The times., 1901-04-27
LOWN'S ARREST ORDERED
Charged With the Maladministra a.
tion of an Estate.
Report of Louis a. Dent, Special
Auditor, on the Guardianship Case
"A Discrepancy of About Twenty
Thousand Dollars Said to Exist.

Louis A Dent, Register of Wills, ap-
pointed special auditor in the settlement
of the estate of the late Warren Jesse
Lown, in speaking of the stewardship of
William G. Lown, guardian of the minor
children Of W. j. Lown, says: '''The his
tory of this guardianship exhibits one of
the grossest instances of misconduct,
misappropriation, and maladministra-
ton"
Proceedings in the matter Of the settle
ment Of the estate were commenced in
December last by the children of Warren
Jesse Lown, who through James F.
Scaggs and Henry X. Beck, as counsel
called upon William G. Lown, their guar
dian. for an accounting. AS the result of
the investigation ordered at that time, on
Thursday last Justice Cole directed the
United States marshal TO arrest Lown for
contempt Of court in failing to obey an
order of the court directing him to pay
$1,000 to his former wards and to place
him in jail until he shall purge himself of
contempt.
Lown has not yet been taken into Gus
tody by the marshal. 1t is said that he is
not in this jurisdiction.
In the petition filed some time ago by
Jesse w Lown and others it was alleged
that William G. Lown, their guardian
had rendered no account during the en-
tire eight years of his guardianship, that
he had devastated the estate, and that
the property in his hands as guardian
had been neglected and mismanaged. In
response to an order Of the court, the
guardian filed an account in January last
showing a balance due the minors
amounting TO $I4. 900, to which twenty-one
nv Z for
the wards to the effect that the guardian
had collected large sums which he failed
to charge himself with in his account and
had charged the children large sums not
expended 10y him, and had generally pad
ded his account. The case was referred
TO Mr. L. a. Dent, as special auditor, to
hear testimony and to state the accounts
Of each of the wards.
Several weeks ago the court removed
Mr.. Lown as guardian on the application
of one OF his wards.
The report Of the Auditor is very vol
luminous, covering seventy type written
pages II shows that the late Warren J.
Lown left an estate consisting of $30, 900
worth of personal property and seven
houses besides some unimproved property
and a large farm in Maryland. The rem
tai value of the real estate is said to have
been about 81 900 per annum.
The Auditor, after disalowing large
sums, claimed to have been expended by
the guardian and charging him with still
larger sums Of which no return whatever
was made finds that the aggregate sum
due the wards amounts 10 $32.4l4, in ad-
dition TO certain stocks, bonds and jew
elry, appraised "a 81 i65. an aggregate Of
$55 SO. or nearly $4,000 more than the
amount returned by the guardian in his
account to the court.
The Auditor recommends that the
guardian should be compelled to nav the
costs of the court proceedings, the pen
aities and costs connected with the sale
Of the real estate by reason Of his neg
lcct to pay taxes, and the costs of the re-
pairs occ3sioned by fire in one Of the
wards houses. on which he had failed to
renew the inSura nee.