The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-05-17
HIS "LAcK OF EXPERIENCED
Editor of Miami Republican Com
ments on Kelly Defalcation.


ments on Kelly Defalcation-
The Miami County Republican pub
fishes the findings of the county COM
missioners in the Kelly investigation
and the list of Irregularities as pub
lished in the State Journal Friday, and
it says editoriaIly:
This investigation was begun May
4 and was concluded May Is. On the
11th day of April, 1902, Mr. Kelly went
before the board and made a deposit
of $1,000, to cover, as he stated, any
Irregularities which might be found in
his accounts. The board thereupoa
made an order for the investigation
which has just been completed, with
the above result Mr. Kelly will thus
be compelled to add $32499 to his orig
inal deposit with the board.
while there was no disagreement
among the members of the board as to
the facts found, the form of the finding
was toned down with a view OF making
it unanimous, which accounts for the
incongruity of the finding that a por-
ton of said irregularities We're caused
by the said Thomas T. Kelly's lack of
experienced What lack of experience Is
it that caused Kelly to raise the DOds-
worth, Hamilton and Hall & O'DOnald
n,
to $6105, the Hall & O'DOnald bill from
$11 to SIT and the Hamilton bill from
SIG to $66, and remitting to these COM
panies only the amounts due them ?
How could a lack of experience be set
UP as an excuse for issuing a duplicate
bridge warrant for $753.95 and cashing
it2 How could this account for Kelly
duplicating warrants and vouchers OF
book and publishing companies, the
probate judge, the court stenOgrap pher
and other individuals and getting lhe
money on them? And what sort OF
lack of experience was it that induced
T. T. Kelly to have the Lawton & Bur
nap D11lS tr1pi1Cated-made out three
times and paid three times-and he get
the money that was fraudulently dram
from the county treasury Does it not
appear, rather, that Mr.. Kelly had too
much experience of certain kind
that it was prOgressive-from $3.50 to
S753-95, and all in one direction2 Irreg
ularltieS' is too mild term to fit
Kelly's crime. If they had been mere
irregularities, some would have been in
favor of the county, but all are against
the county and none in her favor.
Another significant fact is that in
each of these transactions. the dupli-
Gated vouchers and warrants. the raised
lent record entries are all in the hand
writing of T. T. Kelly Nobody else had
ANYTHING to do with themi
1T is also notable that Kelly's lack of
forth started in his first term, pursued
him through that term and even to the
close of his second term, among his last
acts being the raising of a foreign
voucher and warrant a cool $100.
"A great many other irregularities
were found in Mr.. Kelly's records and
everything that could not be traced di-
rectly to him was thrown out. He was
given the benefit of every doubt Moth
ing was charged against him that was
q felU h
ords. The commissioners worked dill
gently and made their own discoveries.
Mr. Kelly was here during the entire
time of the investigation and was kept
posted as to the discoveries that had
been made. He was called before the
board, was given access to all the rec
ordS and accounts, was granted all the
time for investigation and explanation
that he desired. and when he asked
what explanation he had to make, he
replied that be had none He could have
none. The proof of his duplicity was
OveryvF elm ;pe ''