The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-11-10

directors of the MankatO Library
Expressly DiscIaim Any Belief
That Gen. Pope Intended to De-
fraud the Board or the City, and
Express Their Appreciation of
His Faithful Services.
Gen. E. NJ Pope, by the express decIar-
alton Of the Mankato library board. has
been yindicated OF any intention TO de-
fraud either the board OF the citv in tha
disposition Of the $500, about which So
much ado has been made in the opposi-
tion press for the last few months.
The library board held special meet
ing Wednesday evening last; in fact,
until o'clock yesterday morning. There
were present President NJ. B. Wood, Sec
retary ]. c. Thro, Directors W. D. VIII
lard, Rev Father Hughes, J. c. Noe,
Prof. W. E. REIN, Eugene Patterson and
B. Frank Pay.
Director Bierbauer was the only abb
sentes. Former Director and Secretary
q. o. Cox and former Director and Sec
retary L. A. Linder were also present.
After an extended hearing the meeting
was made executive and the following
resolutions were unanimously adopted:
Believing that the statement made to us
Snls evening by Gen. Pope plainly reveals
ms personal responsibility for the tiispCsf-
tlons made by him Of the special sIIT1 oF
SSo00, which came into his hands in April,
Be it resolved by this board That IN
addition to the principal sum already paid
IN by him, he be required to paw the legal
interest thereon from the time the same
came into his hands until the time the
board May is, 1899.
This board further desires to place on
It's record It's belief that In the disnosi-
ciaI sum in question. he had no intention
OF derraudtng this board or the eIty in
sii1g sirgss measure. fo ana at the same time de-
sHeS 10 express Its appreciation of the
faithful services rendered by said Cen
rope in establishing the library and fur
therinR its interests.
Gen Pope returned from Mankato YES
terday morning and was at his desk yes
terday.
The resolution passed by the library
board vindicates him, he believes. of the
slanderous tnnuendoes thrown out broad
cast by the Republicans, who are anxious
to see him, removed.
The money was invested by him as
president Of the library board and loaned
to John A. Willard, who is now dead,
Willard was unable TO repay the money.
although he was at one time wealthy
and influential man. Gen. Pope took
from his own pocket and made good the
loss entailed through the Willard loan.
and thought that inasmuch as he had
made good the Willard note he would
not be compelled to pay the interest
also.
Gen. Pope said in response to some
queries by the G 0 b e yesterday: MY
position before the council was that I
would not acknowledge the claim of the
city for interest, because it was based
on pretention that the $500 had been
drawn by me without authority of the
library board, that 1t had never been
placed at the disposal Of the library
board and that thereby the library board
account was overdrawn. and the claim
for interest was made against me To
have conceded that I owe the city in
terest would have conceded the other
proposition. The proof was conclusive
that the order in question was drawn
by authority Of the library board and
signed by the president and secretary It
was charged to the library fund by both
the city treasurer and city recorder. and
that the library fund was never over
drawn. Further, that the proceeds of
the order were deposited with the Cfti-
zens' National Bank of Mankato to the
credit Of the Mankato public library and
that any liability for interest Law be-
tween the library board and myself And
as the fund which belonged to the library
board and not the city had accumulated
from the savings of the library board
and had been invested for its benefit. the
interest belonged to the board and not the
city.
Previous to the money being loaned
to Willard 1t was invested with the Pope
company, where it remained from ApriI
till September, when the money was
loaned to Willard at the legal rate of in
terest, but was never paid back and the
principal was made good by Gen. Pope
May 16 1899.
Gen. Pope says he is willing to pay
the interest on the money and Will under.
take to do so without loss Of time Dur.
ing the evening he made a long state
ment, claiming that on April 3. 1895, while
president of the board, he drew the 500
Ten days later. he said, he deposited 1t
in the Citizens National bank TO the
credit of the Mankato public library On
the twenty-siXth he drew It out and
placed it in the safe of the Pope COM
peny, of which he was stockholder. II
remained there until Sept 2S, 1885, when,
the general claimed, $500 OF it was loaned
to the late John A Willard, who was vice
president of the library board On Oct.
5 the remaining $500 was also borrowed
by Mr. Willard. The failure of Willard
later on and unlocked for complications
served to bring about the recent agita-
ton.