressed a desire that a complete inveSti-
cation OF the situation be made, and when
confronted with tie warrants yesterday
he vas wholly unprepal ed for arrest, evi-
denuy LeieVing that the Civi! proceedings
would be the extent Of the charges against
him.
Although the warrants were directed to
the United States marshal, they were
placed in the lands of Detectives Gala
CHER and Carter of the metropolitan police
force. who Immediately set ouc in search
of Mr.. kieckhoefer. Both his home and
club We're visited before it was learned
that the man they were in search of had
left early in the day with a party of
friends to visit Cabin John bridge. The
detectives at o'clock Sunday morning
called at Mr.. kieckhoefer's residence, 1925
i1th street, and found him just arising for
breakfast. When inform ID Of the object
OF the visit he appeared greatly shocked,
but Immediately accompanied the Getec-
tiVeS to police headquarters. Mr.. Fergus
sen sent for, and soon thereafter
conference, lasting over an hour. was held,
in wnich Mr.. Renick, Assistant District
Attorney Almes, Inspector HolIinberger
and Mr.. Ferguson pal ticipated.
AS bail could not be given Sunday Mr..
Kieckhoefer later taken to the first
precinct station and made as comfortable
as possible in witness room on the second
floor. He stated at the station that he was
gully of no wrong. adding that he had
nothing to fear. because of the knowledge
of his innocence. It was very unfortunate,
though, said Mr. Kieckhoefer, that errors
in his accounts should have crept in and
resulted in his being accused of GRIMM
ality. Mr.. Keckhoefer declared that his
arrest was not anticipated, and he regarded
1t as unfair that he should have been taken
into custody Sunday, when 1t was impoS-
sible for him to give bail. He had no in
tention of leaving the city or the country,
said Mi. Kieckhoefer he expects his
family to sail from Southampton to Join
him here June 20. AS to the charges
against him. Mr.. Kieckhoefer explained
that he knew no more than the bare state
ments contained in the warrants.
AS stated, the proceedings in the Police
Court this morning were decidedly brief
and informal. and there is no entry regard
ing them the record of the court The
prisoner and his counsel entertained no
doubt to ability to disprove the charges
or to secure bondsmen to effect the rele ase
of Mr.. kieckhoefer.