Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-08-21
OHIO OFFICIALS
WERE CARELESS
0vercharges, Shortages and H.
legal Payments on Part of
County Office Holders.
INVESTIGATING TWO YEARS.
Mistakes Amount to Over Eighty
Thousand Dollnrs-Pcrsons Respon-
sibie Must Make Accounts Good.

Columbus. o., Aug 2O-Shortages
overcharges and Illegal payments on
the part OF Ashtabula county ofir-
cials' amounting to sS3.643.SO, are re-
ported in the statement submitted.
after two years work, by II. B. Sage.
an examiner OF the state bureau of
inspection and supervision of public
Offices, Against this amount the Of
tcials are credited with siS9SS.lS, due
them' and have returned 1866, leav-
ing balance due of s6S.272.36.
Ihree county treasurers are alleged
10 nave received more than $40 600 OF
the amount charged against the OH
clals. E1-Treasurer A. o. Hoskins
alone Is said TO have got s44,34s.55. This
Was me result of q system UNI
ueF mhIcn the treasurer considered
as MS own, all money remaining over
me amounts with which he was
charged by the county All the officials
are apsolved from intended wrongdoinp
the shortages being laid To Improper
business methods
Mr., sage was sent to Ashtabula
county sept 20, 1905. He was directed
on July 26 following, as a result OF
ms investigation, 10 check the tax du-
pllcates for several years previous find
lhgs made at that time resulted in an
order on Sept. 6, 1906 10 audit the trsas-
ury books from Sept. /, 1897. TO Sept. /.
lsVZ, the date on which the general in
spection started. The records of the
past TWO years have not been audited
as the examination in all offices closed
on Sent. "a. 1905.
Prosecutor TAYLOR of Ashtabula
county has been given a copy of the
report with instructions to recover
the money, either from the officials or
from their bondsmen.
When the cash in the treasury was
counted on Sept. 27, 1905, 1872, 362. az wa,
found leaving an apparent shortage Of
500 1891. All except si51 was account
ed Tor by certificates and the actua,
shortage was paid by Treasurer Har-
per. When told that all the money
must be Kept in the treasury, as only
cash could be accounted as assets
treasurer Harper said no depository
had been established, and he was afraid
of hold up, as he had only girls in the
office.
MT Sage says In his report that the
conditions are due largely to the nc
ton of the officials following the Gus
toms of their predecessors. due to a
careless construction OF the statutes.
rather than from any intent to do the
county an injustice.
The apportionment of the shortage is
as follaws: Treasurer r. e. Harper
s20,900.31: Auditor p C. Renninck
ss5; Clerk r. C. Ewing. s9s45; Prosecut-
ing Attorney G. l.. Taylor, 81 1876. 81;
board elections, s1l6.05; Mrs. Kate c.
Nearing, stenographer. $685.: school
examiners. w. II. King. s141; C. c..
Babcock. 500; G.. W. Mooney S24: c. j,
Leuthi s4I; S, A. Harbourth, IS: mfr
mary directors. $3.50; Superintendent
of Infirmary George S. Lewis. 1886. &c:
Sheriff c. S. Sheldon, s3,173.24: Pro-
bate Judge A. p. Laughlln. s745.45;
G. e. Webster. coroner, s5o6ST: sur
veyor j. s. Matson, s72s0; Recorder Il.
Kimball. sl.294.40: county commission
ers, A. ID. Davis, sl77.97; f. r. Coughlin,
sl93.65; and G. S. Harvey, $224S9; board
of review. Ashtabula, $751; Solicitor NJ
G. Spaulding, $225 Common Pleas
Judge W. S. Metcalf, $1lSS4 from Ash
tabula county $4,000 from Geauga
county. and s50.0S from Lake county:
ex-Treasurer +. J. Graves. 5,6s0g0; ex-
Treasurer o. A. Hoskjns, sH. 34S.55 To-
tai due Ashtabula county, ss0959.55
The amounts due the state are as
follows: Treasurer r. f. Harper. 1857;
Clerk r. c. Ewing. s106; Sheriff c. S.
Sheldon, sss4.6l; making a total of 81,
357.73.
Bills improperly paid Treasurer r.
E. Harper, s264,57; Auditor Z. c. Remic
to assessors, 1872. commissioners report.
s24S.95. The total of bills improperly
paid including several small charges
amounts to 81 329.02