Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-11-19
No. 46

II books were always correctly ker
there would be little for us to do; bu
= happens, unfortunately for some bu
fortunately for us, that people occu
sionally do not keep their accounts nc
curately"
And can you always find that out 1
you examine the books?"
Always"
Cant man make his accounts s.
that no one can tell that there is any
thing wrong?"
The belief that such a thing can bs
done has placed many poor wretch ir
prison. II has been tried often enough.
Il am sure they can do il in the states
i have read of it being done and con.
tinued for years. Men have made of
with great sums of money by falsify-
ing the books, and no one found it out
until the one who did it died or ran
away"
Nevertheless, if an expert accountant
had been called in he would have found
out very soon that something was
wrong, and just where the wrong was
and how much"
|
slble. Have you ever discovcr, d any
thing like that?"
81 have"
What is done when such a Il. ng is
discovered?"
That depends upon circumsta noes.
Usually policeman is called in"
why, it's like being detective. I
wish you would tell me about some of
the cases you have had. Don't make me
ask too many questions. Talk"
Il don't think my experiences would
interest you in the least. There was one
case with which had something to do
in London two years ago that"
"Oh, London. don't believe the book
keepers there are half so sharp as ours.
If you had to deal with American ac-
countants you would not find out SO
easily what they had or had not DONE"
"Well, Miss Brewster, what I tell you
is, of course, in confidence. wouldn't
whisper it to anybody else, but may
say l have just had an experience of
that kind with some of your very sharp
est American boolkeepers. I found
that the books had been kept in the
most ingenious way, with the intent to
deceive. The system had been going on
for years."
How interesting. And did you call
in a policeman
mo. This was one of the cases where
policeman was not necessary. The
books were kept with the object Of
showing that the profits of the m-of
the business-had been much greater
than they really were. 1 may say that
one of your American accountants had
already looked over the books, and,
whether through ignorance or careless
ness, or from a worse motive, he re-
ported them all right. They were not
all right, and the fact that they were
not will mean the loss of n fortune to
some people on your side of the water
and the saving of good money to others
on my side"
Then think your profession must
be a very important one"
1--WE think so, Miss Brewster. Iwould
like to be paid percentage on the
money saved because of my report"
"And won't your"
UNFORTUNATELY no."
Il think that is too bad. Isuppoee the
must have been small, or
the American accountant would not
have overlooked it,
II didn't say that he had overlooked 1t.
Still, the size of the discrepancy does
not make the difference A small error
IS as easily found as large one. This
ng them tcgether, sR66ea thfEs- Y is no
G 4O, 900, when they should have shown
4 loss of nearly half that amount I
hope nobody overhears me-"
NO; we are quite alone, and you may
De sure will not breathe word of what
rou have been telling me-"
Don't breathe it to Kenyon, at least.
He would think me insane if he knew
what have said"
'Is Mr.. Kenyon an accountant, tooT
"Oh, no. He is mineralogist. He can
20 into a mine and tell with a reason
lble certainty whether it will pay the
of it or not. Of course, as he
says himself, any man can see six feet
INTO the earth as well as he can. But it
8 not every man that can gauge the
Talue of working mine so well as John
Kenyon"
"Then while you were delving among
the figures, your companion was delv-
ing among the minerals?"
Precisely"
"And did he make any such startling
discovery as you did?"
NO; rather the other way. He finds
he mines very good properties, and he
thinks that if they are managed intelli-
gently they will be good-paying invest
is, at proper price, you,
at what the owners ask for
Them at present. But you can have no
possible interest in these dry details"
Indeed, you are mistaken. I think
what you have told me intensely inter.
esting."
For once in her life Miss Jennie Brew
ster told the exact truth. The unfor-;
tunate man at her side was fiattered.
For what have told you," he said,
I'VE were offered twice what the Lon;
don people pay US for coming out here.
In fact, even more than that. We were
asked to name our own price"
Really now. By the owners OF the
1 suppose, if you wouldn't tell
on them?"
mo. By one of your famous New
York newspaper men. He even wentso
far as to steal the papers that Kenyon
bad in Ottawa. He was cleverly caught,
though, before he could make any use of
what he had stolen. In fact, unless his
people in New York had the figures which
were originally placed before the Lon
don board doubt if my statistics would
have been of much >1se to him, even II
be had been allowed to keep them. The
full Significance of my report will not
chc " until the figures I have given are
compared with those already in the
hands of the London people, which were
youched for as correct by your clever
accountant"
"You shouldn't run down an ac-
just because he Is an Amer
can. Perhaps there will come dcy,
Mr.. Wentworth, when you will admit
hat there are Americans who are mona
,lever than either that accountant or
hat newspaper man. don't think
7our specimens are typical"
81 don't run down., as you call 1t, the
men because they are Americans.
run down the accountant because he
vas either ignorant or corrupt. l run
lown' the newspaper man because he