The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-12-01
BEDDING WOMAN REOPENS
 QUESTION OF TOWN ACCOUNTS
Mrs. Augusta Moore Alleges That She Paid Her Tax:s to Town Clerk NcksrSOn=-Tax Collector Sanford De- nies Receiving Them and Declares That Receipt from Him Would be Forgery.

1 the suppression policy that Mir. Banks | knew there was nothing to be hoped from him. The other member of the | board. First Selectman Charles San-
 ford. had previous knowledge of what Mir. Banks had to offer and was known | to be open minded and unaggressive- Having obtained the floor. so to speak. MT. Banks, addressing himself particularly to MT. Pinkney. submit ted several pages of foolscap bearing licenses had been issued. He went on to explain that this list had been furnished by MT. Nickerson. Pre- sumably. he said. from the stubs on of each license. They do not tally
 up," said Mir. Banks, with the re- turns in cash that MT. Nickerson, as town clerk. has made to Mir Hill as town treasurer. There is an appar- ent shortage here which I would like to have you consider"
 MT. Pinkney made an offhand audit and said that on the face of the re- | turns there was due the town from cog license fees at least $324. There had been paid, in round numbers. only $271. leaving a shortage of s53. Tt seems to me-" said MT. Pinkney, that this is an important matter and one which ought. in the interests of the concerned, to be accurately deter mined"
 By this time it was 6 o'clock and adjournment came as an agreeable close to a state of high tension. It was arranged that the first selectmau should write Mrs. Moore to the effect that her remedy seemed to be in se- curing the repayment from MT. Nick erson of the tax she had paid, or in case he could produce receipt from E. M. Sanford. of repayment from the latter. The board would abate the lien charges.
 So far MT Nickerson hasn't produc- ed the receipt from MT. Sanford wh oh he said he thought he had In his pos session There has been good deal of telephoning inI the matter without any positive result. Tax Collector Sanford isn't at all worried in the matter alt. ough he realizes that. tech nicaliy. he is placed in a questionable position. He faces the situation frankly and says that if any receipt shows up he will denounce 1t as a forg- cry as he remembers every detail of the Mrs. Moore tax too distinctly to be
 There are other features of the case involved in the inquiry of What next?" MT. Banks to whom your cor respondent addressed this inquiry. to- day says he doesn't know. "What have tried to tell our citizens" said he '1s that MT. Nickerson Is incompe- tent to hold his present responsible of flee. was asked to specify and tried 10 do so when l was DOwled down. That was one instance and I don tknow how many others there are. Tn consequence of raising my voice l have been kicked and cuffed. As to what shall be done I can only say that a law passed by the last General Assembly seems to hit this case pretty nearly. It provides that when com plaint of a town clerk in writing is made to a State Attorney. the attorney shall submit the case to a judge of the Superior court, and the judge. If suf- ficient cause be found. shall remove the delinquent from office. In that case. the selectmen, I believe. are em- powered to fill the vacancy"
 '-Eow about another town meeting?7 MT. Banks was asked.
 That may come later," was the re- ply. What I have done in this line hasn't been for profit. nor honor. nor glory. The other side says 1t has been malicious. I can't disprove a general accusation of that kind and can only say that I fully realize my failure to make good will react on myself. MT. Pinkney and myself had a talk at a chance meeting yesterday in which he said that he was resolved to go at the bottom of these matters and that any one who either committed wrong or connived at wrong was deficient in the clements of good citizenship. That's as far as we have got and let the fu- ture take care of itself"