The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-03-19
DEFALCATlON OF TREASURY CLERK OF
LAST ADMINISTRATION.
MAJOR MARTIN RAISES CHECKS.
He Secures About ~, 200 In This Way.
Peculations Extending Over q Year.
Martin Confesses His Guilt-Sent to
jail I'm Default of Bail-The Governor
Reports the Matter to the Legisla-
t~ure-said to be a Woman In the
Case.
Especial TO The Messenger.)

Raleigh, n. c.. March H-There
was a sensation here this afternoon
when Governor Aycock sent the fol-
lowing message to the legislature:
1T become my painful duty TO COM
municate the fact that a deficit has
been found in the accounts of the
states prison in the treasury depart
ment. 1 am informed by the asu
er. who has been investigating the
matter for two or three days, that the
deficit to about 81, 1000 so far
as has been a~scertained. The deficit
appears TO have begun early in the
ear 1900, or possibly before then, and
continued until about the last OF No
vember. The books have been chang
ed SO as to force balances.
This morning the state treasurer
sent for W.. H. Martin, who had for
several years been clerk in the office,
until the 10th of March, and confront
ed him with the changes in the books.
Major Martin admits the changes and
confesSes he took the money, according
to his statement $500.
Il deem it my duty to lay these mat
ters before you that a committee may
be appointed with authority to send
for persons M papers and make a
thorough and complete examination.
The committee should, of course, be
authorized to sit during a recess of
the legislature"
The house and senate at once adopt
ed a resolution raising a committee OF
three to max the examination.
The story of the discovery of the
thefts is interesting. Five days
the penitentiary sent a warrant to the
treasurer for some money, n it was
found the accoun had been overdrawn
about $500. Clerk Arlington vas sent
to the penitentiary to investigate, as
the penitentiary claimed it had at least
81. 900 in the treasury.
1t vas quickly found that amounts
of many warrants had been increased
in a most bungiing manner. For in
stance, a warrant for 81, O05 was alter
ed to 81, sos, one for STA to s414. The
warrants did not tally with the checks
issued, as the stubs show.
The legislative investigating commit
tee which examined the books of the
reasury last December did not, it is
learned, compare the stubs of the check
books with the warrants. Had it done
so the stealing would have been dis
covered then.
AS Sooon as the treasurer discovered
the theft he sent for Martin this morn
ing. He also sent for ex-Treasurer
Worth and the president of the bank
in which these particular funds were
kept. All these went to the auditors
office.
1t is said that Martin, who had been
the clerk in charge of the books of the
state institutions, new five days ago
thefts had been discovered. Today he
called the bank president out of the
room and made a full confession to
him. He aid he had been stealing
over a year, but perhaps that time was
suggested by a remark made by the
treasurer that the frauds had been dis
covered reaching back something over
one year. Martin told the treasurer
and auditor nothing was wrong with
any accounts other than those of the
penitentiary; that there he did all
the stealing.
The investigation by the treasurer
only goes back a year, and it may be
there was stealing before then.
Martin said he did not intend to be
sent to the penitentiary. Some con-
strue his to mean that he will COM
nit suicide. One of the officials said
his work was worthy of a crazy man.
Of course Martin could have left.
He is under 500, ZOO bond in a insurety
He was arrested on a bench
warrant and required to give 81. 1000
bail. He could not give it and at 7:30
o'clock was Jailed.
Martin was during the civil war a
major of a New York regiment and
moved here in 1865. He was for many
years chief clerk in the revenue de-
partment. His age is about so years.
1t is limited that a woman was the
cause of his downfall.