The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-06-26
: THE SUM Is $l6,550.52
Committee Tells How it All Could
Have Been Stopped.
THE FAULT WITH LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE
After thorough Investigation Of All Of The
Accounts in The Treasurers Office. The
Report Of Messrs Arlington. Wins
ton and Shannonhouse on File.

Yesterday Governor Aycock received
the report of the investigating commit
tee which has been looking into the
stealing of the institutional funds in
the State Treasury by Maj. w. fl. Mar
tin. This committee consisted of SEN
ator T. M. Arlington, Judge Francis
d. Winston and Representative Frank
Shannonhouse.
The report is lengthy one and the
calculations necessary required the use
of about one thousand numbers, ana
some very expert and skillful account
ant work.
The recapitulation of the report
shows that the amount of shortage, or
Martins stealings in the Treasurer
office on January Is. 1901 was as fol-
lows:
Deaf, Dumb and Blind account 5 1887
A. and M College account..... 679.l6
States Prison account. ........ 15,SOl.0l
Total $16,O6O.O4
The additional shortage between jan
uary Is, and March 31st was $679.16, but
this was covered by a deposit on Feb
ruary 81, 1901, and by cross checks and
deposits. Martin had all of the ac-
counts except that of the States Prison.
property balanced on March 81, 1901.
In the State Prison account the short
age on March 31st was $16,550.52, of
which amount $15,901.01 was prior to
January Is, and $1,249.52 subsequent to
that date.
In closing their report the committee
says: I'VE feel it our duty to call to
the attention of the General Assembly
the method adopted by the Legisla-
tive Committees heretofore in. examin-
ing books and accounts in the Treasur
er's office. 1t is very apparent that
these committees only compare the
Treasurer's account with the warrants
issued by the various institutions, and
state whether or not those amounts
appear properly entered on the Treas
urer's books They do not examiner the
check book or the bank book, and hence
do not know after completing their ex-
animation, whether there is a shortage
in any of the State institutions or not.
If the first committee examining the
Treasurers office after Martins irreg-
ularties commenced, had compared the
with the balance appearing on the
Treasurers books, his irregularities
would have been discovered"
The committee investigated the state
of affairs in the Treasury during the In
cumbency of Treasurer Worth and
particularly the period during which
Martin had charge of the institutional
accounts. This time is embraced be-
tween January %, 1896 and March 81,
1901, from January Is, 1901 to March 81,
1901 Martin was more or less employed
by Treasurer Lacy.
The committees report takes up the
accounts of the Insane Asylum at Rail
eigh, the Department of Agriculture,
the Deaf Dumb and Blind Institute,
the A. and M. College and the State
prison. In each and all of these ac-
counts discrepancies and shortages
were found, but each Of these, Martin
had by means of private payments,
cross checks and failure to enter
amounts properly, SO worked the ac-
counts as to balance all of them ex-
cept that of the State prison, so that
all of his shortage was found in that
account.
The detailed story of the changing
of the-accounts by Martin, of his using
checks from the back of the check book,
of his paying warrants from cash on
hand, of his raising the amounts on his
books after their examination by Leg
islative Committees, of his keeping no
record of warrants issued of omittting
entries on the Treasurer's book, and of
keeping no check stubs is a long one,
and is all summed up in the total
amount of his theft from the State
Prison. which was SIG, 55O.52.
Upon this account. Treasurer Lacy
will make demand on ex-Treasurer
Worth for the amount due by him to
the State prison fund. o
Died This Morning.
This r1,orpiuo at baIff mast one Mrs