The Socorro chieftain., 1906-09-08
To Charges Of Grave Official Mis-
conduct While Superintendent
of Territorial Penitentiary
ASKS FURTHER INVESTIGATION
BY the Board of Penitcntiary Com
missioners at Which He Himself
May be Represented.

lhe Albuquerque NOIniuB
Journal of last Sunday contain
ed the report of certain Colorado
expert accountants employed TO
examine and report upon the ac-
counts kept by Hon. H. o. Bur
sum while he was superintendent
of the territorial penitentiary.
The report charges Mr.. Bursum
with grave official misconduct.
Ii is entirely too long for repro
duction in the Chieftain, but be-
low is part of a letter written
by Mr.. Bursum in answer to the
charges and published in Tues
days Albuquerque Citizen. The
points in the charges will be in
telligible from Mr.. Bursum's re-
ply to them.
MR.. BURsUM's REPLY.
The first item is for a car of
brick. shipped to Albuquerque,
billed to II. o. Bursum. This
car of brick was shipped "deliv-
cred to shippers order" so as to
collect money on delivery and is
fully accounted for on the books
of the penitentiary.
The next two items cash sales
not turned into treasury, S84.66"
and receipts entered on journal
and not appearing on cash book
$16S. as" making a total alleged
shortage of cash amounting to
S253.11. To meet any possible
contingency of this kind | de-
posted my personal check with
the territorial treasurer, March
81, 1906, for the sum of $500 to
cover any miscellaneous items,
which might have been left out.
The next item, 500, account
monies turned in by Colonel
Bergman" was voluntarily paid
in myself to the territorial treas.
urer sometime ago without any
demand or claim from any one
and it is matter worthy of note
that this item was not found or
reported upon by the alleged ex'
perts until a considerable time
after my letter of transmittal
and remittance to the territoria
treasurer.
The next item of Sl75 owing tC
the Winters Grocery company is
charged to me personally anC
which l shall pay without delay
For this the penitentiary is no
responsible and but for my ne
glect this account should have
been settled sooner.
The next two items, Sl52.2'
and S86l. .92, constitute transfer
at the end of the fiscal year anc
were simply drawn from tn,
funds of the closing fiscal yea
and placed to the credit of tn,
succeeding year in order to saw,
the appropriation for the institu
ton. | am satisfied these item
are fully accounted for in tn
settlement, the identical wal
rants drawn by the auditor wer
indorsed and Immediately depos
tied with the treasurer and di'
not constitute a cash transaction
The next item is a voucher i
favor of Jack Donavan for tn
amount of S400.75. Every dolla
of this amount was drawn an
received by Jack Donovan i
cash, advanced at different time
from my personal funds in at
vance of the issuing of the wal
rant. His affidavit is false an
without foundation.
The next item, amounting
S3,771.53 is all erroneous, so ia
as the same should be charge;
BILE to me.
The next item of S977.2S, {
w. Bond and Brother, is accoun
ed for and included in a charg
against me on the cash boo
journal.
The next item of expenditul
which constitutes all of Exhib
"A" consists of items that wei
all carefully gone over, examiI
ed and approved by the board (
penitentiary commissioners.
have the check book stubs cove
ing nearly all these items al
for the balance | can produce T
ceipts and will if given prop
opportunity.
The next item, that of co
tingent expenses, during the Sc
en- years of my administratio
amounting in all to Sl7, ,1S4. l
for these amounts itemized a