The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-07-07

checked up MI. Smith as treasurer tne
final checking being when Mr. Smith
left office, was surprised by the report
of TODAY. Mr.. Wilson offers to bet
500 each that each of the three items
to by MI. Hill are incorrect.
Mr.. Wilson does not believe MIR. smith
is,short at all, that Mr.. Hill has made
some error.
yer Reserves Action.
Governor Ansel will not take any
action Oh the report for the present.
The act requires the report to be pub,
lished in one of the county papers, and
this will be done. In the meantime
the governor will reserve action.
Incumbent Cashing Claims.
The t~reasurer's office was held by
Mr.. D. l.. Smiths father, Mr.. A. II.
Smith, from 1899 till the spring OF
1900, when he died and was succeeded
early in 1907 by the incumbent, r. +.
Jones, who the report finds is conduct
his office properly, except that he has
q habit of cashiDg claims, (which ID
liable sooner or later to cause trouble II
It. has not already done 80, to say moth
ing of the fact that it is directly con-
trary to law"
"Concluding to begin work in the
office of county treasurer" says the re-
port, 1--WE called upon the county audi
tor (held by A. A. Patterson, Jr.,) for
abstracts of the duplicates and copies
of the settlement sheets from 1899 up
to the last settlement, which was for
the fiscal year beginning January /,
1907, and ending June 80, 1908.
Found Much Confusion.
1--WE were informed by that officer
that he knew little OF nothing about
such papers, as he bad only recently
gone into office and had been kept
busy ever since in taking tax returns
and in making up his duplicates pre-
paratory to the next collection of tax
Ees; and that therefore he had not had
an opportunity or the time to acquaint
himself with the other affairs pertain
ing to his Office.
He did, however, point out to US an
indiscriminate mass of papers and
books piled on top Of tables, in dry
goods boxes, etc., in an utter state of
confusion, with no sort of distinction
between the papers of one year and
those of another, saying at the same
time that they were in just the condi-
ton in which they were turned over
to him by his predecessor.
"After spending considerable time
in q futile effort to obtain some relia-
BILE data that would be of service to us,
we applied to the comptroller general
for, the settlement sheets filed in his
office for the period to be covered by
our investigation, but as he seemed
somewhat .i%ndisposGd to allow these
papers to go out of his office, Mr.. w.
w. Bradley 1.-THE expert accountant
employed sby Mr.. Hill to assist in the
investigation) went up to Columbia
and made copies of them, save those
for the year 1905, which, he was in
formed, could not be found in the Of
fce."
County Out of Debt.
CoIleton having sold the Green Pond
and Walterboro road, for which the
county was bonded to the extent Of
$50, 900, to the Plant system for $685.
900, is now entirely out of debt with
about $1,000 on hand to meet future
claims.
Smiths Liabilities.
The report says:
1.-THE following is q summary OF the
liabilities of D. L. Smith, eX-county
treasurer, as found by US: Borrowed
money accounts ST.. OBJ. 81 on bond &C
count $2,450 ; on ~dispensary account
81, 1852. Sc ; total IS, 744.l8."
The report says of the last item, a
credit for 81, 210. 76, that it was given
by Mr.. Smith as paid the tewns on
dispensary account, whereas the towns
had already gotten this money. .
1.-THE office of county supervisor, y
SAYS the report, ''being n of the most
Important of our county offices, should
be filled by a man of frmness, good
Judgment and business talent, but un-
fortunately these qualifications are not
often taken into account by the aver.
age voter. We found the papers and
records in this office in very much the
same condition as were those in the
auditors ofice-the papers relating to
one wears transactions mingled and
mixed up with those of another, in the
most indiscriminate manner concelVa-
BILE"
The occupants of this office have
been J. o. Jacques, whose term lasted
tour years /; he was succeeded by j. T..
Moore, who was succeeded last year by
j. o. Griffin.
The report finds that the board of
which Mr.. Griffin is chairman had Or
dered claims paid which were not pro-
perly sworn to as required by law and
that claims amounting to S2O6.55 had
been twice paid. The county would
have been short to this extent but for
the investigation.
Ex.Supervisor Moor's accounts were
correct, but 10 Jacques had left a lot of
jury pay certificates not conceded.
The present clerk of court is con-
Quoting his office properly, but eX-
Clerk E. r. McTeer did not keep a
book for recording fines and forfeit
lures" as required by Law, except for
the last three months of his term.
The SUPERINTENDENT of education,
DR.. H. w. Black, is conducting his Of
flee all right.
The manner in which the offices of
master and judge of probate are run
are highly commended.
The magistrates are strongly con-!
demned for not making regular re-
ports. $685.,
:. The present sheriff is doing all right,
but the ex-Sherif L. G. Owens, who
held office about II years, the report
lin examining his tax execution
boo ks for several wears back, we found