The Dickinson press., 1909-12-18

ing, After Auditors {
The community was shocked on Thurs
day when it was learned that County
Auditor j. S. White had been arrested
on charge of forgery.
The arrest was made by Sheriff j. A.
Wiech in the hall of the court house as
Mr.. White was returning 10 his Office
from the noon meal.
MIR. White took the arrest coolly and
the sheriff to the Jail with.
out resistance.
The county board. Messrs. Andrew
Jopp. D. w. Mckenzie and Herman
Leutz. had been called together hurridly
the night before and found two warrants
issued October S, 1909, for $672 each, to
be unquestionable foraeries. They took
the matter up with States Attorney M.
L. Mcbride and had warrant sworn out
at once. However, before the warrant
was served, the board was satisfied that
Mr.. Whites forgeries for the past year,
mostly since July. would reach $4,000.
As J. S. White was city treasurer, an
Office he has held for ten years, or since
the first Incorporation of Dickinson, he
has been drawing up these fraudulant
warrants in various amounts and forging
the chairman's name (Andrew Jopp the
past year) and passing them along to
Treasurer Riessbeck for registration and
then depositine them at the First National
or Dakota National. city repositories. as
city treasurer. He was taking in large
sums of money in fines, taxes, etc. ;
consequently nothing was thought of the
matter.at the banks The fQeseries1 fe
fairly good limitations, though easy
enough to detect when once suspected.
In making up the fictitious warrants.
Mi. White never entered the same on
his minute book or permitted the same
to be printed in the official proceedings.
Whenever the commissioners checked
returned vouchers with the stubs in the
warrant books the amounts agreed and
no one thought to check them over
with the various proceedings entered
in the minute books.
As stated above. The board has found
about s., 600 in forged warrants IN Mr..
Jopp's term as chairman during the past
year. On the 9th of January. 1908
while D. W. Mckenzie was chairman,
are two forged warrants, one for 1927. 50
in favor of the Art Metal Culvert Co. i,
and one for $225. so in favor of Walker
Bros. These warrants show registry
entry in the treasurer''s Office under date
of January %. Mr.. White endorsed the
warrants and turned them in to his own
credit, as he has done with dozens and
dozens of others.
At the present time it is impossible to
tell how high the forgeries will run.
The commissioners are putting in long
hours to check up the defalcation. One
member of the board stated yesterday
that he would not be surprised if the
amount was $40. 600 to $40. 600.
However. Mr.. White states that he
does not think the amount will exceed
SIS. 900 and possibly not much more
than $40. 600. He does not remember
just when he commenced the forging.
but thinks it has not been going on for
more than about three or four years.
Mr.. White stated to one of his friends
after his arrest that no one was at fault
but himself and his greatest regret as
the shame that it brought to his family.
He said that he would do all that he
could to help the board in ferreting out
the matter and that he wanted to get
started on his sentence as soon as pos
sible.
Friday morning j. S. White waived
examination before Justice A. P. Fol-
som who fixed the amount of his bond
SIS. 600. 1t was said that several parties
in the city would be willing to 70 on his
bonds. but it was not definitely settled
whether or not he would care to secure
bail.
j. S. White is man about so years
of age and served four years as county
treasurer. and in 1902 he was elected to
the Office of auditor. which Office he has
since held. Prior to his county incum-
bency he was station agent at Richard
ton
MI. White is a very intelligent man.
a splendid accountant, popular with Q
areat majority. and no one dreamed
that he would be guilty of his present