The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-11-24
Claimed That He Is Shy to the
Extent of $500.
An Examination Is Made BY
Col. C. &. Johnson.
Matter to Be Placed in Attorney
Generals Hands.
Especial to The Free Press.1

st. Peter, Nov. 22-Less than twelve
months after his defeat at the polls,
Gustaf A. Blomberg, Jr., former clerk
of the court of Nicollet county, is to
be called upon to explain a number of
seeming irregularities in the office he
occupied for thirteen years. This comes
as the result of an examination conduct
ed by c. E. Johnson, deputy public ex-
aminer, and it is claimed that there is a
shortage of about $500 in his accounts.
Blomberg's alleged operations are said
to extend over long period. In the
first eleven years of his incumbency he
was wholly dependent upon fees, max
ing it difficult to trace alleged misappro
priation of funds, except in cases where
charges were made and the work never
performed. Thus, Mr.. Johnson's report
will show, fees were eXacted from the
county for recording the findings of cor
oner's inquests-the index showing that
reports of the coroner were entered up
on pages in the fee book which are en-
tirely blank, or else taken up with mat
ter of a totally different character.
As an officer of the State Associa-
ton of Clerks of Court, Mr.. Blomberg
was instrumental in securing the pass
age of Sections / and 2, Chapter 24S,
of the 1903 statutes, which provide that
in counties where the clerks fees do not
amount to $1,000 per annum he shall be
Paid the difference from the county rev.
enue fund. Blomberg made affidavit
that his fees for 1903 were only $744.5O,
collecting $250.l2 from the county on an
order issued by Judge Weber, and the
following year was paid a deficiency of
$2G2.40. The actuary is reported to
have discovered that the receipts of the
office, as indicted by the entries in
the fee book, have been falsified through
his failure to record charges made for
issuing marriage licenses, costs of an
appeal to the supreme court, recording
jury fees, the last offense being iden-
teal with that for which the clerk of
Waseca county was suspended from Of
flee several years ago.
Blomberg's official career began with
his election in 1892, and continued until
last fall, when he was beaten at the
primaries by William Mallgren the
present clerk. Several months ago he
refused an appointment under the state
railway and warehouse commission, and
he is now in the employ of a st. Paul
publishing house.
While the state campaign was in prog
ress last year he achieved some little
notoriety through furnishing an affi-
davit to the effect that the father of
Governor John A. johnson died at the
Nicollet county poor farm, and an
amusing incident of the present exami-
nation grows out of that circumstance
After the election, rather than bear the
censure of the people of st. Peter,
Blomberg issued an elaborate state
ment in which he said that he was given
no choice in the matter of issuing the
death certificate, that he received a
formal request, accompanied by the reg
ular fee, and his duty as a public Of
fetal required him to give the desired
information. Although he furnished the
affidavit, there is no record of his en-
tering the fee as part of the receipts
of his office.
c. Z. Johnson, by whom the investiga-
ton was conducted, came to st. Peter
on Nov. 10, and checked up the books
of the county auditor and county treas
urer before entering the clerks office,
where he spent six days. After his re-
port is passed upon by Public Examiner
p. NJ. Kerst, the case will be placed in
the hands of the attorney general for
prosecution.