The San Francisco call., 1905-08-16
COUNTYS BILLS
MUCH INFLATED
Investigation Shows Record
er Grimm Was Charged
for What He Did Not Get
HIS FIGURES ALTERED
Grand Jury Now Has Expert
TabuIating the Data for
It's Use at Next Meeting

= OAKLAND. Aug. 15-The investiga-
tion begun by the Board of Supervis-
ors into the alleged raising of the sta
tionery bills developed at this after
moons hearing that the bills of County
Recorder Grimm had been tampered
with and duplicate charges made of the
goods delivered Recorder Grimm has
a book in which he keeps a record of
all the supplies that he orders and
upon comparing the bills for several
months, he finds, first, that he has been
charged for the same supplies several
months in succession and secondly,
that orders for goods have been raised.
Specific instances of this occurred
in the orders for gold seals. Grimm
stated that he had ordered 100 of them,
while the bill read 1000. On January
Is he is charged up with one gross of
cork penholders. which his book
showed should have been a half-gross.
On January p, he says, he ordered two
boxes of envelopes, whereas, the
charge is two gross. On the same date
he is charged with a dozen balls of
Manila twine and he said he got three
balls.
His attention was then called to the
bill Of January "a and asked if the
bill, when it was presented to him for
his signature, corresponded as to items
with his book. He answered that it
did.
Has there been any change made
in the bill since it received your o. K.?'
asked Deputy District Attorney Hynes.
BILL Is CHANGED.
1T looks as if that item had been
changed from six TO ten. There has
been an erasure and the figures are
changed 1 would like to state right
now that no bill has ever passed
through my hands with such marks
upon it,
Another and a more serious manner
in which the officials have been taken
advantage of is shown in the duplicate
charges Recorder Grimm was shown
where he had purchased a list of sup
plies consisting of rubber bands. pen
ellis, etc, charged for two months in
succession. He admitted that the ar
ticles had been received but once, but
said there had been a double charge
made. The only way he could account
for it was that when the second bill
had been presented at the Office he re-
membered receiving the goods which
were probably in use at the time, and
supposing the man to be honest, placed
his o. K. on the reouisition.
Still another way that his bills had
been raised was by the insertion OF
items that were never purchased.
did you purchase two gross of Ko-
hinoor pencils on January 2, 1852" was
asked by Hynes.
mo, sir" was the reply.
Did you buy twelve gross OF rubber
bands on that date?'
NO, sir"
Did you buy four gross of stub
pens on that date?'
SAME IN EVERY OFFICE.
NO. sir; we never use that pen. We
have never had four boxes of that kind
of pens"
Did you on that date purchase this
kind of a pen?" showing another kind
No"
Did you order six dozen bank stock
pads?"
I have not had any in the Office
for six months
BY comparing the bills with the orig.
inal orders it is shown that in these
ways Grimm's bill, which totaled VI
S35S As for six months. had beer
stuffed to the amount of s72 80 and as
it now stands it has been cut TO $265 So
In this manner the bills in every county
officer have been inflated with the ex.
ception of County Assessor Dalton
who says that his bills are all right
Notwithstanding this, however, County
! Expert Sabin has trimmed his bill.
! down S4S0 for six months, as it i.
stated that it is utterly impossible fol
him to have used the amount of stuff
he has received and he has no suppl,
\ on hand.
HASSE ATTENDS SESSION.
Otto L. Hasse, the manager of tn,
! Central News Store, who was taker
with a violent attack of nervousness,
when the investigation was at frs
started and was unable to be present
! is now in attendance. He is the on,
who had the making out of the bill.
! and swore at the time of the filing tina,
! they were true and correct He hai
/ been the manager of the Central News
/ Company's store for number of years
/ While the Board of Supervisors ar,
/ conducting their investigation thu
! Grand Jury now has it's expert making
J a complete tabulation of the entire mat
ter and it is expected that when 1
meets next Thursday it will push ;
vigorous investigation with a view t.
bringing indictments against those h
| are responsible.