New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-29

and to crush the searcher
WHAT DIR. LANAHAN SAYS HE FOUND.
And II was a search. The bookkeeping was De-
yond the power OF an expert TO unravel There
check the heads Of departments, the
cashier paying out pretty much any amount asked
for on any sort of an order. Attention was frst
directed to the printing department. where one
Goodenough reigned supreme DR.. Lanahan FOUND
ink purchased at s. pound no better than couia
be bought for % cents; he found that all paper
had 10 be purchased through one Porter-son OF
the late junior Agent-at % per cent advance on
ma nuf scturers proe though the makers would have
preferred to deal directly with the Concern Al the
same price charged TO Porter Young Porters
profits at one period something over Sl,oW per
month tor no service except conveying the orders
percentage on paper is estimated at more IMAM
half million Xii was direct loss e the ,S Church Gfi
Letters from manufacturers assert That they diu
not employ Porter and would have sold TO tne
Concern as cheapy rs TO him 1t was iound 1hns
few dollars each payday from the nominal wages se
Of each emPoye dr. Lsndha R,.S SeIa lanes hav
Ing been called In for consultation, his resignation
Attention was next turnei to the bndery of which
Hoffman had been for h Sed
il bad basn ten w"s n as large There was no
check on this department the sdperntensen, uaaw
Ds anan r0T ind ha Han
session Of perauis.tes amounting to from ~" 10
goods for personal and family use. He had EVIL,
dence that valuable leather had been bought ana
gain The evidence was 30 strong that Hoffman was
dismissed after being permitted to destroy rrcor hn
voted TO documents that seem to prove an me
charges. These documents VII be laid before 'ne
General Conference next month. go,
And this is the substance of the famous Book Book
Concern frauds" A few employees of great busi.
noes house had been left to do about as they
pleased and had occasonei loss OF more or less
the chnreh b Psopsry IF all hat Dr
seems TO have been-what was there TO starue me
Church ana me cohny me snns Ii At the
hands OF trusted employees. who are pursued ana
punished II caught and the business goes on WITH
out shock
SURPRISING THE INVESTIGATION.
Here the great evil-if DR.. Lanahan maintains his
case before the General Confercnce-begins. There
was no suspicion that Dr. Ianahan had been actu-
atcd by any motive hut desire to do his duty ana
render fair service for his salary. He might have
settled down. taken his ease and had a quiet lie
FOR four years. and perhaps have continued 70 hold
the place until now. lie was too energet., ana
made discoveries that placed the former agents snd
been making utterly false reports, In the wrong.
He must be put down In those days the Me,hodlst
as in Wescy's day II had been governed by on
dozen or so who settled the elections to General Con-
ference. and in the larger body there was larger
sficers These latter agents editors. committees
etc-were n powerful oligarchy. held IN awe by the
outsiders and impatient anything that looked Ike
dIctaon or Interference. The, reeied no one to re-
mind them that they must stand together" The
Book Committee appointed n sub-committee to ex,
il made a report substantlat!ng Or, Lanahans
matters so de epy as the latter had done
But anything resembling investigation was closed
by the publicity given the frauds By NETWORK
Newspaper and then by all the papers In the com
try. 1t was the Church against the world the
looked upon in the light OF the last named. though
ne had nothing % DO with the publication OF the re-
lie was urged to join with DR. Carleton In a gen
oral denial Of the report and pronounce The ALE
he declined to do The Book Committee met IN
NewYork on November 1859 and at that meeting
SrnIna on rial Reports were considered from
one the p ana ' hs Book
Concern, except In respect to some mIsnanagement
III, committee met again on January, ~ $50, and.
after placing every obstruction possible In me way
pert, adopted a statement for the public DENYING
that there had been any fraud deialcaton. corr'ip-
adiourning efforts were made 10 induce Or. Lana
han promise rot to take the matter 10 the General
Nay 49, 1870 the committee met 10 consult as to the
su.nson OF tne ssen Du ths orb
meeting charges and specifications were presented.
10 MI OF which DR.. Lanahan replied, and he ex-
would have given him the opportunity ne craved 10
present his evidence officially before the commite
and thus before the Church The Bishops; In session
jointly with the commiiee. as r. required IN trial
articles OF Impeachment. the charges were with
drawn and the committee again adjourned. many Of
OPS II u.s. perhaps. only "A coincidence that IL was
coon afer ms h,s movement 'P b up IN IN,
elect them for only one term ,,,. ,e.,,.n so,s.,.
el three accountants TO make thorough exdmlna-
ton o. the books and accounts 81 the Book Concern
Christian Advocate spoke as an able and impartial
|. expert did the main part of the work. and az ts
CHEZ a. Expected. to be Incorporated in general
report 1t in in printed form II Is as complete
been employed by him
The 9Th meeting OF the Book Committee was oc-
casoncd by a suit for SANDER brought against Or.
Lanahan by the discharged Goodenough. In pre-
pairing he defence hs defendant applied f9r Go,k,
refused access to them and he applied to the Court
prefSrrci charges in his own name the COMMITTEES
came together and DR. I.anahan was expelled by a
Ames one OF the two bishops called in to act with
the committee declined to concur. and Or. Lanahan
served out his term
"A LANE AND IMPOTENT CONCLUSION"
The matter came before the General Conference o,
1872 was submitted to ponderous committee OF
seventy-two. who held shor; meetings for twelve
days and made inclusive report. admitting re-
pcated frauds In the Book Concern. "in the manu-
featuring department and chiefly. II not wholly In
thu bnlery" The meetings Of this committee were
held I'm secret. but every one except Dr. lanahan.
who had anything to say seems TO have been adj
mit,ed and heard Dr. Lanahan complains that the
most important papers submitted by him were
cludeI from tho printed Journal Of the conference.
and mere statements rejecting upon his character
and motives were admitted This General Confer
ence chose two new agents. and thought the matter
a. settled
Goodenough's suit for SANDER was permitted to
hang over Or. Ianahan's head until after this
sion, the defendant In the mean lime spending
brief period IN jail and then allowed to go by de-
fault Or l.anahan thus being prevented from get
ting the results ~ hs investisat lions before the
Church In any official way.
The last General Conference adopted special
resolution giving DR.. Lanahan access 10 the records
OF the Book Committee appointed In 1865. Singular
~ enough they have not been found but the doc
tors memoranda sufficient.
II 4 hardly possible that DR. Lanahan's request
for a final and conclusive verdict by the General
Conference OF 1896 will be refused AT the close of
his Impea chment trial the venerable Bishop James
thus spoke to the committee that had convicted
him:
with DR.. Lanahan I have been acquainted for