The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1897-05-08
Mr.. HANDS STATEMENT.

/ Assessment Roll n F0und StraRg
! Stubs Percentage on City Taxes
Entries Made without Authority, Etc
EDITOR TRIBUNE: So many con
fiicting statements have been made o
late in regard to the affair of the lat,
Assessor Jake Horn That | deemed i
my duty TO give thb facts in this mat
ter as near as / can remember. MI
connection with the assessors ofiic,
dates back to Sept 1898. Mr. Horn al
that time Informed me that the assess
ment roll for that year had been written
up by his Oldest daughter and what he
desired me to do was to write ont tax.
receipts and fill in stubs attached, and
finish the work for the season. which
included the collection OF taxes for the
year 1888. In making out the tax re.
ceipts l found many COMMISSIONS of
property had been made by Horn and
as fast as | discovered property not
assessed I would place the same in
what is called the subsequent assess
ment rolf which is provided for in the
regular assessment roll. In this way
many taxpayers had two assessments
one in the regular and one in the subse-
quent roll, however but one receipt
would be made ont covering both as.
sessments. A day or two before the
County Commissioners met to receive
Mr. Horns report of his years work,
he came to me complaining that owing
to his inexperiencG in the office he had
made many mistakes and excessive as
sessments, and on account of this had
been obliged to pay back money that
In some way ought TO be refunded to
him. The amount he claimed to be out
was from $I5 to $40. argued with him
that he ought never have paid any
money back but ask the parties in
terested to get a rebate from the
County Commissioners, but as he had
already done so | advised him to make
out statement and ask the Commits
sloners to allow him for the money
thus paid back. He said that Mr..
Gwinn was all right on the proposition.
but MIR, Richards would never consent
to it and MIR. Paul was controlled by
MIR. Richards. MIR. Horn then stated a
plan to reimburse himself, by saying
that he proposed to cut out entirely the
whole of the subsequent assessment"
take ont sufficient TO make himself
even and then write the subsequent
with enough left out for
what he had paid back 10 various tax.
payers. l protested against this pro
cedure. However, lie argued that 10
taxpayer in Canyon County would wish
him to lose anything. From my &C
quaintance with Mr.. Horn l had no
reason to think he was not an honest
man, and therefore gave this matter no
further thought Immediately after
the election Of 1891, Mr.. Horn was
taken seriously i'll and remained SO until
about January 10Th, 1895. During all
this time the work of the office de-
pended solely upon myself. 1t was
during this time that l discovered a
of suspicious transactions of |
MIR. Horns that shook my confidence in
his honesty, only one Of which desire
to mention: Having occasion one day
to open one Of his private drawers in
the safe for some papers, discovered |
about dozen stubs of tax receipts of |
1893, the names Of the parties on which
l convinced myself were not, nor ever
had been on the '93 assessment roll. As
soon as | had little time l proceeded
with quiet investigation and dis,
covered TO my astonishment that Mr..
Horn had cut ont enough from the '93
subsequent assessment" to make up
no less than $3.50 When Mr. Horns
illness took very serious turn l con,
veyed the condition of this affair to FIVE
or six prominent citizens of Caldwell. |
and if necessary they will bear me out
in this matter. After Mr.. Horn came
back to the office again took the first
that presented itself and
laid the matter before him. He tried
to make out he was ignorant of such a
of affairs. l, however, gave
him to understand that the books must !
be Strengthened out by all means, as my
own honor and reputation were at stake |
and moreover, | said, the taxpayers of |
Canyon County are entitled to better
treatment than this. lie finally |
pledged himself that as soon as the 90 |
should be complete he
would go over the '93 assessment roll
with me, and if we found single dollar
belonging to Canyon County he woulj |
turn it over. Shortly after this, mis-
fortune overlook me in the loss of my |
wife, and on my return from the east |
witheT had been called, found that |
the County Commissioners had engaged |
the services of an expert to examine |
ba hnOlyu oF tho w ripuS ToupFvy ~ oaro