The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-22
JOHNSON'S ALLOWANCE
WARRANT BOOK DIDN'T SHOW HE
GOT THIS $3.50 PERQUIsITE.
Entry Was BianIx-Permitted Judge
Nj. #. Cox to Overdraw. Amount
still Being Owed County.

Millard f. Cox, when Judge of the Grim
inal Court, was permitted to overdraw his
salary account 1925. and as shown by the
books. still owes the county that amount.
p. M. Johnson. now candidate for auditor,
was at that time deputy auditor under
Thomas Taggart, and, as such, had charge
OF all accounts. The Cox account is all
made up in Mr.. Johnson's handwriting.
Cox's account with the county auditor was
opened when he became judge, Nov. Is. 1890,
and was closed when his term expired, four
years later, Nov. 10, 1894. All the entries,
including the entries of warrants in Cox s
favor drawn on the treasurer of the county
by Mr.. johnson and on the debtor side, ana
the entries Of credits. $780, the amount of
his salary, are in Mr.. Johnson's handwrit-
ing The first warrant was for 500, and
was drawn on the treasurer Nov. 26, 1890.
At the end of the first year there was a
balance of $125 to his credit The second
year the account was overdrawn 1926. At
the end of the third year the book was
not posted The warrants drawn in his ia
were posted at the end of the fourth
year, showing that ad been paid $5125,
while there was ductm.sin for the year
but $780, This he ST. the county,
as the books show. VIII Rae auditor
ever attempted to recoup hey that
had been paid to Judge Cox - excess of
what was due him is not disclosedRby the
books. The administration did not change
for year after the overdraft occurred.
Judge Cox is Democrat
In the county auditors Office is a big rec
ord, in which are entered all warrants
drawn on the county treasurer. Across the
top there is printed: Register of orders
drawn on the treasurer of. Marion county,
Indiana, for the year 49," 1t is ruled off
from left to right in columns, at the top Of
which are the following annotations: No.
of orders" In whose favor drawn" ma
ture of the claim" Amount" ''Explana-
tory remarks" In going through this rec
ord to ascertain what amounts had been
paid out during the Taggart-Johnson re-
gime, at the bottom of the page in which
are entered orders drawn in favor of vari-
Gus persons April 70, 1893 there was one
line found which had not been filled in. 1t
showed that warrant No. 4S17S had been
drawn on that day, but did not show lin
whose favor" the mature of the claim"
the amount" or anything except that it
had been drawn. Turning to the record of
allowances made by the County Commits
sioners on that date, it was found that $50
had been allowed to e. NJ. Johnson for
SCINlCCS Us TITO ClSth VI l1c UOdIQ VI luIu-
pike directors. The six entries above the
blank line in the warrant register were in
Mr.. Johnson's handwriting A reference to
the ledger showed that in footing up the
column of warrants drawn the allowance
of $50 to Mr.. Johnson had been included
The amount brought forward to the next
page included this allowance to him. When
it came to footing the page, unless this item
had been added in with those that appeared
the figures would not have come out even,
and the office would have had $3.50 unac-
counted for. There is a check mark in ink
on the blank line, showing that the amount
was added in, although whoever footed up
the column of figures and posted it on the
ledger must have observed that the entire
line was blank and that the $3.50 was not
set down. The column was arbitrarily foot
ed up for $3.50 more than appeared.
No one in the Office can tell why Mr. John
sons name was omitted and the record left
so that no one could have discovered that
he had had an allowance made in his favor
and had drawn the money. 1T is peculiar
circumstance. But, then, there are a good
many peculiar things disclosed by the books
of the county auditor during the eight years
Taggartism and Johnsonism were at the
fore. frrlsf