Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-10-21
TWO MORE NOTES,
Calling for $4,000, Presented to Fran
naham Officials Wednesday.

Framin CHAM, Mass, Oct. 2G.-Yester-
days court proceedings in Framing
ham and Boston, in which former
TCwn Treasurer John 3. Lombard and
Charles S. Cummings ana Edward A.
Mead, Boston note brokers, were held
for the grand jury, evidently ter
minated the police proceedings at the
present stage Of the situation result
ing from the discovery of outstanding
town notes with alleged forged sigma
lures which the selectmen now say
may total $4,000 Lombard remains
i'll at his home and while he is not con-
sidered in a dangerous condition, the
attending physician holds out no hope
of his being able to leave the house
for some time. The town authorities
are kept busy verifying many genuine
town notes which have been sent in
to them since the present trouble be-
gan, many note holders fearing lest
their paper should turn out worthless.
The police have given nc intima-
ton as to who actually benefited by
the alleged forSeries. Arthur NJ.
Fits, who was appointed by the Sc
lectmen as temporary town treasurer,
after Lombard fell under suspicion,
viii serve until the next town meet
ing, in March, when d new treasurer
will be elected
Three more notes of which Town
Clerk Frank F.. Hemenway could find
approval were presented to Mr.. Hem
enway late today by a man who de-
clined to give his name and whose
- 1,f
disclose These notes were for $4,000
each and bore the signatures of Lom-
bard and selectmen William II. Walsh
and F. Z. StOckwell. They also bore
the certifcation of Clerk Hemenway
to the fact that the town had author
lied the treasurer to borrow money by
the issue of town notes to anticipate
the payment of taxes. Mr.. HemenWay
explained that at the request of Treas
urer Lombard he often had signed
such certifcations on blank notes in
advance, as q matter of convenience.
He pointed out, however that he had
not certified to the selCctmen's approx
III of the issuance of these particular
notes. He said that in his opinion the
signatures of Messrs. Walsh and Stock
Well on these notes We're forged. The
notes nore the date of Sept. "a, 1908.
This brings the total amount repre-
scented by alleged spurious notes which
have been turned into the town clerk
up to $155.O0O. The town officials be-
lieve that this represents less than half
of the alleged forged notes which have
been issued
The selectmen of the town have been
able to connect Charles S. Cummings
transactions in notes Of the town as
far back as 1896. During the five years
between 1896 and 1901, 81 notes were
sold to the state treasurer by brokers,
who received about $4,000 in premiums
These brokers were represented prin-
cipally by the firms of E. H. Gay &,
Co, Rimes & Cummings and by c. S.
Cummings & Co, with all of which
Cummings is understood to have been
Interested One of these notes for
$4,000 and dated Dec. 20, 1900, does
not appear on the town list, it is said.
The fact that the brokers received
$4,000 in premiums, while the town is
credited with none, indicates, accord
ing to the selectmen, that Treasurer
Lombards Irregularities go back at
least to 1896 A town official stated
tonight that 100000 worth of notes held
by a bank in Montpelier, VT, have
been questioned as being not legally is
sued.