Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1903-02-19
FORGERY OF SEAL UNEARTHED.
State Auditor CIaims to Have Discov.
cred irregularities.

FORGERY OF SEAL UNEARTHED.
State Auditor Claims to Have Discov.
cred irregularities.
Des Moines, Feb. 14.--State Auditor
Carroll has just brought to a conclu-
sion clever bit of detective work
through which he will bring to the
state treasury many thousand dollars
Soon after his induction into office
his attention was called to the fact
that the revenue derived from pay.
Glents for insurance company certif
Gates of certain class had dropped
off alarmingly a few months ago He
set out to discover the leakage, and
soon found it related to the certificates
which companies secure to send tc
agents and customers, which certifi
Gates contain the law relating to keep
ing securities on deposit with the
state auditor and also certify that the
company sending out the certificate
has complied with the law and has
the necessary securities on deposit
These certificates are regarded sc
valuable that insurance companies
have been paying SO cents each for
them to the state and taking three OF
four thousand a year.
Mr.. Carroll finally secured one OF
these certificates now being used BY
Des Moines company, and at once
saw that it was not genuine. The sig
nature of ex-State Auditor Merriam
was on the certificate instead OF the
present state auditor and it was print
ed and not written. Close inspection
revealed that the seal of the state aud
itor's office was forgery, that it had
been put in at the time the printing
was done instead Of being an impress
sion from the seal which is in the aud
itor's office, but that it was so well
being genuine. He continued his in.
vestigations and secured a similar Ger
titicate used by the two other com.
panies.
The state auditor called to his office
the various fficials using these spuri
Gus certificates and he read the law
to them which forbids counterfeitine
the seals Of officials. The secretary
of one of the companies Is understood
to have stated to the auditor that he
was using them because others were
and that he had been informed by the
printer who solicited the order that II
was all right. The president of an
other company stated that he had Sc.
cured permission from ex-State Audi.
tor Merriam, while he was in office
to have this work done and make use
of the seal in that manner. 1t was
found that George A. Miller had done
the printing. Mr.. Miller was called
into conference, and he stated that he
had been given the order for the WORK
by one of the officials of company
and had been assured that it was with
authority of the state officers. But
to re-assure himself he had sent his
solicitor to the state auditors Office
and asked If there was any objection
to the work being dore and the sole.
itor had been told there was none.
State Auditor Carroll consulted the
attorney general on the legal phases
Of the matter, after which he made a
demand for the delivery to him of all
the materials used in doing the work.
Accordingly the plates were turned
over to him by Miller. There were
five of the electrotype fac-similes of
the ex-state auditors name and one
cut from which the seals were being
made.
Mr. Merriam is out of the city at
present. He was president of a life
insurance company at the time the
making of the spurious certificates
was commenced. He has since sold
out the company to one of the Others
1t is not known that he has any off.
cial connection with any of the com
panies now. Mrs. Merriam is a stock.
holder in one of the companies since
the consolidation. Auditor Carroll
has not authorized the use of the seal
If his office in this manner. The
printing of these certificates was com.
menced several months ago and the
state Is already a considerable loser
thereby. Mr.. Carroll demanded that
all use of these certificates be stop
ped. One company which had a
large batch Of certificates ready to
send out in policies asked permission
to use them until genuine ones could
be procured, but the state auditor
firmly refused to permit this, and
yesterday fifty certificates were issued
and properly signed and sealed.
1t has not been determined whether
any further steps will be taken in the
matter.