The San Francisco call., 1903-12-18
DELICATE DISTINCTIONS.

taxpayers and was guilty of pilfering
public funds.
DELICATE DISTINCTIONS.
This delicate distinction between rob
bing the person or the public may OBJ
trude itself when McKowen's defense
is attempted by his legal advisers. To
one Of his sympathetic visitors yester-
day the prisoner declared that he in
tends to offer no defense, but viii plead
guilty as charged and take his pun
ishment without murmur. But that
was prior TO his interview with Attor-
ney H. NJ. Wright Of this city, VINO is
associated with Attorney Peter r
Dunno In the case.
In this connection il may not be amlss
TO state that no complaint has been
formally fled against MckoWen, ana
that Attorney c. T. Shook, represent
ing the Board Of University Regents
saws no such steps viii be taken unth
the report Of the bookkeeping experts
has been received and acted upon. At
torney Wright. on the other hand, gave
assurance that pending completion OF
the inquiry no effort viii be mace py
him TO obtain McKowen's. release
through habeas corpus proceedings.
McKowen himself is evidently content
10 stay in durance until he appears IN
court
Among Yesterdays developments was
one 10 the effect that McKowen was
not under bond when his wrongdoing
came to light He was acting secre-
tary Of the Board Of Regents until iasl
July. and in that capacity was uhoer
= $4,000 bond. furnished by the Pacihc
Surety Company. for the faithful dls-
charge Of his duties. But with July
there came to him promotion TO the
full secretaryship, and the bond was
not renewed TO cover his new 1tltle ana
responsibilities. So as secretary ne was
without bond. a fact which does nor
detract from the supervisorial neeh-
eence hereinhefore alluded To-
NICE QUESTION.
This bond business was the subject
% a conference yesterday between
Regent Foster. Attorney Shook ana the
manager Of the Pacific Surety Com
many. and IL is understood that no
definite conclusion was arrived at
some attorneys maintain that the
surety company can be held response
E7e for whatever defalcatiOns were
made by NcKowen while he was serV-
ing as acting secretary-another ques-
tion which must depend for solution
upon the report Of the bookkeeping ex-
perts.
Indeed upon completion Of the task
undertaken by the bookkeeping experts /
depends almost everything connected
with the great embezzlement-. Until 1t
is positively known how much money
McKowen pilfered and how he man
aged TO piIfer it the hands Of the Re
gents and the tongues OF their finance
committee are tied.
Auditor ]. J. Herr, who for several
years has annually inspected Nc
Kowen's accounts and approved them,
will arrive to-day from Los Angeles,
but il is expected that he, too. must
be in the ranks Of the bewildered until
the secretary's methods Of swindling
are more fully disclosed Mr.. Herr -evi-
dently approved all the accounts that
he found correct, but that is not saying
that all the accounts in McKowen's
hands were submitted 10 him or that
all the moneys received in the secre-
tary's Office were duly. recorded in the
secretary's books. Which again reflects
slipshodness upon the general super
visorial system pursued by the business
mana cement Of the big university.
RUMOR Is INDUSTRIOUS.
Baseless rumors disturbed the scho-
lsstie calm Of Berkeley all Of yester-
day. They flew thick and fast and
their fight was not impeded by facts,
for the reformation bureau at the uni
versity had very few Of the latter arti-
cles TO dispense. President Wheeler
spent the day on this side Of the bay
and if Acting Secretary Henderson had
any original Intelligence on hand he
was very chary in its PRONUNCIATION
he said that everything WAS in the
hands Of the two experts t0iling so
strenuously over the secretary s. books.
and that they could not get a reliable
line on the actual condition Of affairs
until they have probed and, pol1ed few
days longer.
What effect has the exposure ot Nc
kowens pecUlations had upon the bust
ness affairs Of the university9' Mr.
Henderson was asked.
We'll" he replied the finance com
nittee has decided 10 suspend payment
Of all bills except for labor until fhe
full amount Of the -defalcations is as
certained. The refunding Of students
deposits has been discontinued for
few days, but the general businss of the
university VIII so on as usuals
Among the rumors that hanished
ennUi from the college town was one
20 the effect that McKowen had once
owned racing stable Of his own. and
investigation Of the story led to the
ruthless reduction Of a bunch of bang
tail flyers 70 one single carriage horse
Of the dObbin breed. which the secretary
had purchased and kept for the conve-
nience Of his landlady, Mrs. Smythe.
Another narrative that was probed
and found wanting. increased the sum
total Of McKOwen's pilferings TO S75. .OO0
This bit Of Munchausehism was traced
10 the Imagination ~ a would-be wise
acre remotely connected with the .secre-
tary's Office.
Then there was a widespread report
that McKOwen had maintained in lux
urious style a private domestic -esta b.