The copper era and Morenci leader., 1912-01-26
SANDERS Is BOUND OVER ID FIRST
 GRAND JURY
Justice Moder Follows the Ad- vice of the District Attorney in Case Against County
 Auditor for Altering
 County Records
BOND FIXED AT s250O.00
Act of Making Correction on Public Resords Is Held to Constitute a
 Felony Under Our Statutes

The charges against F. A. Sanders who during the months of June and July, was acting as County Auditor, and during this period is alleged to have made alterations on public re- cords, was given a preliminary hear ing in the court of Justice of the Peace Moder on Tuesday, on one of the nine charges brought against him, and was bound over to await the action of the Grand Jury of Greenlee county and his bond fixed in the sum of Twenty Five Hundred Dollars. The preliminary hearing upon the oth- CT charges was waived and the de- defendant allowed to go upon his own recognizance.
 The charge upon which MT. San ders was given a hearing was based upon the alteration of certain figures appearing upon the Record of Claims kept by the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors The amount of the de- mands allowed by the Board of Sup ervisors are entered upon this record and the several items contained in a demand are segregated into several columns such as Expense, supplies, salaries, etc. etc. During the month of June last a demand was entered upon the Record for $711 10 and the several items of the demand segregated by the Clerk of the Board. In checking up the records the County Auditor took issue with the Clerk of the Board as to the correct segregation made and proceeded to change the segregations by drawing a red line through the segregations made by the Clerk and placing his segregations in other col umns, both the segregations as made by the Clerk, and those made by the Auditor, showing upon the records. For this alleged changing and altering of the records warrant was sworn out for the arrest of County Auditor Sanders under Section III of the Re vised Statutes of Arizona.
 Clerk of the Board w. O. Wheatley was the only witness called by the prosecution. He testified that he was the custodian of the records in the office of the Board of Supervisors dur ing the month of June last and that F. A. Sanders was the County Auditor. He testified as to the segregations of a certain demand made by himself and the changes in the segregations made by the County Auditor and tes- tified to the changing of one item in particular in segregated column from $6.00 to $123. Upon cross exam ination, over the objection of the Dis trict Attorney, the witness stated that the changes made were the result of difference of opinion beween himself per method of bookkeeping. MT Wheatley said he did not see the changes made but the alterations were made during the time his record was in the hands of the County Auditor.
 This evidence constituted all the testimony introduced in the case and the remainder of the time was devoted to arguments before the court by District Attorney Horton for the Ter ritory and Mcfarland & Hampton for the defendant.
 The District Attorney defined the word "willfully'', under our statutes, to mean an act committed knowingly by a person of sound mind and no in- tent of wrong doing was necessary to be established. The act itself, com mitted by person of sound mind, was sufficient. That MT. Sanders had will fully changed and altered the public records of the county and that he was doing his duty under our statutes in bringing the defendant to the bar for a criminal act. The district attorney cited a case from the Supreme Court of California and also from the State of Montana, which he stated were par allel cases to the one on trial, to sus i. in his position He s:;,,..i that the statute was intended to prevent the alteration and mutilation of public re- cords as complained of in this action and dwelt upon the fact that the will
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