The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-07-22
BURSUM WILL GET
HIS MONEY BACK.

HiS mOINSH 1NSHN.
The Stafford report on the finance
of the New Mexico Penitentiary when
under the management of H. o. Bur
sum is at last given to the public, and
it is made to appear that the Terri
tory owes Bursum about $4,000. al
most exactly the amount he returned
to the Territory under the Hagerman
administration.
We will not attempt to analyze the
report of MIR. Stafford, nor the report
of MI. Mcmahon. No person not an
expert accountant could examine b
two reports, and come to a conclusion
in which he could have any confidence
himself, nor could he explain himself
to any other person. The reports GOV
er a period of about seven years, they
are very complicated, the accounts
were kept in the most careless and
reckless manner, and probably the
best experts in the world could never
arrive at the exact truth, because the
necessary data do not exist.
Of course every effort is being made
to make it appear that Bursum was
accused wrongfully, That he is a per
secuted man, and that h boss OF the
Republican party in New Mexico is
a paragon of truth and honor. In
Llll1ih11S VI LAIS n1dbIa VIC "Oo W
Just to Mr.. Bursum and give him fair
play. Unquestionably most people be-
lieve that his removal was for the
public good, and the reasons for this
opinion he has furnished himself.
Among the reasons are the following:
When he left the Penitentiary he
made a reports of its finances to the
Board of P~eniteltiary Commissioners,
which balanced to a cent, and the
n--- - -ra-o oil bic Friends oonnn
ted it as correct and gave a clean bill
of health. If his accounts a been
correctly kept, ne and the Commits
sioners would ave known absolutely
whether they were correct Or 1ot-
But at that time he left his check for
$500 with the proper official to cover
any possible errors which might be
found. So it appears that he did not
know himself whether his accounts
were correct or not.
In time it was rumored around that
MIR. McMahon had been engaged to
go through the Penitentiary books and
make a report to the Governor. Be
fore Mcmahon had fairly begun his
investigation, and before any demand
had bee made or limited to Bursum,
ne sent his check to tle Treasurer
for $1,740 to ove some errors which
he (Bursum) had discovered. 1t ap-
pears hat of this money 500 was
paid by his predecessor in Office, being
the cash balance on hand belonging
to the Territory. This 500 Bursum
received the first day ne was in office,
and is seems that it took him about
seven years to discover that it belong
ed to the Territory. The remaining
$1,040 is not yet explained so far as
we know. 1t thus appears that Mr.
Bursum returned $2,240 which he &C
k~nowledged he had taken by mis-
take" and to which he attached no
string when ne paid it back. In addi-
ton to the above he returned about
$2,40o under pressure from Attorney
General Reid, based on McMahon's re
port.
In making his report Mcmahon Ia
bored under the most serious embar-
easements because he found that Bur
sum had taken away some of the
most important account books and
records. Bursum n his friends &C
knowledged that said books had been
burned because they were considered
useless. But not long ago when 1t
was known that the Stafford investi-
cation would take place the burned
books and documents we're miraculous
" found, and were on and ready for
use by Mr.. Stafford.
This whole rh1ng looks K a roar
ing whitewaShing farce. Not n man
in ten can have any faith in such an
Investigation, and Mr.. Bursum has him
self furnished ample reason for such
want of faith.
When Attorney General Reid de-
maaded payment OF certain items
about which there seemed to be no
question whatever, Bursum might
have refused to pay, and could have
stood a chance in court the same as
any other citizen. If he had been sure
of his ground, why did he N pursue
That ours instead of getting a spec
ial law passed for his own benefit,
differing radically from the laws I'M
der which all other citizens excepting
officers of the territory must be tried
Mr.. Max Frost and the other gang
sters must excuse us for having no
faith, whatever, in the Stafford report
Bursum's own acts condemned it be-
fore it was born. The day has passed
for That kind of stuff to go down with
intelligent men.
Certainly these reports prove abso-
lutely that even If Mr.. Bursum were
honest, the Penitentiary was rum, and
its accounts were kept in such a dis
gracefully slipshod and u~nbusi7ess
like manner that he richly deserves
removal on that ground alone. In
fact, as we remember it, hat was the