New-York tribune., 1902-11-01
NEW "TOO MUCH JOHNSON >,
THE FANIILY'S DOINGs IN THE HOv,pn
COLORED ORPHAN ASYLUM

The partnership between the Howard Co,,--,
Orphan Asylum Of Brooklyn and the johnson far1-
hy. Of that borough. has. according to the rs,.
presented TO Controller GrOut yesterday bv Dr. n,
C. Potter. chief examiner OF accounts OF iusstt,
tiCns. been dissolved. The partnership has ~ 49,
report is to be believed lasted for a long time a5
has been profitable to the Johnson family
just who is to collect the money to run the as,-
lUm for the future has not been definitely decjdad
but whoever may be chosen will fail into good No
stiOns-the JOhnsOns regularly received 50 per cen,
on all their cOectiOns-and IL by accident some onA
of a different name had gathered the money aD1
turned it in DR.. Johnson the superintendent a.
the institution he Is said to have taken our The
regular so per cent commission Just to keep thjncg
regular.
With it's various ramihcatOns the johnson clan
includes about sixteen members. Principal amoDg
them have been the Rev w II. Johnson superiTe
tendent from 1859 October 1892; the late Mrs
NJ Augusta Johnson, his wife, treasurer from 1Ssa
to her death in 1901; the Rev. r. H. johnson. col
lection agent and W. II. johnson and Mrs Flor.
ence (Jehnson) Lester. children OF the supern
tendent. Nine of them officers Of the asylum
They all to have excellent taste in matters OF
food and dress. Their shoe bill for I'VE months a
charged TO the asylum was. according to the
matron Of the institution sl46 so and in meats and
groceries their tradesmen testify to the excellence
of their taste.
AS boOkkeepers and accountants. however. thew
to have been not uniformly successful At
II. liz
assistants. But possibly the trouble is that he
cannot grasp the intricacies Of the system used
At any rate. the charge at intervals of So 80 for
life insurance perplexes him. and such items as
'sundries 500 he seems unable to explain. Then
too the expenditure OF S7159 from the building
fund. in addition to the regular charges of over
s7O00 those years. apparently puzzles the experts
of the department of finance
Somehow other, the board of examiners
seems to think that some account should have
Asylum The management however, held other
views For years there charges
whatsoever the books. for other years there
books at all The annual reports the
connection between them and the cash books of
the asylum has vet to be found by the examiners
There il new management in control OF the
l41 cOlOred orphans now. but. according 10 the
charged 10 the asyl lum and delivered TO the John
son family even after the new superintendent and
officers had assumed control, and members OF the
Johnson family, 1t is said still trying bOr-
row money on the threat that loss of the asylum's
custom will follow refusal to lend.
If the charges Of immOralities being inVes-
tgated by District Attorney Clark prove true
criminal proceedings against some of the officers
OF the institution may be among the develop
W. II. NJ. Johnson. the former superintendent
when seen last night at his present home No Tss
Herkmer-st, denied that there had been dishonesty
on his part.
There were faults to be found with our book
keeping, said Mr.. Johnson but there was no
intention to use any of the money improperly.
some OF the members Of my family employed
IN the institution on a small salary. but none OF
them were supported BY it.
Il built up the asylum from nothing until it now
has property worth $4,000. and practically gave my
life to the work"