The Bourbon news., 1904-10-28
TREASURER 7. ]. CHASE
He is Charged by the Grand
Jury With Embezzlement.
He Claimed the County Treasury at
Pomeroy, O., Was Looted by Masked
Robbers and Himself Locked
in the Vault

Pomeroy, O., Oct. 27.-After investi-
Wednesday indicted County Treasurer
Thomas ]. Chase, charging the embez-
element of $14,500 from the county
treasury on September 9. when he
claimed that the treasury was looted
by masked robbers and himself locked
In the vault When Chase was brought
from the county treasury into the
court his bond was fixed at $4,000. AS
he was unable to furnish bail he was
remanded to Jail. The arrest of Chase
caused no surprise in Meiggs county,
but there is much excitement over the
indictment that are expected against
his confederates. The name of his
leading accomplice is on the lips of all
and the party has been suspected as
much as Chase himself for over
month.
Chase claims that two unknown
masked men entered his Office and rob-
bed the safe, locking him in the vault,
without being seen by any one about
the courthouse or in the town. Chase
was found locked up by his daughter,
who rushed to a local bank and thence
to the fair grounds for some one who
could open the vault. 1t was shown to
the grand jury that at least half
dozen men were sitting in front of the
courthouse all forenoon of September
9, and saw no strangers. One of the
most important witnesses was Roy
Packard, treasurer of Olive township,
who fixed the time of the closing of
the treasurer's Office that day to with
in two minutes. Packard came to
Pomeroy that morning to draw $500 of
school funds for his township. After
settling in the adjoining Office of the
county auditor, he went to a telephone,
seeing and speaking to Chase as he
passed At that time Janitor Minich
was sitting by the door. Packard says
he returned to the treasurer's office
within two minutes after seeing Chase
standing by the door and then found
the door locked. He was exasperated
as he thought it meant another 15-mile
drive to cash his warrant, SO he shook
the door and finally kicked it. Getting
no response, he asked Janitor Minich,
who still sat there, where Chase had
gone, as he saw the treasurer only
moment previous. Janitor Minich said
he thought Chase had gone to the
county fair, which was then in prog
ress. Packard then cashed his war
rant at a local bank
AS soon as the Indictment against
Chase was reported the grand jury re-
sumed it's investigation on the theory
that there was at least one, probably
two confederates, one to turn the COM
bination on the vault door on the out
side, and possibly another keeping
watch outside of the building The re-
suit of the investigation of confeder-
ates is awaited with more interest
than that of the principal did.
If Chase is convicted the United
States Fidelity and Guaranty Co., OF
Baltimore, will refuse to pay the coun-
ty $4,000 insurance against daylight
robbery, as the indictment is for en-
bezzlement The burden then would
fall on Chase's 26 individual bonds
men who were accepted by the county
commissioners for $2O0,000
Chase comes of good family, is so
years old, has wife, two sons and one
daughter, the younger son, Guy, being
deputy treasurer.
County Treasurer T. ]. Chase is in
the county Jail physically almost in
collapse. His friends fear that the
strain will prove too heavy for him
and that he will do himself bodily
harm.