The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1911-05-18

,tion Of the suit ne sees no possible
benefits 60 result from further prose
cuticn Of the matter.
lie would gladly go ahead if the
case promised anything FOR the State.
rs he has busted himself much i'm re-
| cent mouths i'm pressing many OF the
cid suits standing i'm the name of Nir-
lSlnia. In some instances. too. he has
com promised or ended seemingly dor
mant cases 20 excellent advantage.
But the suit of the commonwealth
rs. Joseph Mayo. Jr.. ct ais. is dead
one. Today il is but a voice from the
almost forgotten past-an echo of the
early Seventies '-thOugh the events
leading np TO the litigation created a
tremendous sensation at the time.
Accused OF Embczzling S16.399.
Joseph Mayo. Jr.. according to the
Now TUSty declaration filed among
the archives i'm. Attorney General VIII
Hams Office. did not faithfully per
-orfu au and singular the duties of
state Treasurer of the said Common
wealth and therein wholly failed and
made default"
or To- express II move hluntly. he
was accused Of embezzling sums ag-
grcgatlng S16.599S7. though il do
not appear that ne was prosecuted.
\"r IS NJ clear at this late day why
le enjoyed this immunity or why
ears ago, his SurcticS We're not held
liable ON the bond. Attorney General
NillamS H'mSelt cannot explain these
matters. though ne has the opinions
oi several lawyers who years ago said
. tn.t il WOuld he useless TO push the
suit.
Joseph Mayo. Jr. was elected state
treasurer Tor the term beginning Jan
nary ], 1879. and his Suretics wcr.
HtuCiat William Malone. Dir. \. \
Nv clifford and James NJ. TAYLOR. Tho
. ""nd SiFcn was for the sum of SIOu.-
Just whom the supposed irrerulari-
I nos were discovered is nor eNnl,ir.5
'A any OF the records now readily.
"Nall"pi", but the General Assembly
"E Jpln' resolution effective Janno~,-
- inN+- instructed +. =. Blair tl1.n
N''oIlttE General. To institute suit
'53lnSJ Mayo and his sureties. To r.-
cover tho loss incurred bV the sioL;,,..
innu as previously determined ANA ms
'rt"ihen ny a report OF joint Ie.is-
.,bNe committee appointed To in\,S-
,lN".e INTO the affairs of the sink
inF fund march 80. 1874
involved Handling of Sccuri,i
attorney General Blair instituted
lilr SHlt M lSSl, but somehow or otb,-.
t H+S hunE fire since then His do
'-'"uon sans that the investigating.
. 0'ul,nlttee round that detailed state
mcnt &C the purchase of STAT 49,.
10y the Sinking Fund BOARD J,5ri,'., ,f,S
said period of two Years for the No.
, count OF the Sinking Fund which
should have been i'm bonds of S2-f -
1901, showed bonds TO the amourt
ot only SS60.710-a deficit of S15
9S9 Other deficits charged TO tba
wrongful manipulation Of securities nv
me accused official swellcd the total
10 $L6.599
n lawyer writing about the case
some months ago To the Attorney Cen
Cral say S.. The suit would have haan
dismissed in the eighties bur for tho
iact that Judge Wexford who WIS
then Judge Of the Circuit Corrt of
Richmond, was brother of Or. \. y.
Wexford Cone of the sureties) and for
;h1t reason did not sit i'm the case
probably the bond on which the suit
was Instituted was defective or mavhr
there were doubts about the guilt of
Nr. Mayo.
Few persons at the Capitol know
anything about this matter. though
one ofhcial recalls the fact that Mr.
Mayo subsequently suffered from de
mcntio and was for "a time in "a hos
pltaL This authority says that lust
ahout me same time another official
ID man named Coleman was
brought under suspicion i'm connection
with the handling of the Sinking Fund
ecur'tieS. convicted and sentenced to
the penitentiary
The friends Of Mr.. Mayo said that
ms Faults were merely the results of
oihcioi inertia and tendency to move
along the lines of least resistance"