Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1904-09-05
CHECKING CASH AND7BOOKS
Expert Owen of Bonding Company
and Deputy Treasurer PurteIl
Counting the Money Preparatory to
Transfer to New Appointee-At-
tempt to Change Combinations.


agent of the Fidelity and Deposit Co.,
of Maryland, are in the Office check
ing up the cash and inspecting the
books and accounts.
At the door of the treasury depart
ment there is posted a capitol police
man and no unauthorized persons are
admitted. The work of checking the
department will not take long and in
day or two it is expected that the
proper receipts will be exchanged and
the department turned over to the
person who will be properly appointed
to fill the vacancy.
Rumor Names PurteI.
No official announcement can be
obtained to indicate who will be ap-
pointed in Treasurer Kempf's place,
but there is a persistent rumor that
Deputy Treasurer Purtell will be
chosen. 1t is known now that he
would have no dif1culty whatever to
secure a required bond of any amount
and his familiarity with the depart
ment would make him capable per.
son for the position. Mr.. Purtell,
however, insists that he does not
want the position.
Might Be Davidson.
Another rumor is to the effect that
Lieutenant Governor J. o. Davidson
will be placed in charge of the office
for time at least. He, of course, is
familiar with the place, as he Served
as treasurer for four years Immediate
ly preceding the term of Mr.. Kempf
However, the only thing to be learned
yesterday from the executive office
was that the removal of Mr.. Kempf
will not delay the transaction of the
states business for more than day
or two.
Attempted to Sieze Safes.
Much wonderment was occasioned
by the attempt of Mr.. Kempf to change
the combinations of the safes in the
treasury Office yesterday morning and
it is generally believed that the failure
of Mr.. Kempf to accomplish this has
avoided much confusion and trouble.
Mr.. Kempf brought with him from
Milwaukee a workman, said to be an
epert safe man, with a large kit of
safe tools. At 10 o'clock Mr.. Kempf
ordered the man to change the combi-
nations of the safes and the man was
about to proceed when interrupted by
Deputy Purtell:
Here" broke in the deputy, 81 am
under bonds here and these safes and
their contents are in my charge. OBJ
ject to this and will not allow anyone to
tamper with the money or the safes"
Deputy PurteII Discharged.
"You are discharged" declared
Treasurer Kempf.
That's all right, but don't CO."
vas the ready reply. 81 am under
bonds here, too, and until my cash
and books are checked up no one is
going to NEEDLE. You can't butt in
here"
''Why, I'm treasurer" holly replied
Mr.. Kempf, "and I do not even know
the combinations to those safes"
you're right you don't" answered
Mr.. Purtell "And if you had known
them I'd have left here three months
ago."
Mr.. Kempf sat down at a clerk s
desk. Mr.. Purtell remained in charge
of the cash and safes and the expert
safe man returned to Milwaukee with
out having touched combination.
Mr.. Kempfs Simple End.
The end of Mr. Kempf was simple
and had there not been large num-
Der of interested spectators in the vi
cinity, it might not have been appar-
ent that anything unusual was going
on, much less that state officer was
being turned out of his department.
Ten minutes after the stroke of
noon, Assistant Superintendent of Pub
lie Property G. G. Bennett came along
the corridor from the executive to the
treasury department. He served upon
Mr.. Kempf the official notice by the
governor of the fact that by reason of
the failure of the bond to be furnished
the office had become vacant.
Mr.. Kempf bowed his head in appar-
ent assent and remarked:
Cali right then, We'll lock the doors
and have checking up"
Depositories Notified.
Governor La Toilette telegraphed
notification of the vacancy to all the
"a state repositories and most of them
acknowledged the notification during
the afternoon.
Governors Formal Notice. o
The letter of Governor La Toilette
to Treasurer Kempf is as follows:
''You are hereby notified that your
failure to furnish the additional bond
of $350,00O as state treasurer, on or
before - o'clock noon of this 30th day
of August, pursuant to the demand in
writing, heretofore duly made upon