Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-07-10
JOHNSON COUNTY SHORTAGE.
Expert Accountant Will Make q
Thorough Examination OF the

BOOKS.
Iowa City. July lo.-The board OF
supervisors of Johnson county have
employed George W. Kierulff, an ex-
pert accountant of Montezuma, TO go
over and check UP the books in the
treasufer's office. They also decided to
have Il thorough examination of the
auditors books and experts will start
to work at once in these two Offices.
The cause { tfos action is that there
"a shortage of 5000 in the treasurer's
accounts, which was discovered and
reported to the board by the treasurer,
a.. r. Cherry. when he came to make
his June settlement. On that account
no report was made and the treasurer
at once employed W. o. Waldron. an
expert accountant of Des Moines. who
after three weeks investigation, made
report showing that the shortage was
as reported by the treasurer. i was
then decided that the county would in
vestigate for themselves and the board
has started that investigation.
Thamatter has caused lots of interest
in this county. This is the first time
that any known shortage has occurred
in8t the tre.islrer's Office and everyone is
intensely Interested Expert Waldron
embodied in his report that there was
d shortage when Treasurer a'herry took
the office tive years and SIX months ago,
The former treasurer. ID. A1aher. now q
real estate agent of the city,Sin closing
up his term did not discover any short
age except 10 the amountof few hun
dred dollars. which was represented by
the receipts written bur not Yet paid
for The proper, amount of5tax receipts
Were. in the safe and have since that
time been taken up and paid for.
All during Mr.. Cherry's term of Of
flee the former treasurer, p. Maher.
hsld the position of deputy unit! last
january, when he started in the real
estate business. During his term of Of
fee he made all settlements With TIE
board Of supervisors and at no time
lsulscoverea a shortage. In June, being
1.-The first time that Treasurer Cherry
made the settlement personally. he dis
covered the shortage and at once re-
portadit. Had bomb been exploded ii
| could not have caused more consterna-
,ion in the board meeting.
NTH the report Mr.. Cherry stated
THAT he believed the shortage could be
accounted for by an examination OF
1.-THE books by an expert. He then hired
at his own sexpense Expert Waldron
but no mistakes We're discovered and
the matter rests in ..statu quo.
Where the money has gone. IL 1t has
gone. is a mystery. Nine out of every
ten people are satisfied that neither the
treasurer nor his deputy has misappro-
priated any of the countN's money
Both are. gentlemen who stand high il
the confidence and respect of the peo-
pie and ii seems beyond reason tina,
i3either would have taken a single penn,
not belonging to them The $500 ha:
vanished. however. and the fact re;
mains that the county funds are short
| Both Treasurer Cherry and cX-Dep-
uty Alaher have come forward with i
| proposition to the board to deposit tht
lsamount Of the shortage pending de;
cision Of the experts who are nov
! working on the books.
This amount has been deposited in {
local bank and if the money is not ac.
| counted for by the experts will BIZ
turned over to the county.
Many people here hope and believe
that the amount is only a mistake II
book keeping and all express the hope
that this may be so. Nothing further
will be known for about three months
which time will be required by the ex.
perts to check up the offices.
L ! 49,