Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-09-03
BURSUM REPORT
NOW COMPLETED
EXPERT ACCOUNTANT DISCOVERS
MANY APPARENT IRREGULAR.
TIES IN PRISON Books.
DISCREPANCY IS SMALL
Shortages Undoubtedly Due to Mis-
takes in Bookkeeping in Past Seven
vesrs.-Friends Say Mr.. eursum
Can Account for Every Penny.

The expert accountant employed b,
Governor II. J. Hagerman 10 inyesti
gate the accounts Of II. o. Hursqm ex
superintendent nf the territorial peni
t"ntiary. has made his report u the
governor, showing certain apiurcn.
irregularities in the financial m.naxt,,
nient Of that institution.
The principal item In the books Of
Mr.. Bursunl. TO which the experts oil,
ject. is one amounting 10 s5,726 "a
which covers potiy cash disburse.
ments for the seven years Of Mr.. Bur.
sums management. II Is claimed bT
the experts that nn vouchers for this
amount can be found. An examination
Of the items making up the amount.
which are compiled as exhibit 4 at.
tached to the report. shows that the
account is made up Of expenditures Of
few dollars al a time. for the inciden.
tal expenses of the penitentiary. The
accountant does not claim any short
age for these items but calls attention
10 the fact that vouchers should have
been taken for each petty expendi-
ture
The report shows cash sales by the
yardmaster from 1903 to 1906 of sli4..
Sc for which the cash book shows pay.
ment Of only $59.7O. leaving a short.
age Of $S4.S6, and shows for the same
period list Of payments, taken from
the cash book. Of $1GS.45 for which it
is claimed no remittance was made
to the territorial treasurer.
A list Of bills appearing unpaid. a.-
cording to the books of the peniten-
tiary, amount to about sl25, which the
individual debtors claim they have in
fact paid. One Of these debtors claims
to hold receipt for his bill and one
other claims to have paid by check.
The others assert that they paid their
bills in cash.
An affidavit of one. John Donovan,
Is included in the account. 1t ap-
pears that warrant for $400.75, pay
able to Jack Donovan or bearer, was
indorsed by Mr.. Bursum. Donovan as.
serts in his affidavit that be did not
receive this money and says that al.
though he never kept any account Of
payments to him. he believes that he
has not been paid in full.
A comparison is made between the
earnings under Mr.. Bursum and the
earnings under Superintendent Trel.
ford. II is stated that Mr.. Bursum's
earnings for the seven years Of his ad
ministration averaged about $1,000 a
month and that earnings for the year
1905 averaged $1,603 per month. and
that the earnings from the same sour
ces under Superintendent TreIford for
three months from April 13 to July 13,
1906. amounted to S3.7ss.47 per month.
Possibly the accountant was mot
aware. at least he neglected to state,
that the brick plant, which is the prin-
cipal source of earnings, was not fully |
equipped until about three years ago
and that it has never been operated
during the winter months. = In other
words, the three months Of continuous
operation under Captains Trelford, Is
with the seven years under |
Mr.. Bursum. for the first years .os
which the plant was not completed |
and during the remaining years Of |
which the plant was run only during
the summer. -. @s.ss#sss
A. q. a.ss :
report was purely ex parte and so far
as known, Mr.. Bursum has made no
statement of his side of the matter.
Il is the general opinion of persons