The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1903-01-15
THIRTY. EICHT YEAR
This Was the Length Of Time that
st. Paul Bank Carried an IN
claimed County Balance.
$583.o5 of Mile Laos County Funds
Lost for Nearly Forty Years
Through an Oversight.

Through an Oversight.
County Treasurer Burrel has re-
ceived letter from W.. A.. Miller,
cashier of the First National bank of
St. Paul, regarding the deposit of
S583.05 which has been on the books of
the bank to the credit of Mile Laos
county for many years, and which Mr..
Burrell drew a few weeks ago on in
formation furnished by United States
bank examiner, Lyman C. Baird of
Austin, Mimi. Mr.. Miller states that
the bank records show that on
the third day of April, 1865 there was
deposited to the credit of Mile Laos
county by the treasurer the sum of
1000. On the twenty-fourth of the
same month the bank paid a check
against the county funds in the bank of
S463.67, which left a balance of S5S3.O5.
The check paid on the twenty fourth of
April, 1865, was the last draft ever
made by the county against the funds
in the bank until Mr.. Burrell drew for
the amount and which the bank
promptly paid over to the county after
having had the use of the money
for nearly thirty eight years. The
county treasurer of Mile Laos county
at that time was E. J. Whitney, father
OF the present county auditor. Mr..
Whitney died the latter part of April,
1865, and Dexter Payne was appointed
to serve out the unexpired term of Mr..
Whitney. In some manner that win
never be explained, during the change
in the treasurer's Office the balance to
the credit of the county in the St. Paul
bank was overlooked, and became in
time an unclaimed balance'' on the
books of the bank which probably
many times thought that the new
county of, Mile Laos had money to
burn. In those days the county had
very little money and in March of 1864
the funds in the hands of the treasurer
amounted to S815.52. The balance that
the county left in the bank was quite
sum OF money in those days, and il. is
hard to understand how the money was
overlooked, as badly as the county
needed money in those days. At that
time it was paying bounties to volun-
teer soldiers and also to those who were
caught in the meshes of the draft. In
March, 1864, the county board voted to
appropriate the sum of S1OO to every
volunteer who enlisted for Mile Laos
county between Feb. 18th and March
lst OF that year. These bounties were
paid in the form of county orders pay
able one year from date and drawing
ten per cent interest. In April of the
same year the county board voted to
pay the sum of 5000 or as much thereof
as was necessary to each volunteer who
would. enlist to make up Mile Laos
county's quota of ''the impending call
for 500, 900 volunteers" A bounty of
800 was also paid. to all who were
drafteds In September, 1864, the board
appropriated.the snm of $500 to be paid
to those who had paid cash bounties to
volunteers. The board at this time or
dered levy of one mill on the assessed
valuation of the county to create fund
to meet the bounty orders as they be-
came: due and payable. The county was
therefore paying one mill tax for war
bounties and when over $500 of the
county funds was left with the St. Paul
bank for officials of another generation
to recover and place back in the county
fund. The fund to-day at:ten per cent
interest would amount to nearly $1,000
at simple interest, and at compound IN
terest it would makesa splendid fund
for roads and bridges.
A few days ago County Attorney
Ross received a letter from S. +.
Staples, who now lives in the northern
part of the State, and who was at one
time county treasurer, and ran short of
county funds, stating that he had
learned of the finding of the old bal
ance and that he would claim the same
as belonging to him. It was stated at
the time the balance was discovered
that it was lost about the time the ex-
treasurer went west and as the bonds
men OF Mr.. Staples settled with the
county he probably thought that the
money belonged to him and that he
would claim it, but now that the trans
action antedated his term of office
several years no doubt will abandon
his claim.
Next Tuesday evening the Princeton
cornet band will present the three-act
drama, entitled 'sThe Golden Gulch,, :,
at Jesmer's opera house. The hove