The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-24

the voters might recomm1nd a man
10 the whole state as a lit custodian
or the cash in the vaults at the cap
ital There the responsibilities Of the
said majority ceased altogether. Tn
der the law the select custodian must
so ont among his fellowmen and find
among the disinterested solvents three
or four. more or less. who would come
forward with their private fortunes
in hand and pledge their all to the
secretary of state under the great seal
OF state that the custodian elect would
not be careless in handling tho vast ac-
cumulatiohs of cash in the states
strongbox. that the custodian appoint
ed by the ballot would be discreet,
would be honest SO at the end of his
trust the public easn would be all
forthcoming. If. however. by bad luck
or otherwise, the ballot box cnoice OF
custodian should prove unfortunate,
the three or four sureties on his Of
feial bond, disinterested prosperous,
useful citizens, must themselves pay
the penalty at whatever personal sac
rifiee.
Tne sureties on the Official bond of
the state treasurer. filed in the closing
year of the Cobb administration, We're
some gentlemen of Autauga county. the
most responsible of whom was Mr.. Nj.
E. Pratt None of the several names
had any special interest in the official
conduct of the state treasurer superior
to that of the general public.
Governor ONeal soon called on Treas
urer Vincent to file a new bond. The
treasurer supposed the bond made by
him and filed January 70, 1882. with
Mr. Pratt and others as sureties would
amply suffice until the same date of
1888. However. he brought forward a
new bond. The governor refused 1t. He
brought forward a second, Which the
governor also declined. In a few days
the governor, wearied by the neglect
of the treasurer, sent for him. givins
positive information that the office of
state treasurer would be at once closed
unless he. the incumbent. gave the
necessary bond.
Mr.. Vincent went across to the Of
flee of secretary of state and there
Borrowed, as he said. the book in
which his first bond, that of 1878, and
his second bond, that of 1890, We're re-
corded. He never returned that book.
of 1880. was kept for long among
the state auditors papers but how it
disappeared none knew.
on the stationery of his office Vim
cent wrote the following letter:
montgomery, January 29 1883.
Dear Crawford--I find this evening
that my money is not here, neither
has it been paid over to the-inporters
and Traders bank, as promised, l leave
for New York to straighten the whole
matter etc. Crawford and Pell<y and
Vernon, treasurer of the state of Ten
nessee fell by the same tempter,
Wall street.
The defalcation was finally adjudged
to be $212, 2,6S702 A committee was
appointed by the legislature to settle
with the personal securities on the
treasurers land bond, executed the
last year of Governor Cobb's second
term Mr.. M. e. Pratt. a prosperous
citizen of Autauga county, was found
to be the only name responsible among s
the several signatures to the bond. He
paid in all 100000 part cash and
the remainder of that sum in several
annual installments. Woolfe, n broker,
with an office in Montgomery, was
identified as an agent of Vincent in
his speculations and was forced to pay
$4,000 The fleeing husband left S14.-
000 for his wife, which she Immediate
ly on receipt surrendered to the state.
The fugitive disappeared as if the
earth had opened to hide him. How
ever, after many months of seclusion.
he revealed himself to his faithful
wife. Together they lived happily and