The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-12-03
DELINQUENCY
CHARGED.
Board Of Supervisors Investigate
Treasurer Powcll's Accounts
and Report to, Court.
POWELL SCORES ENEMIES
Charges the. Supervisors With
Dereliction Of Duty aud Al
leges Political Prosecution.
IL SCORES ENEMIES
fgpccIal to The Tlncs- Dispatch.

OF their Investigation thus for reached TO
the County Court Cor such action as tho
court might see Fit to take In the matter.
The report Of the Board OF Supervisors,
which viii be made to the court on Thurs.
day next. this being tbs. day Of its regular l.la
term, Will show the following:
The county treasurer being called upon
for full settlement OF the affairs OF
his ONCE ana an exhibit OF the delin-
quent tax tickets covering the period Of
his ncumbency, which has amounted to
twelve years, 1t was found that there
was a shortage Of about s26S In tho
amount OF tax from delinquent land
sales. This the treasurer has made
! good. 10
DELINQUENT. TAXES.
In the matter Of delinquent tax tickets
personal property and iscapitation taxes
atdltference Of about. 81 900 was found OF
| what should be- In his, hands and what
he exhibited as being In his possession.
These facts were brought out at meet
| ing Of the supervisors two weeks ago.
It being reported that some returned
de,inolent had their tax receipts III their
possession which accounted tor SOM
Of the missing tickets Tor the 81 600, and
| TINT there we're also some duplicate TICK.
| cts. one being returned delinquent ana
| the other receipted the supervisors post,
poned making their report and 5adverL'ssu
in the local papers for any Of the aooy .
tlck,,ts, these to, BIO handed them on or
before yesterday,#tile date set FOR their
adjourned melting e
At the meeting OF the board on yester.
| day thers were about one hundreu - :,
! these tickets which had been reported
| llA,rn,,ent amounting to about $lto' eA-
nibited to the board, property signed ny .,
| the treasurer Or soma one - .'Is ,,,,,tch
| ties Among these were fourteen Wt'4 'Si
| anneared e. h,v~ b.en dunlceted
=. a REPORT TO COURT:
with this evidence before them, and
acting upon the advice Of the Common
I wealth's attorney, who was present N
/ his Official capacity. the SUPERVISORS ~
dered ti1s clerk to transmit to the County
| Court all#thc above facts for such &C.
| ton lit saw At to take. and also to
report .the matter to tbs Aud't 1 ~ ~
! Public Accounts for the sta 10 for hls N
formation and guidance.
The board further employed the county
1 sheriff to tako the lists as returned de-
,ijnn,,ent and to see, as far as possible.
ali persons whose names appeared there
OF, and obtain from them any receipt tor
| taxes In their possession. The repor. OF
| the sheriff will be made to the hoard 81
| a later meeting. -..5.: 81.
While reports. based upon the above
We're circulated prior to the recent elsc.
| ton tina facts were not fully known. the
treasurer and his frfendsS stating at the
time that they were being done for pollti'
! cal effect, and that when given the tim q
and opportunity he could easily texp lalf'
| any discrepa ncles which might 3 appear
| In his accounts There are those yet VINO
hope and believe he WILDE able to 90 thls'
MIR. POwELL's ELECTION.
At the recent election Mr. Powell was
reelected by good majority over his
| nearest competitor and only lacked O.
| votes of receiving as many as both o.
them there being two. This but showed
| what had always been considered. that PC
county, Prior to being elected treasurer
twelve years ago he served eight years
as sheriff.
Mr.. Powell is a member Of Jonesborr
Baptist Church In which. he Is an othcer
! and has always stood high. Flo is also
| president Of the. Farmers Bank Of this
| place. His homo Is at Portland. siS
! miles from this place, where he has al
! interesting family. all OF his children be:
| Ing grown. IIo has always been regarded
as an excellent treasurer. extremely cour'
teous and affable In manner, and ever
ready with leniency towards the slow
tax-pn yer. J, . a
In explanation of the facts as brought
out by the Investigation OF the Board g, O.
| Supervisors, Treasurer Powell places thu
| blame for these discrepancies upon the
board, saying that he was ignorant OF
the law requiring him to turn over to
tho county clerk the delinquent tax
| tickets, and the Board not requiring this
of him, and thereby being derelIct In their
duty these tickets became mixed with
some solvent tickets and were collected
| by hin, or his deputies by mistake.
He also further places blame upon the
supervisors for not carrying out the law
| In regard to advertising these delinquent
! names, That had they been SO adver-
! tisod and had he been notified OF the law
requiring him to turn those tickets over
| to the clerk there would have been a
smaller insolvent list, and the tickets not
being In his possession could not have
been collected by him.
In a card, which will appear III tho local
paper here on Friday, Mr., Powell also
scores his political adversares for the
part taken against him. IN this he brings
! In other matters besides the one at Issue
and closes his article with the statement
that IL no Is due the county anything he
| Is ready to pay It.
! Tho rasping given the board in this
article by Mr. Powell and the blow he
strikes at his political opponents Will
doubtless add greatly to the already ex'
| cited Interest taken In the AFFAIR, and use
q shaking up In the county such rs has
not been seen In long while, But little
else has been discussed upon the streets
here to-day, save the investigation and
| report of tho supervisors, which Will DC
made to the County Court Tomorrow.
nIo,,aannn nIIDnI lad