Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-02-05
AMERICAN CLERK
IS SUSPENDED
r St. Leqer Atkins Faces Serious
Charge Preferred by coun-
Gilman Wood.
TAXES NOT ACCOUNTED FOR.
paid in and Receipts Issued for
r,,es. but No Further Record
obtainable--Under investigation

c. Logger Atkins, chief clerk OF
.,root department under the some
~ notorious Jake Raleigh. superin-
tsndent of streets, is facing u serious
.h,rge brought against him by Coun-
e,,,,,er 7. ]. Wood. There has been col
- 40 noll tax receipts show, SSbl and
orount has not appeared on the
- and there is doubt If the citys
-. hook will show that amount to
,rAdit OF the street department
Atr,ns was suspended from service
,.asterday and will remain out of his
omca until the clouds are removed, or
longer.
IS TYPICAL AMERICAN"
Atkins is IN the forefront OF the Am
or,cann party ranks, and in
truth is typical American"
He has been bitter enemy
If /. j. Wood, who was himself a
,,,amber of the street department a
while back. Atkins fought him in the
Second dlctrict. from which he was
elected to the council at the last city
election. Now Woods turn has come.
EXPERTS OVERLOOKED 1T.
Wood declares that he has known for
four months that Atkins was not in
tune with his books, but said nothing
about 1t for fear the evidence might
he covered up If Atkins was posted on
II. When the far famed special au-
ditors which have cost the city $4,000
went over the books in the street de-
partment they must have overlooked
this shortage for they made no report
concerning IL. Some members of the
city council are hoping that the eXpen-
sive accountants have done better
work In the other city departments.
but they don't know that they have.
THUNDERBoLT STRIKES.
The thunderbolt struck the street
department offices yesterday afternoon
when Councilmen Wood, Raybould,
Black and Holley entered and demand
ed of Atkins that he present his books
for their inspection. Atkins handed the
aldermen few receipt books and told
them to go ahead.
II want that stub book out of that
safe" demanded Wood.
Il haven't got the key to the safe"
said Atkins.
We'll, you had better go home and
get it," said the councilman.
Atkins went for the key, at least he
says he did, but he could not find it,
Then he returned and said that he
couldn't fine it.
SAFE is OPENED.
Jake Raleigh took hand in the
game at this point and told Atkins that
If he didn't open the safe, he would get
a sledge hammer and open II himself
This exhibition of brute force on RAJ
leigh's part was made unnecessary
when Sid Case. electrician at the joint
building came and opened the safe.
II is an old fashioned affair and why
II Is called a safe no one but Bill Nye
eou 1 ever say.
The book was there. 1t showed III
stubs, each representing payment OF
for poll tax. In the blank form
d the stub there Is a place where the
amount received should be entered
There were no entries In this place in
he III stubs found. only the name
and address OF the tax payer being CIV
en-.
NO RECORD IN LEDGER.
There Ia no record OF these stubs to
te found in the ledger or other ac-
count books of the street department
Atkins tried to explain by saying that
IN the pressure of his regular duties
be had not had the time to make the
entries, but that he intended to do II
as soon as he found time.
Atkins is under bond of $1,000 as n
city employe. All his books. including
the bank book, a-e in the hands of the
city attorney for a complete legal in
yestigation and Atkins may lose just
little sleep before he has done as he
promised. 81 can explain 1t all away.
There is nothing in the charges, be-
cause l haven't had the time to make
the entries. That's all there is to IT,"
PECULIAR CIRCUMSTANCES.
From the statements made by the
members of the council having the In
vestigation in hand, the inference Is
that Atkins. who collects a large por-
tion of the poll tax, uses this particu-
lar book in making out the receipts
The book In question has it's receipts
and stubs numbered from 1900 TO 1000
There are four other books. the re-
ceipts bearing smaller numbers than
those found In the Atkins" book and
there are still others In which the num-
oers run from 1900 upwards. In the
ledger there have been records made OF
the receipts from the 1000 book and
in the 1000 book, but there Is not an
entry from the book running from
1900 to 1000.
ATKINS SUSPENDED.
Officially, the matter came before the
council last night in no particular
definite form, Supervisor OF Streets
Raleigh simply asking that body TO
suspend Atkins for an indetermlnate
period and his request was granted.
The committee on streets and finance
VIII look further into the matter today.
lip TN cTbTE EMGIMEER