The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-02-26
RClA|MS PA|D Twice OVER.
IRREGULARITIES IN THE AUDITORS
OrFifsE SHOWN Up IN COURT,
ssff on S"mber OF Claims Against
Pierce County Develops That some
Of Them Had Been Paid, Not Only
once, but Three Times Over.

Special Dispatch 30 the poss-rnteil.gerce~
4 IAtoAA, Feb What has developed
in'o the most sensational matter 10 come
besoTe The superior court during the pres
81 term was made public today. when G.
IN. yesterday reported 10 Judge Carroll
& ~ department. 2 his findings as a result OF
his investigation % the records involved
= In The suit OF T. J. Sweeney against the
county The suit WAS brought by swee-
nsy 10 recover something like s. 90 claim
1 ed 70 he due him for services a. constable
and by reason OF his ownership OF assign
ments for fees originally due 20 others.
from whom Sweeney is credited with hay
\ Ing purchased them.
When the case firss came before the
{. court The statement Of attorneys on both
. sides showed that the trial wouid require
3s-versi weeks. and Judge Carroll upon
Thu understanding. named e. n Easter
ssy 10 act as "A commissioner 10 check the
5eounty records and make "a fun report OF
what the books showed concerning swee-
ney's claims. This afternoon Commission
rler yesterday handed in and read his re-
port. watch Is replete with data rejecting
Asseriousiy upon the methods In vogue in
s.she auditors Office during previous admin
istratioEs.
The report shows that OF the $500. or
whereabouts. sued for and claimed to be
due by Sweeney, there il biIt the fusignifi-
.
Fnndings then 10 10 show that a large num-
Der OF the itsmized claims presented by
Sweeney are for work perforl led some six
years ago. and are now not G0liectibe by
the statute Of limitation.
Next the commissioner makes the start
\ ling statement that some Of the claims pre-
Fsentsd have already been paid. not oree.
but twice over. and in some instances
thres times. The report explains that Atl-
: ditor Spike, the present incumbent has
adopted a new system OF bookkeeping that
makes such "A thing "a paying u claim
more than once an impossiblity
In its argument today the county called
attention 10 the fact that the search Of the
.fecorGs in the Sweeney ease has uncov-
{ efe,i other claims amounting TO possibly
No. or SDo. which have been paid two
and three times. and which are supposed
10 be still outstanding Reference was
: made 20 "a certain person." VINO might
bring suit TO recover on claims who holds
fmauy Just such claims.
I Attorneys for the county attempted to
have the court apply the SO due to swee-
-ney on The costs ofsrhe suit. explaining
that such an act would be iustiiable in
View OF the showing made by the investi-
cation. Judge Carroll, however, denied
This motion. and gave a decree for SCI. In
accordance with the report OF Commission
.sr Easterday.
from what has been learned. II Is not
known who are the guilty parties in this
swindling scheme. The system OF assign
sne claims before warrants are drawn Is
believed TO have left open the opportunity
fer such work
= Judge Carroll Is elated with the success
OF Commissioner Easterday and congrat-
/ ulaiss himself upon the lucky inspiration
chat led him 10 adopt that manner Of get
ting the facts ia the case. lie believes the
ttxas.
fhe county. and that had the trial Of the
6w.enev case come up ia cour. as usual.
and had testimony been received from the
/ witness stand. the entire facts could not
have been brought out.
The suit Of Sweeney was brought upon
he action OF Auditor Spike In refusing 10
sssue warrants for the claims presented BY
Sweeney The auditor had found some ir-
/ regularity In the records as 10 these
1 claims, and refused TO issue the warrants
Yor the purpose OF bringing about thor
eugh investigation.