The Indianapolis journal., 1898-10-18
HOW JOHNSON DENIES 1T
DIsCLAIMs FOR HIMSELF SLIPPING
IN THE MISSING VOUCHER.
says Nothing for MIR. Spencer, Nor
Does He Speak of other Pa
pers That Are Gone.


concerning the return of the $500 Taggarr
voucher to the files of the county auditor
Mr.. Johnson very carefully refrained from
openly denying that Spencer returned the
voucher, slipping it from his vest pocket.
He was quoted as saying:
Il arranged with Mr.. Shepard to look for
the missing voucher. Bert Spencer Went
with me. we took the boxes to the counter
under chandelier where we could be op-
served by all who were present. Inc entire
Office force remained while we We're looking
for 1t. Mr. Spencer exclaimed that he nae
found it. This was a shock to all because
1t spoiled their scheme. We supposed the
matter would end there, but it has not.
Il want to say this much: II i was not
candidate against the present county
auditor l would never be mentioned: The
purpose seems TO be to persecure me Tor the
alleged offenSes of some one else. These
things are being cooked up for the benefit
of a county officer who has drawn illegal
allowances, and who wants to draw tnem
four years longer.
Mr.. Johnson can hardly be considered
rash in asserting that if not candidate Il
would never be mentioned" There would
be no occasion to mention him were he not
aspiring to run the office just as he did be-
fore.
Mr.. Johnson does not say that Mr.. Spen-
Ger found the voucher folded within another.
What he does say is:
MIR. Spencer exclaimed that he had found
it. This was shock to all. because it
spoiled their scheme"
What scheme?''
Mr.. Spencer, as was predicted, openly de-
MED the charge. saying:
1T is lie. Not only lie, but q foolish
lie. If anybody fooled with that voucher
it was some one who had an interest in
making a case for somebody else's benefit
/ found the voucher inside of bill of Tan
ner & Sullivan. AS to how it got there
do not know
Any one who read the Journal yesterday
would have gathered that IF anybody
fooled with that voucher it was some one
who had an interest in making a case for
somebody elses benefit" just as Mr.. Spen-
Ger suggests.
No one ever supposed that either Mr.
Johnson or Mr.. Spencer would admit the
truth of the charge.
Il will perform every duty of the auditor
for the salary allowed by the fee and salary
law" Mr. Johnson was quoted as saying
Every duty of the auditor is fixed by
the old law, that of 1S79 which is still in
force. The fee and salary law does not fix
the duties. What an auditor does in ad-
dition to "every duty is another matter.
He does not have to do anything else. Ii
he does, he is entitled to fair compensation,
just as Smith has received. Whether Tag
CARTS allowances for extra work were fair
cannot be determined as, the vouchers be-
ing gone it cannot be known what those
extra services were. Those who read the
interview said while it was real foxy" it
was at the same time transparent and
means nothing. There was not a word in
the interview concerning the fact that other
hon hot f0r fho
missing. Those who have read Johnson's
interview say it is late in the day for him to
pose as a prospective reformer.
Col. H. B. Smith, county auditor. was
seen at his home and was asked yesterday
what he knew about vouchers and bills, for
services that Taggart is alleged to have
rendered, being missing from the files
Colonel Smith has not so fully recovered
from the fever as to get to his Office yet
but expects to this week.
II took the Office in November, 1885," said
Mr.. Smith. EARLY the next spring, when
it came time to redistrict the voting pre-
cincts, March or April, of 1886, think,
had occasion to see now the work had been
done previously by Auditor Taggart. In
looking up the records l found that an al
lowance of $1,1O0 had been made to him
and that it was included in the election ex-
penses. This was the only thing / had to
guide me as to whether that allowance was
for redstricting. There was the warrant
number and the date, but the voucher could
not be found. We searched for it every
where. 1t seemed strange that 1T was gone
Then we followed up other items. In many
instances we found that the bills and vouch-
ers were not in the file cases. Mr.. Shepard
and /, together, made careful and sys-
tematic searches. If 1 recollect correctly
one or two of the other clerks aided us. The
vouchers were not in the office. They are
not there now. and never have been since
/ took charge" Mr.. Shepard corroborated
this statement.
In the afternoon paper concerning the $500
voucher, it is said: They both johnson
been purposely mislaid." Neither one of
them had thing to say to the paper about
the numerous other bills and vouchers that
are missing. True, their absence from the
files did not indicate a clear steal and their
return is a less important consideration
The record of warrants drawn on the treas
urer indicates the amounts paid We're "for
show the payment Of the $500 to Taggart
had ever been authorized, much less that he
had done anything to earn it,
The paper quoted tries to insinuate that
Josh" Zimmerman, one of the deputies re-
fused to tell what he knew, after his lips
Mr.. Spencer. Mr.. Zimmerman was asked
whether he saw the voucher returned
You ask Dore' Johnson whether he real
ly wants me to tell all that / saw, replied
Zimmerman.
After r. era an interval he vas approached again
are at liberty to tell all you know. ~
That's ali right said Zimmerman. .I
am not going to say anything for publica.
4
Later Mr.. Johnson sent Zimmerman g.
note reading:
Josh Zimmerman, Esq: Dear Sir-You
are entirely at liberty to tell Mr.. -, of
the -, anything you know as to alleged
missing bill, so far as / am concerned. Very
truly E. NJ JOHNSON /"
MIR. johnson is not the man concerned ("
was Mr. Zimmerman's laconic remark
after perusing the note and reading aloud
the closing clause, 80 far as 1 am con-
cerned.'
Mr.. Johnson had not been charged with
smuggling back the voucher.
Thus ended the interview.
This is how 1T appeared in the paper:
Charles Egger a deputy auditor, says he
saw furtive motions on the part of Spencer;
that he turned sideways and looked uneasy
Joshua Zimmerman. another deputy, de-
clined to discuss the affair until he had
talked with Mr. Johnson and Mr.. Spencer.
A reporter visited Spencer ard Johnson and
they told him to tell Zimmerman to tell all
he knew Zimmerman was told this, but
still declined to talk until after he had seen
Johnson
s-Mr. Johnson then made written re-
quest that Mr.. Zimmerman tell the reporter.
Mr. Zimmerman then said: so far as Mr..
Johnson is concerned. I saw nothing. Fur
ther than this I decline to say"
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