The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-19


by W. A. Hughes. From the files all bills
and vouchers that would have disclosed
what Taggart had been putting into his
pocket had been struggled away. They even
went far as to take the warrants on
which he had drawn the money from the
warrant files. With the bills and warrants
gone and the books always lin use' there
was no means by which the facts could be
uncovered. f. NJ. johnson, then deputy
auditor. lent himself to the deception of the
reporters on the testimony Of w. A. Hughes.
After the Office changed hands Mr. Hughes
remained behind until January. 1885, to as
sist Mr.. Smith in acquainting himself with
the books. In those days Mr.. Hughes used
to laugh over the campaign that had just
ended, and the way reporters were hood
winked. One day number of keys were
found to cupboards under counter, in
which many of the records were laid away
at night
You don't keep those locked, do your"
Mr. Hughes was asked.
I'VE never did until lately. Here of late
we have had to keep things hid from those
Journal reporters. When 1 was here 1
said johnson has the keys when he was
here. he said, Hughes has the keys
He laughed as though it were good Joke.
TAGGART NOT A t'CHUMP."
Thomas Taggart was yesterday quoted as
saying that he would have been chump"
to take away the vouchers and bills that
showed what the money was paid to him
for. He would have been chump, others
say, if he had allowed reporters to get hold
of documents that showed he had been
paid S37 1860 in allowances the last two
years and eleven months of his term in adj
dition to Sal, 770.06 salary. 12,S263O for man
aging the school fund, $4,000 in fees and
$1,000 paid by the city. What his salary was
any one could have told without bills and
vouchers. This was likewise true with re-
gard to the management of the school fund
the amount paid by the city and the es-
timated fees. 1t was the $37 900 miscela-
neous allowances that no one could learn
anything about with the books always .in
use" and with the bills and warrants taken
from the files The $500 voucher that was
returned was not particularly important in
itself. 1t was just part of the $S7 900. But
by some hook or crook it had not been en-
tered in the permanent records under a 'for
services disguise, and there had been a
failure to get it entered in the allowance
docket of the commissioners. Since the
voucher has been smuggled back there is
necessity for finding" it at any cost, no
matter how desperate or risky. There was
no need to hunt for a reason for taking it
away and a necessity for restoring it to the
files, as the Sentinel intimated lamely, yes
terday. The reason it was taken away and
the reason why it was necessary to return
1t were both palpably manifest on the face
of the records.
Among the hills and vouchers taken awav
were the following covering transactions in
the year beginning Nov. 8, 1892, and ending
Nov. 8, 1893:
Dec. Z, 1892 'for services" .:.........$1 10000
March 16, 1893, for services .......... 771.70
March 20, 1894, 'for services .......... $4,000
April 10, 1894, ''for services .......... 10000
Total. one year. 50, PSI. 20
OVER $24 900 UNACCOUNTED FOR.
1t has been shown heretofore that vouch-
ers were missing for amounts drawn by
Taggart from Nov. 8, 1898. to Oct. 10, 1895.
amounting to $2O,7S95O This added to the
amount given above makes a total in two
years and eleven months of $24,o51.2O for
which there are no bills nor vouchers to
show what kind of services the auditor
rendered to earn.
The total miscellaneous allowances to
Taggart for the period covered by this ar
ticle, and the amount Auditor Smith has
received for his entire term are:
Iaggart $500. $3l $500
Difference in favor of taxpayers. SIS, 1868. 81
Below is given a table showing what Tag
gartism cost for the year ending Nov. 8.
$685. and a recapitulation down to the end
of the Taggart administration: