The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-09-08
A SAD CASE.
Young Bouzard, dispenser at Fort
Motto, Has Been Arrested

For Being Short in His ACCOUNTS
Two Thousand Two Hundred
and Fifty Dollars.
III. 4. Bouzard, late dispenser at
Fort, Motto, was arrested on Monday
at the instigatiOn Of the American
Surety company, the complaint hav.
Ing been filed by Solicitor p. II. Hide.
brand. He was carried before Magis.
trate Brunson who tixsd his bail at
", 600. Bouzard was short In his &C.
counts and was checked UP and closed
out on the 10th Of last April. The
prosecution has been delayed In order
to give the accused opportunity to
provo himself innocent Of the charge
as he claimed that he could do. But
checks alleged to have been sent have
never been received. The amount Of
the shortage is %, ,271.81.
BoLZlrd Is about 80 years OF age,
a very intelligent young man, and was
married less than q year ago. Under
the laws Of South Carolina it ia the
duty OF the county board Of control to
take the initiative In criminal pro-
ceedings against defaulters in county
dispensaries, and the complaint was
signed by FL. O. Pauling, O. A. Stro.
man and FL. r.. Gibson, members OF
the county board. The witnesses
named in the complaint arc: All,
Dean and r. w. Nichols, inspectors;
FL. O. Pauling, chairman of the coun.
ty board; M. II. Mobley, bookkeoper
In the commissioner Office, and j
Fuller Lyon, bOokkeeper in the State
treasurer s Office.
The first intimation the fficials of
the State dispensary had of the irreg
ularities In the Fort Motto dispensary
was on March 30, 1904, when Capt, A.
I'll. Dean, Inspector, examined Bou.
Yards accounts. On this occasion a
shortage Of over 81 900 was discover.
ed, but before Capt. Dean could com.
plete the investigation to his own sat.
isfaction he was called away to look
after some other business Of greater
importance.
Mr.. w. 0. Tatum, the commissions
er OF the State dispensary, detailed
Inspector r. w. Nichols to procee d to
Fort Motto with instructions to open
every package Of goods in the ware
house of the dispenser at that place.
Accordingly, Inspector Nichols com
menced his investigation of this mat.
ter on April Ia, 1905, at which timo
BouzIrd strenuously opposed the open
ing Of numerous boxes and barrels In
the back rows of the store room, as.
suring Inspector Nichols that they
were all right" because Capt. Dean
had examined them, which statement
proved to be false. In spite OF Bouz.
ards opportunities Mr.. Nichols pro.
ceeded to open every package In the
establishment In the presence Of Mr..
IL. O. Pauling OF the board of control,
who had been sum moned to assist In
the verification Of the inspectors fig.
ures In the account of stock then on
hand. Mr. Pauling, by the way, is an
uncle of Bouzard's wife. At the con.
clusion Of his labors Mr.. Nichols dis
covered shortage Of 50. 271 81 which
Which Increase was occasioned by his
finding over 5000 worth of empty cases
In the back rows, Strange to say,
Bouzard insisted that he did not know
how thoee empty boxes and barrels
got there. This, too, In the face of
the fact that no person hut himself
worked in that dlspensary.
Bouzard did not undertake to resort
to the old trick OF an alleged robbery
to cover up his shortage, but boldly
asserted that his accounts would bal.
ance If he cou'd obtain credit for five
remittances which he claims to have
made by express to the State treasur.
er, from whom, he alleges, he had not
been able to obtain a receipt, although
he had written to that functionary in
regard to the matter. When the treas.
urer was advised of the situation by
long distance telephone, he replied
that the five 'remittances," aggregat-
ing S1,549 20, were not received and
that Bouzard had been so informed.
No such shipments Of fundS In pack
ages or by money orders can be found
IN the records Of the Southern Ex
press company. This, 1t will be OBJ
served, still leaves deficit of 8722 SO.
When BouzArd was confronted with
tbis damaging evidence he stated that
he had sent the State treasurer s. yer.
al hundreds dollars in checks, obtain
od by him from various sources and
| none OF them had been acknowledged
| by that ofllcial AT this juncture In
Spector Nichols urged Bouzard to fur
nish him with the names Of the per
sons from whom these checks had beer
obtained, 80 that duplicates might be
issued, but Bouzard said he could not
recollect the name OF single person
connectedwith the alleged check trans
actions.
The American Surety company o.
New York being on Bouzard's bone
In the sum Of $4,000, Commissions,
Tatum sent notice OF claim In this
case to Messrs. Moss 81 Lide, attorney.
for the bond company In Orangeburg
from which place 1T was forwarded tt
Mr. Marion M. Jackson, general at
torney for tho surety company will
officers at Atlanta, Ca, who did moi
receive from the State the sworn state
ment Of loss until June 81. The della,
In transmitting the formal claim wa
occasiOned by the confused condition
OF Bouzard q account.
Mr.. Jackson arrived In OrangeburI
on June 20, at which time he received
q call from Messrs. Glaze 81 Brantley
attorneys for RouZayd, who asked tur
ther time to enable them to investi
gate the alleged irregularities in til,
Office OF the State treasurer respect
ing the missing remittances said Il
have been made by Bouzard. Mr.
Jackson declined to grant this request