The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1900-05-18
JUGGLES With DATES
TObin Writes Untruths AbOut
That Stolen County Money.
Tries to Justify His Cold Blooded
Steal With the Sins of Pre-
Varication.

steerer OF PalOuse pOpulism, has filed
with Treasurer Windus, in answer to the
treasurers demand, his confession and
avoidance in the matter of the S12C
! postage stamp warrant, which it was
found last week he had cashed at rhe
treasury through Attorney John Patti.
son. The extreme length Of his explana-
ton fully justifes the four days he asked
IN which to tell just how the trick was
| turned; and even then he forgets to tell
| the vital truths upon which his little
| deal hinges. His letter of explanation
Is lar too voiuminous to bear pubica-
ton in full, but as the great part OF if is
| mace up OF pats on the back for himself
and lengthy pages telling how the peo-
pie OF Whitman county love him, the
purport and real meat of his statement
can be encOmpassed in reasonable space.
The BunkO Game.
lhe warrant in question was drawn
under date Of March 10, 1898. 1t was
ordered cancelled in a regular manner
by the board of county commissioners
Hlnchliff, Davis and Stephens, April 4,
1898 after reconsideration by the board
OF the bill for postage incurred in
August, 1896, upon which account if
was drawn. 1t was nearly two wears
after Tobin alleged to have purchased
the postage before he presented the
bill. 1t was nearly four years before he
presented that warrant for payment: and
yet, he says himself, that it could have
been turned into money on the sDot. He
only dared not do it then.
The employees of his office asserted
and prOved-that he assessed them for
the postage expense, and that they
willingly contributed because they rec
Ognlzed his pamphlet as q campaign
document, pure and simple, which was
compiled as such and calculated to
keep them IN office another term. When
IObln was preparing to present the bill
Tor payment at the March meeting in
1898 one of these employees, Clarence
Tarbet, served personal notice upon
IObln that if he collected that postage
bill a second time-Once from his en-
plOyes and once from the countv-he
for one, proposed to have the $50 back
which he had contributed.
TObin's SpeciOus Statement.
Tobin writes from Valparaiso Indiana,
under date of May 6. After telling how,
IN 1896, he had issued a statement of
the cOunty's finances and the county
board of that time, Lyons, Davis and
Bancroft, refusing to pay any of the ex-
penses OF publication, he had circulated
the reports to every taxpayer, the pos
tage for this purpose amounting to
$12O, which he paid entirely out of his
own pocket, he says the matter was dis
cussed at length as to expense by the
then board, which body made it plain
that they would not permit such ex-
pense to be drawn from the county
treasury. For this reason TObin saws
he did not present the bill for postage.
Early in 1898, Tobin says, a charge
was made against him that he had col
lected $25 for postage stamps when, in
reality, none had been purchased. OF
this charge the board, Hinchliff, Davis
and Stephens, kindly exonerated him,
and he concluded to show the people Just
what he could do. So the bill for $12O
for postage stamps purchased for his
campaign document in 1896 was pre-
sented and passed upon favorably by
the board.
HinchIif Held Him Up
Ih3 letter goes on to say that on
March 10, 1898, the warrant was drawn
in the writer's favor and passed into
his possession as an individual citizen.
After this occurred The COlfax Gazette
called attention to the whole matter
and Commissioner Hinchliff at once
rushed to COlfax to prevent the issuance
OF the warrant, but learning it had al
ready been issued, but not cashed at
once demanded Of the writer that the
warrant be not presented to the treas
urer until after the next meeting of the
board. Hinchliff at the same time
stated that unless a promise to do so
was made, he would apply to the court
for restraining order, compelling the
treasurer to refuse payment. The writer
saw that Hinchliff had him foul. and
to prevent an application to the courts
promised not to cash or dispose of the
warrant until the board could act under
standingly. At the April meeting the
board recOnsidered the vote by which
the bill was allowed and then refused it's
allowance and ordered Tobin, as audit
or, 10 cancer the warrant, and then
HinchllH rested his case. We quote
Tobin's words:
''As good and faithful clerk should do
wrote, or rather caused to be written, that
order OF the board its journal, where it
still stands and furnishes quite interesting
reading for all who come to read, Red ink
marginal entries referring to the order were
duly made on the stub of the warrant and in
the auditors register of it. Further. it was
indexed under several heads in the commits
sioners index-an official notice of it was
given to the public, and so far as my clerical
duties were concerned that order of the board
was treated with every consideration that its
Importance demanded. Had the board direct
ed me to stand on my head for a whole week.
the order would have gone on the record,
Complying with it, though would have been
a very different matter. Oh! tell YOU. Mr..
Windus, when it comes to putting up records.
even Charles n. Hinchliff will arise. stand
erect, raise his right hand and testify that
the undersigned was pretty fair hand at the
business"
Afraid Manring Wouldn't Cash 1t.
Tobin then explains that after tie
board ordered it cancelled in April he
did not present the warrant because he
feared Treasurer Manring would refuse
to pay it, and that it would be neces
sary to sue him before payment could
be enforced, and this he knew would
cost money and might result in failure.
PattisOn Knew the Warrant.
These are Mr.. Tobin's own words:
"The attorney who presented that warrant
for payment knew every fact outside of the
record that related to it. He knew every
word in the record that bore upon it, and he
examined every phase of the law that affected
it: and he had no doubt of its validity and
,I,,Erv -