Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1904-08-24
DEF FALCAT|ON OF
 FORMER UNDER
Sheriff Sias Can Only
 Be ApprOximated.
Fifteen Hundred Dollars Are Shown By the Records to Have
 Been Stolen.

J. D. Carter has completed the in
 vestigation of the sheriff's books as
 far as it is possible to do the work and has made the discovery that Under Sheriff Sias, as shown by the books, embedded s1,5O0 of the sheriff's money.
 It is firmly believed however, that this does not by any means represent the full amount of money stolen by him, and it is estimated that at least B, GOO was diverted from the sheriff's bank account into the pockets of his dishonest and ungrateful employe.
 It was an easy matter for the under sheriff to collect fees and make no records of it whatever in the books and pocket the money thus taken in. There is no means whatever of ascer- taining what amount has been taken in this manner though it is believed that fully as much has been stolen in this way as the amonnt shown from the books.
 Another way in which he could and evidently did purloin money was by taking it himself and then charging it up to the sheriff. The sheriff kept no separate account of the money he drew from the office, and Sias know ing this and knowing that it could not be proven against him, could easily take the money, charge it up as having been drawn by the sheriff and no one be any the wiser for it. There is DO means of knowing what his stealings in this way amounted to.
 In going over the books MT. Carter found that his peculations had covered period of several months as shown by them, although it is probable that be had been taking money in the way of fees paid in, and not entering it on the books and taking money and charging it to the sheriff, probably from the time he entered the office or shortly thereafter, and finding it worked so we'll commenced his whole sale theft. Of course the former method could only be used for small sums and as his success in small sums seemed assured he resorted to taking it in larger sums.
 The first sum of any large amount as shown by the books was taken in May and this amounted to $500.
 That Sias had his "mit'' out on all occasions was evidenced to the Jour- nal Miner several months ago. In making payment for legal advertise ment from the sheriff's office, instead of paying for it by check, as was the custom of the office, he brought the money to the office and paid it and after paying it over, brazenly asked 'what there was in it for him. There did not seem to be enough in it to gratify bis propensity for graft, as ever after that he not only diverted all business that he could from this office out failed to give a respectful answer to a representative of the paper when approached as to the news of the office.
 His sending a letter, containing some checks and keys to the sheriff from Jaurez, Mexico, was evidently intended to convey the impression that he had sought refuge from the of his thefts in our sis ter republic and thereby deceive the sheriff as to the point of his real desti- nation, as Sheriff Roberts afterwards received positive information of his being in New Orleans and the sup position is that he went from there to some point in Central America, where he formerly lived.
 Base and treacherous as were his with Sheriff Roberts, more contemptible still was the treatment accorded his family and which shows up more fully the base ness of his nature. as be left them penniIess and helpless to shift for themselves as best they can. This is the second time he has deserted them and just at the time his wife learned of his whereabouts in Prescott and came here to join him, Sias had en- yaged himself to marry most esti- nable young lady in Prescott. This of itself showed a moral obliquity hat was a good index to his character md his subsequment acts only go to show that "a leopard cannot charge ais spots. "