Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-21
Secure Nearly $4,000
from Treasury
Unknown Parties Take Criminal Means
to Draw Money on Demands
Which Were Approved by
Mayor MeAleer
? p mmmm = w#c~#~##aw'i
THREE DEMANDS PASS !
. THROUGH MANY HANDS 4

4 The three demands passed !
+ through my hands before being +
= returned to City Treasurer Hance, !
+ in Los Angeles. They were =
4. marked:
+ Auditors check No. 1884 clerks +
4 number 10, 74-$5950-payable to =
!. Los Angeles Abstract and Title
= company, and indorsed by the Cit !
+ izen's National bank and Home =
!. Savings bank. =
4. Auditors check No. 1885, clerks +
1. No. 45, 5-S4625-payable to L. !
4 A. Norviel, Independence, Cal, In =
!. dorsed: PAY to A. w. and j. %. =
= Eibeschutz," and further: PAY to +
! Central bank" !
4 45,772-$15, ,000-payable to P. W. i
+ Forbes, indorsed, Wells-Fargo !
4 company and Sacramento bank, !
!. by Charles Seyler, cashier. In con- i
!. nection with this draft was tele- i
\ graphed by mistake made payable =
4 to H. Forbes instead of p. w. +
!. Forbes. y
%*MAA 4 !. 4 :. \ + 4 !. 4 < 4 i. i. i.
City Auditor w. c. Mushet's name
has been forged in writing to a demand
for $3.50 and without his knowledge his
rubber stamp-his personal property
was applied to two other demands, one
being for $3.50 and the other for $4625.
For information leading to the discov-
cry of the guilty parties Auditor Mush-
ct offers $100 reward. The city loses
nothing as the demand was regular and
approved, but Mr.. Mushet is anxious to
find out who applied his name un-
authorized.
These forgeries, aggregating $25,575,
were committed between December "a
and January last.
The demands were in connection with
payments for lands in the Owens river
valley. The moneys were legitimately
spent, but the question is how could
Mr.. Mushet's stamp get out of his desk?
Change Voucher System
AS result of this crooked work and
the fact that the forged written de-
mands came back to the city treasurer's
office with the stubs and bills torn out,
a new system has been introduced in
the auditors office by which original
papers must remain in the city hall in
connection with demands and only dup
licates can be sent outside.
Legally it was not necessary for Mr..
Mushet to sign these demands. They
had the names of Mayor McAleer and
have borne the signature of Auditor
Louis Schwaebe, who was the in
cumbent in December. The expenditure
of the money was duly authorized by
the board of public works and the coun-
Gil, and those who took this irregular
means to railroad a signature could
have received the money by merely
having an ordinance reintroduced for
the purpose, which would have gone
through without any hitch. That these
parties preferred to resort to such un-
usual means surprises Auditor Mushet,
who expresses a determination to get
all the facts.
Mushet Would Like to Know
Discussing the situation Mr.. Mushet
said yesterday:
with me this is merely case of
wondering if any one in my office has
used by stamp without authority.
Each of the force has disclaimed any
knowledge. I have talked to all who
might have access 10 my office and all
of them profess ignorance of the use
of the stamp. The attaching of my
name was useless, as it was legislation
of the McAleer administration.
Schwaebe should have signed it.
everything WIS all right and ap-
proved except my name. There seems
to have been a delay in he papers