The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-01-21
Former County Clerk is Charged
With Forgery.
LAND OFFICE RECEIPT
AMOUNT INVOLVED AMOUNTS
TO BUT $40.
Deputy United States Marshal smyth
Returned Yesterday From Fill
more, Where He Had Gone TO Sc
cure the Warrant - Defendant
Promptly Furnished $1,000 Bail.

! When the United States grand jury
! completed its work on the 6th Of this
/ month FIVE Indictments were returned.
/ The nature of but four Of them was
/ disclosed at that time, as the fifth per-
son was still at large. Yesterday, how
ever. Deputy Marshal Smyth returned
I from Fillmore with q warrant of ar
rest which he had served upon Joseph
/ 5. Giles, who was at one time United
/ States commissioner and clerk of Nil
lard county and who was the man
wanted
The crime which Giles is alleged to
have committed is the forgery Of a
land Office receipt for $40 a year ago
this month. He was United States com
missioner at that time and was ac-
cUstomed TO receive money for land en-
tries and to forward them to the land
Office in this city. The complaint
against him was sworn TO by George
Bishop of Snake valley, who claims
that ee gave Giles $40 to send to the
land office. In due course of time Giles
gave Bishop a receipt for his money
with the name Of the land Office re-
ceiver appended. II turned out that
the signature was a Iorgery, and a cor
responsiveness with the land Office de-
veloped the fact that the money had
not been received there.
Disappearance Of Giles.
Bishop Immediately confronted Giles
with the evidence which he had col
lected against the commissioner. They
discussed the matter and decided to
wait a day or two and see if they
couldn't affect a compromise That
night Giles mysteriously disappeared
from Fillmore. His most intimate ac-
quaintances had no knowledge of his
whereabouts. His standing in the COM
munity Was go high and his reputa-
ton for integrity was such that his
fellow citizens couldn't believe that he
had committed any wrong.
For some time Fillmore was in sus-
pense as to the whereabouts of Giles.
There were many who claimed that he
had been murdered, and the idea gained
currency. In no other way could the
people account for his disappearance.
Finally one Of his friends heard that he
had gone south but where no one
knew.
Last September Giles returned to Fill
mere, and the news of his return
reached the complainant, Bishop. A
warrant for his arrest was made out
before Judge Twomey and Deputy
Marshal Smyth made journey to Fill
more TO serve 1t. But Giles had gone
south again, and the report was that
he was in Bunkerville a little town in
the southern portion Of Nevada The
Ofncers decided that his arrest and re-
QUESTION would have entailed more ex-
pense than the crime would justify. so
no further action was taken at that
time
Comes Back Again.
When Deputy Marshal Hardy went
to kanosh in December to serve sub
pOehas, he overheard a remark of a /
Stage driver to the effect that Giles |
was coming back to Fillmore. The
gland jury then met and Bishop ap- |
peared before it with his evidence. and /
The Indictment against Giles was is /
sued. Day before yesterday Smyth !
vent to Fillmore and served the war /
rant just two days after Giles had re- /
turned. The neighbors Of the accused |
1till have unbrOken faith in him, and
number of them came forward to /
sign bond of $1,000 for his appearance. /
Giles IS 81 years old and is one Of 4
most popular men in Willard county.
His neighbOrS say that his life has
been exemplary and he himself admits !
hat the forging Of the receipt was a
nisStep that he cannot account for.
He says that he does not know why he
lid it. and that the remorse and shame
he has suffered has been almost too
much for him.
The case win not come UP for the
of the court before the
Nay term