The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1913-03-06
Lane Commissioner
Surrenders Office to
Governor.
DE MES BENEFITS
Accused Officer Still |nsists
He Profited in No Way
by Doctored Warrants.
From Thursdays Daily

- ~ '' '''' 49, ''''A'H
About half past four Mr.. Brinker
presented his resignation to Governor
3yrne, and With it $535.S5 which was
turned into the state treasury as the
money which he is charged with hay
ing secured through manipulation of
travel vouchers, and which he says
he never received any benefit from.
about an hour later Mr.. Brinker
Went TO the Office of Police Justice
Slndee, where a warrant for his ar
rest on a charge OF having secured
money from the state through false
~pretenses was served on him. He
waived examination and was placed
under bonds OF three thousand dol
lars for his appearance in the May
term of the circuit court for this
county. The bond was given by his
wife, and y. c. Brink. and he was at
once released from custody. Cover
ltor Byrne will fill the vacancy caus-
ed by his resignation within the next
two days, the principal applicants for
the place being Fred Hepperlee of
Eureka who was defeated as a pri-
mary candidate for secretary of
state; and ID. NJ. Smith. of Miller.
once railway commissioner of this
state, now at the head OF the house
enrolling force.
Result of accident.
Briefly the occurrence which OBJ
oned up the case was as accidental
discovery OF a voucher for travel eX-
pense on the part OF a man who was
looking for something else on other
matters. and which he knew person.
ally to be wrong. He took the matter
10 Attorney General Johnson, who
started an investigation. and dug up
the different vouchers, and G.. Louis
Gfauel, whose name was signed to
the vouchers, and the true situation
came TO the surface. The whole mat
ter was laid before the Investigating
committee which was already al
work, n they worked on that line
until they had dug out all other
iactS. Nhlle there are many other
rufhofs as 10 Irregularities in that
department nothing else has yet de-
Ne!oped outside the line opened up.
hut the committee Will continue its
work, and Governor Byrne will TODAY
recommend to the legislature that
an appropriation be provided to keep
the committee in session after the
adjournment of the legislature to
continue their york as to that and
other departments.
commissioned Brinker yet takes the
position that he received no financial
5 benefit personally from what has
beer shown, but the evidence is so
open that it is hard to see who did
receive he benefit if he did not. The
testimony OF G.. Louis Grauel is to
. the effect that he was hired to drive
al auto at forty dollars a month and
his expenses. and that he was paid
monthly in cash. and signed re
celpts' for the same which receipts
proved to be vouchers for $11O
each. These were regular on their
lace, and warrants We're issued for
the amounts called for, and cashed.
sometimes after having gone through
several hands.
} Other Rumors Numerous.
There are rumors of course of all
KINDS OF Irregularities in that de-
partment since the outcome today.
: but IL there are anything more than
mere irregularities which had no
lnanclal features back of them they
are not revealed. The timber on one
! school section was sold by the de
partment some time ago. and that
VIII be investigated before the COM
Mlttee completes its work. Bids for
several million feet of timber on the
SKATE forest reserve were advertised
Tor early in this month. but when
the date for opening the bids arrived.
several laws had been introduced
changing the manner of handling
state timber, and no bids were allow
ed. but 1t is one of the JUNIORS that
an agreement was reached in regard
TO future sales at that time. but that
Is all rumor, and is open to investi-
cation with other matters. AS in
most cases of handling public mon
ey there have been rumors for a
year or more that there have been
Irregularities in other departments
than the land department, and while
these may or may not have a founda-
ton, 1t Will be the work of the com
mlttee now to investigate all of these
propositions, and leave each depart
ment or officer with a clear 'bill of
health" or find out if there is really
anything back of these rumors. just
how far the whole thing will develop
IS the story of the next few laws or
weeks, according to what the COM
mittee is able to dig up.
johnson Aided Probe.
Attorney General Johnson has de.
voted a large share of his time to this
case ever since his attention was
called to the discrepancy in the first
warrant drawn to Grauel, and has
had his drag net out all over the
state securing the witnesses neces-
sary to make the case an absolutely
certain one before he opened it up
Tor real investigation, and has beer
working night and day to get every
thing in shape where there could be
no question open in the line which
lie had to present to the committee,
and to the court when the case comes