The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-08-27
and osawatomie and must not accept

At that time Mr.. Hampson was chair
man of the board and Mr.. Crawford
was his associate. Hampson served
through one year of my term and Craw-
ford served through all of my term,
both OF them are members of the board
at this time. OF the 81 324-99 said to
have been lost to the county during my
administration, $1.134.29 of the alleged
amount charged to me was lost, if any
was lost, during my first term The in
tegrity of MI. Hampson and Mr.. Craw-
ford never has been nor is it now queS-
toned, yet it is believed that they are
as liable to make mistakes as are other
men. At that time they both had ex-
perience in handling county business.
] had none. They passed on the work
done then and said by their official ac-
ton that it was right at that time In
October, 1893, four months before l left
the office. w. H. Moore, an expert ac-
countant, compared the accounts of the
county treasurer and county clerk from
the organization of the county to that
time and he found no Irregularities. He
was paid 81, 10000 by the county for his
| work and his report is follows:
8. To the Honorable Board of County
Commissioners.
| Gentlemen: In compliance with the
| terms of my proposition made to your
honorable board. / have made careful
| examination of the books and accounts
| of all county treasurers and county
clerks who served your county from the
| date the same was organized, under the
y,
business on the 31st day of August,
| 1893.
! ''T submit herewith for your insDec-
! tion and approval, tabulated statements
! showing the amount of county warrants
| issued each year, from the year 1857 to
| August 81, 1893: and the amount of
taxes levied for all purposes each year,
| for the same period; also, the amount
| of county bonds issued and remaining
outstanding August 81, 1898, together
cd
| by ex-county treasurers.
| I also submit general statement
and balance sheet showing the financial
! condition of your county and of all
| funds and accounts at the close of buSl-
| ness August 81, 1893
! 1.-The balances shown on the detail
| ed statement of ex-county treaSurers
| accounts, as due from or to them. are
| made up entirely of clerical errors or
| omissions of bookkeeping. and the fact
of these errors having been made does
| not reflect in any manner upon the
honesty or integrity of the ex-county
treaSurerS
1.-The system of accounts now in use
in the office of your county clerk is one
that certainly deserves favorable men
| tion having been introduced by B. J.
| Sheridan, while serving as county clerk
| of your county and continued and i'm
| proved upon by the present county
| clerk. Thomas T. Kelly. until the rec
| ords of the county clerks office of your
The business in your county treas
| urer's office is being conducted by the
present treasurer, j. P. Hiner, in a sys-
| tematic and businesslike manner: the
! plan of bookkeeping in his Office being
| that of double entry. and showing the
| true condition of each fund or account
/ with which he has to deal
"'All Of which is respectfully sub
| mitted. w. H. MOORE.
"'Public Accountant.
| "'Ordered, that the above report be
accepted. NJ. B. ATTERBERRY,
| Chairman
""T. T. KELLY, County Clerk
Estate of Kansas county of Miami.
81, L. Flanagan, county clerk of the
aforesaid county, do hereby certify that
1.-The above and foregoing is a true copy
of the records found on pages 331
and 332 of journal &c" of the commits
sioners' proceedings of above date.
Witness my hand and the seal of
Miami county, this 21st day of April,
1902
! (SeaD "L. FLANAGAN,
County Clerk
Below is a statement Of w. J. Stagg,
| expert accountant:
/ I'm the latter part of April, 1902. I
was employed by T. T. Kelly to exam
inc the records in the county clerks Of
flee covering the two terms of his ser
vice as county clerk.
% In the course of my examination I
discovered that there were vouchers and
!
Flanagan, the present county clerk, who
told me that they had been taken from
the office without his knowledge or con-
sent by A. L. Thomas.
1T was currently reported on the
streets of Paola that Thomas and Grea-
son had the records of the county clerk
out of the office and were fixing up
things against Kelly.
1.-The grown son of A. L. Thomas was
heard to remark that his father had a
lot of papers and records from the
county clerks office down at the house
and that he (his father had fixed them
up and was not afraid of any person
hurting him for it,
Ct have been a professional account
ant in Kansas for more than twenty
five years-as such Mr.. Kelly employed
| me. Upon full and complete exami-
| nation of Mr.. Kelly'S transa ctions dur
some irregularities on account of miss
ing vouchers and records, but I found
nothing to call in question his honesty
or integrity. w. j. STAGG,
:" Expert Accountant, Topeka, Kas.'
I'm 1897 J. E. Cation. an ex-county
clerk was paid $500 to check up the old
records, and he found no Irregularities
Up to the time I became a candidate
| for state treasurer there never was q
suggestion in Miami county that my
accounts with the county were not al
| right That the county treaSurer'S cash
| book was loaned to Mr. Thomas and
Greason and that the stubs to the war
rant books. the warrant register. and
the county commissioners journal were
out of the county clerks vaults and il
the hands of these two men for num-
| ber of days, has never been denied
That vouchers were taken from the
| files and remained in their possession
! for the same period of time some OF
| them have not been returned up to this
| day, no one will dispute. That these
| books were returned to the possession
| of the county clerk on the demand oi
the chairman of the board under d
threat to arrest Thomas has never beer
| disputed. While these books were yel
| in their possession they go before tbs
| county commissioners, charge me witt
| shortage and demand of the commits
sioners an investigation of my ac-
counts. This was in February, and the
| commissioners held a meeting and de-
cided in my favor They, Greason and
Thomas, then employed an expert ac-
-countant from Kansas City, Mo, to ex-
| anime my accounts, and the result o