The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-02-15
Shielded Bishop Hart.

Parkinson, moral teachers in the Mormon church,
are implicated and the escape of Bishop Hart from
the consequences of his crime, through the refusal
of the officers of a Mormon bank to appear against
him. The affair has created strong feeling among
both Mormons and Gentes, for honest men have
been deprived of their rights that officials in trusted
positions might reap the reward of rascality
detailed history of the case has been procured
for the readers of The Scimitar, and it runs as
follows
A. W. Hart has been Secretary of the ONEIDA
Irrigation District since its organization, some seven
years ago, and during that time George c. Parkinson
was the treasurer of the irrigation district Mr. Hart
sometimes acted both Secretary and Treasurer and
during the year 1905 had large sums of money de-
posted with the First National Bank of Logan Utah.
belonging to the Irrigation District.
At various times during this year he transferred
the money in the bank from his account Secretary
of the Irrigation District his private account and
checked it out for speculative enterprises of private
character and in instances bought land and sold
the land again, making large profits. Some of this
land was sold to the Irrigation District at an adj
vanced price.
An investigation has been in progress for some
months and it develops that while the district has
issued some five hundred thousand dollars worth of
bonds no books of account have been kept and the
district affairs are in very bad shape. Many poor
land holders in the irrigation district will have to
leave their possessions they cannot meet the as
sessments made to pay the bonds, and they still
a long ways from getting water
Mr. Hart was arrested about the 1st of January
on a charge of embezzement. The First National
Bank of Logan is in Utah, some twenty-five or thr-
ty miles from the residence of Mr. Hart and the Irri
CATION District and was necessary that they should
produce their books in the of the State Hart
in order that the proper evidence might be adduced
The officers of the bank promised to furnish this
documentary evidence, but the day previous to
the day set for the trial they notified the Prosecuting
Attorney of Oneida County that they would not come.
A copy of Mr.. Harris account had previously been
made from the banks books The evidence in this
case was conclusive and there could have been de-
fence if the books had been produced, but it was
necessary, in order to conviction and main
tain the prosecution, that the books should be-
brought into court.
Under the statutes of Idaho, the crime of
bezzelment is barred by the statute of limitation in
three years and the time in which prosecution could
be maintained in this case would expire February
s. 1908 and an information must be filed in the Dis
trict Court in order to stop the running of the
statute The District Court convened in the county
seat of Oneida County on January 20, 1908 and 1t
was imperative that an examination be held before
Justice of the Peace and he be held to the District
Court at that time.
The refusal of the bank officers to produce their
books and testify to their correctness has enabled
Mr. Hart to escape punishment for his crimes. There
are however other charges that probably the statute
of limitations does not run against that will be
unearthed during investigation.
The question is why did the officers of this bank
refuse to produce their books and especially after
they had promised to? They knew that, being in
other state process of the courts of the State of