Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1910-08-04

@ How Il you account tor the fact tha'
there was never any receipt book kept ~
that institution A. had confidence in
Mr.. Perkins that these receipts reported to
us every month we're finally entered IN the
record took,
o. Don't you think it is more business like
for the receipt end of thar institution
1 hav never seen in my life any institution
where person sold anything that receipt
or statement should be received from the
purchaser
o mean the record book. A. There
ought 10 be a record kept of the sales.
O. How do you account that there WASH I
an, record book kept2 A. | didn't know
that there wasn't any. Statements we're
made to us showing the amounts.
Q. The only thing that you are sure of IS
that there was a book kept showing the dis
bursemenls2 A. ! am not sure of that. |
only know
Q You are not sure2 No sir, except
as bills were presented,
O. So it was up to the superintendent then
to make out your entire report1 A. Under
our supervision
O How did you know they were correct2
A. Only as | checked them up by look
ing them over as they came in individually
and whenever the report was made out, We
checked them.
Q Did you generally 60 on memory A.
You wouldn't think that any aboard these
twenty three years could 90 or memory re
par5ing the receipts and disbursements Of
that institution.
O. Isn't it a fact that this has been done ?
A / don't know. / can't remember from
one year to the next don't try TO.
mi Thomas0 You stated that 10 the
monthly meetings, it would he impossible
for the trustees to do this work thoroughly
in the time that was given them2 A. What
work.
O. Auditing bills You made the state.
ment few minutes ago that these bills we're
all audited by the committee on trustees
accounts at the annual session of the County
Board for this work How long did they
have to accomplish this work. A. | don,
know what time they have.
O. They usually audit these accounts. You
stated that they were audited and their ac-
count ought to be final If it took you
twelve days year to audit lhese accounts
and the committee On trustees accounts APP
pointed by the Board took two hours, how
do you suppose that audit ought to be COZ
didn't take it..
A. That is all very true, neither did we
O. How would il be possible, MIR Jones
for this committee on trustees to check prop
erly all these reports If they had no receipt
books or exhibits Of that kind to 60 Overt
A. u would have been their duty to have
gone out to the Asylum and demanded them
say that the committee on the County
Board ought to have found this out If they
thought il was wrong. II they didn't have
time during the session of the county board
then they ought to have been given time &c
do IT, II would have been the prop
err thing for the County Board To have giver
this committee plenty Of time and demanded
books showing records of receipts and tol
purchases made 1t ought to have been the
duty Of the committee to see that these wer,
properly kept,
@. Don't YOU think It was the duty of T.,
trusteesr A Certainly, but the trustees
were satisfied
The reporter here read from her notes the
testimony of Mr.. Jas, Spensley, taken be-
fore the auditing committee, in the library
room of the Court House at Dodgevle
Wis, Friday, Feb 10th, 1910
Deposition of James Speusley
Q. You live IN the city Of Mineral Poiut2 A
Yes sir.
o, You have been elected a trustee OF the Asy
lum ~ intcrvRs2 A. Yes sir
9, How many years have YOU served as trustee
When were yuu first elected A. II strikes M,
now that vas trustee during the erection of tn,
Asylum, at the very start OF the institution,
remember very well being ont there with ole
man Giles when they located fine Institution
and think I was a trustee at that time.
d VI ifsF Ntt al V.ag A
Wen, q strikes me IL was about twenty -thrc,
years ago. That would be 1897, but would no
be certain.
Q, Do you rccollect how long term you serveS
the FIRST uuie you were clected2 A. No do not
Q, Were you elected second timer A. / thinl
So, I think served until the old original build
ing was All completed Perhaps il was two oil
three years, aud may have been = trustee long
or THAI that
@. We're YOU elected three times do you remcm
bert A. Well, Spreading from memory | shoulS
SAY | was elected three times during that period
thiul the last time I was elected was the third
time since the erection of the Asylum.
.. During Your first election who was the sup
r1nicndcut of th" Asylum A, MIR. E. j. Per
kins
o, He has been superintendent ever siucc2 A
Nt~ sir. | think he was superintendent Of the
old poor farm some time before
Q. When you met In your regular monthly
meetings did You have secretary of the trus
tees who wrote the minutesf A. Yes sir.
@. On all the Boards ON which YOU have been
trustee, did the secretary write the minutes.
A., Always had a secretary, hut think the sec
rotary generally delegated the writing up tu TIA,
superintendent.
o. Thon in your opinion the greater part of lht
time the superintendent wrote up the minutes of
the Board. A. l think that is correct
q. DID the trustees always write all orders oi
that institution OF were they written by the su.
prriutcudcntH A. The superintendent placed
orders for supplies In the interval between SEES
siou- When the trustees met the bills for these
supplies we're presented To the Board and they
looked over them aud passed upon them aud
the order was drawn Go pay the bills
o. Were the orders drawn At the time YOU
were having your mcctiugt A. Yes sir.
o. We're they generally signed BY thrm2 A.
After the orders were drawn they were carefully
gone over by the three members aud com pared
with the bills, That was the rule iuVsria blV
Then the poor house bills aud asylum bills sep.
aratrly were compared with the record book
g. In your term as trustee did you az any time
sign up orders Ia blank l mean by that, did the
trustees sign an order without IL being filled out
to the person TO whom IL was issued A. / see
might occur. Sometimes bill may be in that is
10 have some little correction or something OF
that kind, aud it Is possible that this might have
been done, but cannot say whether Il Is or not
Stll IT runs la my mind that there might be in
stances where that may have bceu done.
9, btd You ever notice when bills were pre-.
secuted To- YOU that the bin had been paid by the
superintendent previously 60 its being passed!
A. | think that might occur,
q. Has 1t occurred generally A. Not a general
occurrence, but there were times whcnwe MAY
have purchased some supplies iu the way oi
grain or something of that kind from some ni
the ueighbors. The bill had been presented and
perhaps the receipt for the certain amount OF
money aud the order drawn for it So that TIA,