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


are frank IN saying that the Board OF Com
troi rather acted upon the assumption that
the taxpayers should pay the additional
OF ITSELF
Your committee Is OF the opinion, after
hcaring testimony of the trustees and
surerintendent, thar for the grerter part of
the period which his report covers, the
trustees have not performed all the duties
which the position carries and the super
tntendent has assumed responsibilities
which should not be required of him, This
committee is unable to state whether the
Trustees have uhrogated the trust for which
they were bonded TO the County, cor whether
II was 20 shlrk the performance OF their
duties that they indinerently permitted
the superintendent to have charge OF the
financial end of the institutions
The outcome of such a condition Is re-
Heated In the different paragraphs Of this
report.
Whiie the superintendent actively
assumed the clerical constructive aud
nianagrrial official duties not defined in any
WHY as IA part Of hts work, no likewise, in
tufn neglected the faithful performance OF
the farm work, u matter so essential TO the
financial welfare of this institution
hoth the trustees past mud present, and
the superintendent serving this institution
from its inception, are morally and legally
responsible for methods instituted and
prpetices INDUCED IN. That the trustees
ware and are honest men We doubt not. but
Ii 8 such loose clerical methods ms theirs
that make II possible fora grent wrong TO
Appended hereto please find The vouchers
referred to on preceding pages, which are
pBrt OF this report.
An uf which r. respectfully submitted,
Dated nOdgeyillc Wisconsin, Feb. 20, 1910.
a. O. ROETHE,
W. J. PEN ALLEGoN,
A. E THOMAS
Audit Committee,
Mr. A. +. Thomas of the committee read
che deposition OF Mr.. Murphy.
Nj, NJ ], Murphy makes the following
Statements ~ reply to various questions put
to him 10y the members of the special audit
ng committee Apo nted by the County
Board of Iowa County for the purpoSe Of
investigating the affairs and conditions of
the Iowa County Asylum and Poor Home.
Members of Committee, A G. Roethe, w.
! PenhaIlegon AMI 4. + Thomas. Taken
in the Library Room of the Iowa County
Court House at Dodgeyllle, Wisconsin, on
Friday afternoon, February nth, 1910, by
Bess c Brewer, reporter
Deposition of M. J, Murphy
Q. Where do you reside2 A, In the town of
q. When were you first elected trustee OF
this institution A. Five years ago last fall,
ia November of 1904.
o. Are Won an officer OF the Trustecsy A, Yes,
b what officedo vou hold? A. / was clerk
first. but don't remember how long aud then
WAS president Que year. Then was trca~ui-
81, don't know what You call II now, Tor one
year aud then was clerk again.
O. You kept set Of books, did you not, of
the dealings Of the Asylum A. No sir.
O. Did you Keep minute book of the month.
ly sessiuusY A. Mr. Perkins kept ii and had
Il read aud accepted al the meetings unless once
:. while it was probably overlooked, but not
o. The books we're supposed Z be the trus-
tees boaksy They were Kept by Mr.. Perkinsf
A. Yes.
these books A. Not that know of, only he
he had been dc'1g II when | went there and
they probably let him do IL.
o. II seemed 10 be the custom Of former trus-
tees that Mr. Perkins kept the boolssf a, Yes
sir
Q. Do you know Of any receipt book tina, the
trustees keptt A. No sir.
o. How did you account for the receipts Of
the institution Ia making upypurdnnual rcpory
A. Why. We bad TO take his figures for IL. He
made up his report and then brought itup before
the board meeting, and we accepted a.
o. DO understand YOU 10 say that lac made
oft tie annual report in each instance without
tie members OF the trusteesf A.. Yes sir
Q. Then you signed tile report with the other
tmsteesl A. Yes sir.
D. You did not al any time aid him IN maxi
ing out this reportf A. No sr,
Q. How did YOU know mat these reports
would be correcty A. We didn't know only
that from year 20 year they had been gone over
always aud found correct and we supposed il
was all right.
O. You took his word for IL that the account
was correctf A. Yes sir
o. Do yOu think That was the proper method
20 pursue on the part of the trustees A.
cannot sec ANYTHING wrong. and IL was printed
in the papers of the county.
q. Did hc exhibit vouchers 20 you for tile
sale of an these articles or stock of whatever
nature they may bef A. NO sir but he al
ways told as when lac sold anything from time
to lime aud always told Us what they sold for
o. Did hc eyer give you weights aud exhibit
checks that he received from the sales of stoclf
A. No sir. but he gave the names of the men
who bought ID, what he got for IL, and we sup
posed that every body knew H.
q. rs the purchase OF animals tor the farm,
such as horses. sheep or cattle, did YOU ever in-
chased these animals and ascertain 10 the price
paid was the correct pricet a, No. ! didn't
but be bought three horses while ] was there
aud he showed as the horse aud came out and
cold as what me paid for IT,. aud he said, 'If you
don't want the horst, viii keep t.'
o. Did he purchase any horses or other AMI
pals for nj. own use or has II been the custom
OF the trustees to furnish him With team A..
Yes he had team of his own. He had
two teams, think He had one old team aud
one good team that the county did not own
o. DO sou know whom hc bought the good
team fromf A, No SIR u was there before
went.
toamsY A. ! don't know. That team works
q. 10 You mean TO say that he furnishes a
team OF h.s own for the use Of the county,
a. / understood IL was that way.
O. Did he ever put bill in against the cOuu-
Is for the team he used around the Asylum A.
No sir, not that ever knew.
o. When you were secretary or clerk Of these
trustees did YOU write the orders outy A. No
sir he wrote the orders out because ID saved
time aud We signed the orders. We went by
the bill and signed the bin he wrote the order
and handed these back aud we signed the or
der on the book.
o. Did you ever sign any orders in blank
A. ] think we did. / think we signed them for
over II was something that was bought and
we signed a blank order.
o. Just ouef A. That rs all that ! remcm-
Der Of
o. Don't you think an Invoice or bill ought
to accompany a claim Of that kiHdf a.
D. bid you carry the amount appropriated
minute book each YEAR, A. I don't remember
y. H. ID not fact that the minute book just
shows the expenditure as sou made them and
mot the receipts a. / never saw any books
with receipts,
b. Ist not q fact that the superintendent
would make out the yearly report and exhibit
memorandum statements Of the moneys rsaliz-
ga through private patients and sairsf a. Just
D. m 4 memorandum iorm, that ~ A. 40
D. Don't SOU think. Mr. Murphy that there
would o. chance for probably good many
receipts uf that institution that were not imcpf-
pOrated Ia that report rs that method A. j
don't thinh 80. ] titUk he reported what hs
sold and what be sold n Tor and t seems chat q
there was anything wrong about 4 we would