The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-02-29


board of county commissioners refused
to overlook them and give Kelly a clean
bill of health About the first of May
the Miami County Republican publish
ed nine new charges against Kelly and
later a preliminary report was maze py
the commissioners, finding that Kelly
was short in his accounts S1,32499
This was only a short time before the
state convention. One OF the delegates
which Kelly had named in his Deha1
TO the state convention was l. F'lana-
gan, the county clerk, but the evidence
against Kelly was so glarlng that MI
Flanagan, although he had been close
friend Of Kelly refused to go to Wichita
and vote for Kelly.
It was on this preliminary report of
the Miami county commissioners tnat
the objection to Kelly arose in the last
convention. The final report or the
commissioners, explaining Kelly's thefts
IN detail, was not made until after the
state convention.
KELLY'S PROMISE.
Kelly's friends urged him to make his
accusers prove their charges in the
courts by bringing action against them
for libel He promised to clear up the
whole matter as soon as he had time
after the state convention. Senator
Burton and others attended the Wichi-
IA convention and exerted their whole
influence to pull Kelly through. Many
delegates, accepting Kelly's promise
that he would disprove the charges
against him, voted for him and he was
nominated
Soon after the state convention on
May 20, the county commissioners made
public their full findings, which are
published herewith. In this report the
commissioners made the following
statement:
RECORDS ALL THERE
THE records upon which these item
lied findings are made are before US,
none of them are missing. altered or
mutilated. Where warrants have been
drawn for q larger amount than was
allowed by the board, or where dupli-
Gates have been made out, the stubs
of these warrants are all in the hand
writing of Thomas T. Kelly. The board
further found during the investigation
that other sums had been uniawfully
paid out by the treasurers
No item was charged against Kelly
unless the records showed that Kelly
was responsible. Wherever any
thing was missing to show that Kelly
was the one who did the wrong, no
finding was made against him, no mat
ter how strong the other evidence
might be. The findings were made not
only on the records in the county Of
fees, which the commissioners certified
had not been altered or mutilated, but
on the bank books also where Kelly
had purchased drafts in making remit
tances.
PROBABLY MUCH MORE
commissioners report, refer to instan-
ces where it is evident that some one
had robbed the county, but something
was missing to show that Kelly actual
~ did it, although the records availa-
Bile pointed to him. In such instances
no charges were made against him,
although people who have examined the
records believe in their own minds that
Kelly stole far more than he is charged
with.
Instead of attempting to refute these
charges or bringing suit against his de-
tractors, Kelly not only paid over the
thousand dollars he had put up, but on
july he paid over the balance of
matter up and that his bad record would
not then pursue him further A good
many Republicans, however, refused to
vote for him. In his home county,
where the public knew the facts he lost
the county by nearly a thousand votes,
while the rest of the state ticket won by
from 100 to 200 majority. The compare
tive vote on secretary of state and
treasurer in Miami county for two years
ago is as follows:
SECRETARY OF STATE
Burrow ...-..... ....-....,.-.....2,O l6
Duval .............. ................1,SS 1887
Burrow won by................... 1879
STATE TREASURER.
Kelly .--.----.-. ...--.----.--.......1,o 24
Kelly lost by Observation-Disclosures. 1913
This explains why the Republicans Of
Miami county are so Overwhelmingly
against Kelly. The county central COM
mittee is against him by Is to 4. That
is why he had to organize a new COM
rnittee and call a private convention of
his own this year in order to get a dele
cation in his home county which allow
ed him to name his delegation without
a protest two years ago, before the
county commissioners found that he
was a thief.
THE FULL FINDINGS.
The official report of the Miami coun-
ty commissioners with reference to Mr..
Kelly is as follows:
The official Report.
June 5, 1902-Board adjourned as a
board of equalization and was immedi-
ately convened as a board of county
commissioners in special session. At the
request of Mr.. Crawford and Mr. Smith
for the consideration of matters that
may properly come before said board.
All members present.
It is hereby ordered that the board
proceed to make an itemized statement
of the items which together make the
sum of $1,324.99 which the board found
to be due to Miami county, Kansas, on
account of the Irregularities of Thomas
T. Kelly while county clerk of said
county.
RAISES TEN DOLLARS.
First-On July 5. 1890, c. B. Hamilton
& Son filed a voucher for $3.50. This
was allowed for S7.30 on back of origi-
nal voucher by r. Hampson, chairman
and entered on daily record of commits
sioners' proceedings al page 234 as an
allowance of $3.50. Same entry in jour
nal @ at page SO. On July 8, 1890
warrant No. 7s7 was drawn in favor oil
c. B. Hamilton & Son for $3.50. This
warrant was paid to Thomas T. Kelly
on July Il, 1890, and county treasurer
takes credit for $3.50. as shown by
warrant register No. 1 at page PA an6
e9easurer's bank book at page los. July
IA, 1890, draft was purchased at The
Miami County National bank for s7.2
on the Central bank. Kansas City, Mo.
payable to the order of Thomas T
Kelly, which draft is endorsed "Thoma.
7. Kelly and &C. B. Hamilton & SON.
On which item as above stated tn.