Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1899-12-14
ALEQUAH LETTER.
The Auditors Office Fraud
$4,3OO,OOO Claim.
TAHLEQUAH, Dec Il.

estray property In the Cherokee
nation was not takea up by the
J senate during the regular session
and was resubmitted to the lower
house by the chief and came up
today but was laid over and the
house adjourned. This bill will
7 be taken up tomorrow again. The
senate never had a quorum today
and consequently no business was
done by that body.
The ten per cent men are here
yet. Trasher and Troutman will
both try to submit their PROPOSE
tions to the council if possible dur.
ing the extra session.
A careful inquiry into the re-
ported Irregularities in the aud
itor's Office, was made by The
Chieftain reporter, and the facts
ascertained seem to be about as
follows:
The amount of tickets stolen
from the auditors Office is S13,-
$500. These tickets have been
compared and checked on the
books but from the best informa-
ton obtsinable they have never
been marked cancelled, therefore
they are still on the market, al
though they are checked off on the
auditors books. Some parties
burglarized the auditors Office re-
Gently and added a fraudulent en-
try of credit of 81, 4,033.00 on the |
auditors books. Since all regis
tered certificates have been stolen
the person who made the entry
perhaps expected to get the war
rants when issued and claim the
certificates were filed with the
auditor but had been stolen. 1t
is therefore dangerous to purchase
a national certificate. Even the
treasurer had s523.75 worth of
bogus certificates worked of on
him for which the national council
saw fit to reimburse him with good
warrants.
Council has passed good law
which the chief approved today
providing that all warrants shall
draw 6 per cent on their face from
date of warrant to date of adver
tisement for payment. This does
away with all the work of the
treasury department and is bill |
that should have been passed long
years ago. Now that the tressur-
er has nothing to do, council
should abolish the Office and save
the nation two thousand dollars
year. Since the auditors office is
so rotten and the auditor has moth
ing to do council would do a wise
act to abolish this office also. The
rottenness of the auditors office is
quite apparent when it is looked
into and this matter should be in
vestigated by United States au-
thorities at once and the violators
of the law brought 20 immediate
justice.
The last proposition of William
Reed Trasher for the purchase of
the 81, 300.0 claim will no doubt
come before the council in day
or two and is based upon the ac-
counting made according to the
agreement of Dec. 18th, 1891,
which is as follows:
"Value of three tracts of land
LOO acres at 81 % per
acre to be added to the principal
of the school fund s2,125, with
interest from February 9th, 1919,
to date of payment.
Under the treaty of 1895:
Amount paid for removal of east
ern Cherokees to the Indian Ter
ritory, improperly charged to
treaty fund, 81, ,2S47O, with
interest from June 18th, 1886, to
date of payment.
Under treaty of 1866: Amount
received by receiver of public mon
eys at Independence, Kansas, nev-
er credited to the Cherokee nation,
s432. 90, with interest from JAN
uary 1st, 1874, to date of payment.
Under act of congress March
3rd, 1898, interest on SIS, 600 of
ChOctaw funds, applied in 1868, to
relief of INDECENT Cherokees, said
interest being improperly charged
to Cherokee national fund, S20,-
406.25 with interest from July 1st,
1893 to date of restoration of the
principal of the Cherokee funds
held in trust in lieu of investments
together with such interest and
as may hereafter be
made and agreed upon between
the Cherokee nation and the gov
eminent of the United States.
On the passag of an act by the