Daily Kennebec journal., 1912-02-13
In the State Treasurer's
Office in 19O9-10.
Former Treasurer on One Oc-
caSion Borrowed Of State,
GivingPersonal Hote.-clerk in Office
Misappropriaied Funds.

/
committee and Attorney General Will
| liam r. Pattangall, which showed some
questionable transactions in the office
| of the State treasurer during the years
| 1909 and 1910, the State treasurer on
| one occasion borrowing money from
| the State on his own personal check
as security. and one of the clerks,
whose name was withheld at the hear
| ing and who afterwards resigned, mis-
appropriating funds to the amount of
l$1460. 1t appeared, however, that
these irregularities were promptly dis
covered and that those connected with
the transactions Were in no wise
shielded by the administration, also
that the matters We're straightened out,
without the State being i'll any way
the loser.
The witnesses called were Melvin w.
Wiswell, clerk for IA years in the office
of the State treasurer Lee d. Hodg
kins, bookkeeper in the office of the
State auditor and Former State Au
ditor Charles p Hatch of Portland.
The testimony in regard to MI Gill
more was brought out by Atty. Cen
eral Pattangall, who approached the
subject by asking Mr.. Wiswell, if, dur
ing his term of office. anyone had de-
posted his personal checks in the cash
drawer to balance the casn.
Mr. Wiswell replied that in March,
1909 four checks payable to cash were
deposited in the cash drawer by Mr..
Gilmore, and that checks of the State
of Maine aggregating $4,000 were drawn
payable to Mr.. Gilmore. The personal
checks deposited amounted to $sSo0
He did not know that there was any
authority for it and he did not know
that il had ever been done before or
since.
when. was your attention called to
the NATTER" asked the attorney gen.
eral
When 1 found the checks deposited
in the drawer" replied Mr. Wiswell.
Il didn't draw the checks, one of the
other clerks drew them
What did you do when You found
the checks"
Il. did nothing"
When was Your attention next call
ed to the transaction?s
When Mr..Hatch came i'll at the end
of the month";
What WAS then done
Il haven't any personal knowledge
of what was done but l was told that
Mr.. Hatch told him TO take care of the
checks. 1t was done"
Passing from the Gilmore matter to
that of the clerk who misappropriated
funds, the attorney general asked
during the last four years has there
been any difficulty with any of the ac-
counts of any of the clerks"
Yes. in 1909 or To-
What was it?''
"One of the clerks misappropriated
funds"
ITO what extent" i
Fourteen hundred dollars It was
discovered by Miss Clancy, the corpor-
alton clerk.
How long had it been going on?'
Two or three months"
WAS the money replaced?"
III was"
How long after the defalcation was
discovered?'
'Within a very few days"
did the clerk continue in the en-
ploy of ths> Office
NO, he was discharged"
"What was the method of defalea-
ton
':IIe forged the cash balance and
changed the combination of the safe
so as to get the cash out after g.
o'clock"
Lee d. Hodgkins, the bookkeeper in
the auditors department.. who discov-
cred the Gilmore checks in the cash
drawer, corroborated all that WisweH
had said about the transaction ana
Al 70, nov
money from the State on personal
credit The checks were drawn by Gill
more as an individual and We're ex-
changed for his checks as treasurer OF
State The transaction was all clean
ed up by April 80 of the same year
Charles p. Hatch, former State audi
tor, corroborated the statements OF
the other witnesses, adding that the
checks We're drawn on the Bucksport
National Bank. He stated further that
Hodgkinst reported the matter to nm
and that he sought out Gilmore ana
told. him that the checks would nave
to be removed from the cash immeal-
ately and it was done.
did he give you any reason for de-
posting his personal checks asked
Mr.. Tupper. No" was Mr.. Hateh's
reply. Il asked him if they had any
thing to do with the States business
and he said that they did not, that
they We're his own personal affairs
You had no way of telling what use
he made of the checks?"
NO, except that we examined the
checks when they came back ana
found that they had no bearing on
state business l made memorandum
of them. but haven't it with me.
Mr. Hatch then replied to questions
from Attorney Tupper regarding the
| library accounts:
~"Did you. as State auditor, in the
year Of 1910, examine the accounts Oh
| the State librarian2"
| An examination was made by one
| of the clerks from my, office ana uh-
| der my direction -
over how many years did your ex-
animation extend2'f
THE examination went back 10
| about the date of the decease OF T. u.
| Carver, Mr.. Emery's predecessor. OF
| sometime in the latter part OF i5oo,
| Did YOU find that the librarian had