Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-02-23
'EX!RECElVER cannot Be FOUND
Bonding Company Unable TO Locate ExReceVef Tufts Of
the Fargo Land Office Who Was Short
Over SS,0O0.OO

JVGf Odd
Fargo Forum: =; q. Iuies, loiiisl
receiver q the lnlted oIaees laliu u
nee ~ TINS city, is pracsslcaiiy e lusi7
i've from Jus tice. SNORT lh MS ~
counts Witn t1ncie sam, MI. i ules sls
Delns soughs q lne coni - Z ensss
guaranteed nam to me goyeInhen ~ any
altnougn persls tent search mas peen
maze Ior FnlIn, ne caIino pe iocsleeu
The fact that Mr.. Tufts LETT Fargo:
under cloud shortly after his sue l
cessor to the Office Of recei yer OF The!
local land Office qualified, was pretty
well known around the city, but It was as,
expected that a settlement would be
effected and for this reason no pub
licity was given the matter. AS time lime
passed, however, and ME- u UT snow
cd no dasp position o. to settle the snort
age, the bonding com pany took steps
with a view OF bringing him TO justice.
The exact amount OF MI e
shortage is not definitely known here
but it is said to be IN the nelghbosr-
hood of $500. At the time ne re-
tired from Office 1t was consid erablyl
more, but he made rest tuition OF gov
lernment funds from time to time until I1
The left the city and reduced Inc,
amount Of the shortage to q little over e
S,000. Just before MT. Tufts left the
city. four Of his friends called on on the ne
repre- ntatiye Of the bonding company
here and asked for Informal ion. They
stated that they stood ready and Will,
ling to make up the shortage and had
SO informed Mr.. Tufts. He, however,
declined their offer of aid and now
/ matters have SO arranged themselves
1 that a settlement would be difficult, II
1 at all possible. S5
/ About the time Mr.. Tufts left the
city, a few months ago, special agent
. Of the land office department arrived.
He spent several weeks going over
the accounts Of the former receiver
! and definitely established the amount
Of the shortage. His report was for
/ Warded to Washington and a demand
j was then made on the bonding COM
I pany for restitution to the govern
i ment. 1t was then that the bonding
ycompany took action.
According to informat alton obtained
4 from a semi-of1cial source, MI. Tufts
I appropriated to his own use money
1 which should have been credited to
the unearned fee fund, and, because Of
the manner. in which the fund was
] manipulated, it is impossible to ascer-
4 tain just when the former receiver
commenced to use the governments
money.
The unearned fee fund is that In
4 which it Is the practice to deposit all
l money, the title to which as not en-
4 tirely passed from a homesteader to
the government Thousands of dollars
are often tied up in this fund For
4 instance, when a sum Of money is
sent to the land office il. payment for
4 a patent to which it develops there is
some error SO that it cannot at once
The passed, the amount is, or should be,
deposited in the unearned fee fund,
land later, when the technicaiities are
disposed Of. the money passes to the
4 other funds and evntually to the Unit i1
4 ed States treasury. It appears. how
ever, that MI, Tufts neglected to cred
Isit certain amounts OF money even to
4 the unearned fee fund. SO that even ven
when he retired from Office, his books
appeared perfectly regular Com
4 plants from persons who had paid
money on land deals which had not
i been nsummated revealed the true
sfo@ 40 Ncx1s,