Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-06-21
Treasurer Of Barnes County
Shows Where System IS
Wrong
Deputy State Auditor Jorgen-
son on Stand This
Afternoon
Double Shuttle With Checks
and Drafts IS Made
Possible
Especial to the Tribuns)

At 2 o'clock Mrs. Ellen Mitchell
resumed the stand. Numerous drafts
sent by the treasurer of Barnes
county to the state auditor were in
troduced by States Attorney w. l..
Smith. These drafts were indorsed
on the back by the First State hank
Of Bowbells. Mrs. Mitchell positively
identified nearly all Endorsements as
being in hand writing Of G.. l.. Bick-
ford.
WASHBURNe N. d., June 21-Fol-
lowing county treasurer Halvorson of
Barnes county on the stand, Deputy
State Auditor Jorgenson took the
stand and identified numerous drafts
and checks offered as evidence by
the prosecution, as those he had re-
ceived from County Treasurer Hal
vorson, and later turned over to the
then state treasurer Bickford. Jor-
genson also testified that with these
checks he turned 'er to the ;tate
treasurer drafts on the Barnes county
treasurer for corresponding amounts,
with instructions to the treasurer to
cancel said drafts and return to
Barnes county. The amounts of the
HalvOrsOn checks now admitted as
evidence now amount to nearly seven
ty thousand dollars. Jorgenson SUBJ
mitted to long cross examination by
Rangs. His inability to fix certain
dates and recall del. of some trans
actions believed to have strengthened
position of defendant.
The political aspect of the. case to
which much attention was paid by the
defense in the selection of the jury, ap
pears to have dropped from sight.
L. r. Buxton of the First National
Bank of Fargo; w. D. Austin, deputy
state treasurer. Gunder Olson state
treasurer. P. E. Byrne, Governor
Burkes private secretary, ]. L. Bell
vice president of the . lrst National
Bank of Bismarck, and Roy Nelson,
deputy state examiner, are among the
witnesses now here, and who will
be called soon.
The testimony OF H. l.. HalversOn,
county treasurer of Barnes county, is
important to the prosecution, as It
places in evidence system by which
state treasurer might have obtained
money and used it for some time
without record of such manipulations
appearing in any othev offices than
his own.
1t is the duty and custom of a coun-
ty treasurer to send in to the state
auditor at the end of each month a
statement of the amount of money he
has collected during that month which
belongs to the state. Upon receipt
of such statement the state auditor
draws draft upon the county treas
urer sending 1t in, for the amount
due the state and turns it over to the
state treasurer for collection.
HalversOn testified that when he
assumed office, over two years ago
he began the custom. which he fol-
lowed for two years, or a sending
draft or check for the amount due
the state, with the statement he sent
the state auditor, not waiting until
draft had been drawn on him for the
amount due. Upon receipt of such
statement and check the auditor
would of course turn the check over
10 the state treasurer, and then in
order to keep his own records clear
would draw the draft on the county
rom which the remittance came, but
n order to not "oduble up on the
would instruct the treasurer
% cancel the draft and return to the
county upon which it was drawn, pay
nent having already been received.
This would leave in the hands of the
tate treasurer draft for an amount
'e had already received in cash, and
which until the cancellation of the
lraft by him would be worth it's face
'alue. HalversOn testified that he
ollowed this system of remittng
money to the state treasurer because
lis predecessor had done so, and that
le continued it for two years, until
e learned that he was the only
ounty treasurer so doing. During
he two years Halverson's remittances
made in this manner aggregated a
lm far in excess of $4,000.
1t was thought this morning that
>eputy State Auditor Jorgenson would
ollow Halverson on the stand for