Connecticut western news., 1917-03-08
NORFOLK'S FINANCES
Sensation Caused by Statements at
 Special Meeting.

brought together a capacity house of
 deeply interested citizens.
 A sensation was created by state
 ment made by Lawyer s. A. Herman who has been retained by the town in the case.
 The Hartford Courant publishes the following report of the meeting: That there was a master hand behind the defalcations of Philemon w. John Il son, Norfolk's missing town treasurer, and that Johnson, conscience stricken, disappeared as the result of a situation which was beyond his control. was the [j statementN made this afternoon by Samuel A. Herman of Winsted, before special town meeting which crowded \ the meeting house almost to suffocatlon T in spite of near blizzard. MT. Her. | man, who has been retained by the town in the case, told the citizens of the town that the investigation into l Johnson's shortage was progressing and urged them to take no action which would thwart the interests of justice His statement, which created mild sensation among the town folk, was
 made immediately after J. Francis Horton, promoter of the Norfolk Manu- featuring Company, had introducted resolution, shortly after the meeting opened, for the appointment of 8 special committee consisting of three selectmen and two citizens to 1nvesti- gate how Johnson's shortage occurred and to prevent recurrence of the pres. ent situation. The resolution also e. nP fbn mittee's investigation be made at an { adjourned meeting on March 26. It was then that Lawyer Herman warned the town folk carefully to con. 1 sider their action.
 \ "As an attorney in the matter l
 have come here to make some explana 7 tions,'' he said. Certain inquiries { have been made of the selectmen and
 if the fact are given out they will
 create an injury to the town. No step
 must be taken here to impede the work
 of the selectmen. Progress has been
 made in this investigation. I can't
 say just how far it has gone. We have made an inquiry regarding the $12, 1000
 note and the investigation has gone far enough.to make us reasonably sure that I ] right track of tracing some of the funds I don't believe Johnson was crimi- nal at heart. He had somebody who was a master hand in these deals. Johnson was a man with conscience and when the situation got beyond him he felt he had to commit suicide. He was not premeditative criminal. We can't move hurriedly in these matters
 and no action should be taken which would thwart the purposes of the in- vestigation."
 { These remarks were received with vociferous applause and the citizens stamped their boots until the walls of
 the old hall fairly shook. Senator R.
 B. Stoeckel, lawyer for the town of
 Norfolk, then introduced a resolution { as substitute which nullified Horton's s 1 resolution. The town lawyers resolu. tion empowered the selectmen to col lect the towns claim against Johnson and provided that, if they require as- sistance, they may call two taxpayers of the town as a committee. The sub- stitute left the selectmen free to con. duct the investigation along their own lines.
 Edmund Brown then introduced a resolution providing that the town treas urer, the selectmen and the town school committee be authorized to con- ! stitute committee to study the towns financial system and make recon. mendations for an improved financial system, for funding and liquidating l the towns indebtedness and for the
 adoption of better system of fire pro, lection. The resolution was unani. mously adopted.
 Arthur P. Atwood, the town clerk, moved late in the meeting that the re- port ot the auditing committee cover. ing Johnson;s term in office be &C., cepted. For practically all of the town folk this was the first mixing that the report on the shortage was completed. It has not yet been made public. M
 F. Mulville doubted if the report had
 been completed, but Seth Hatfield, en- ployed as an accountant on the town 1 books, announced that the report was ] ready. He said the report had been ] made to the selectmen. Lawyer Her.
 man urged that the report should be held up in the interest on the investi-
 gation. The report was not made pub- | lie, the motion for its acceptance be- ing lost by unanimous vote.
 The main object of the special town meeting today was to hear the special report of the selectmen and treasurer of the town covering finances of Nor folk for period beginning Septe Der F 15, 1916 and ending March 3, 1917. The report showed the financial condi. tion of the town from the date of the ! last fiscal year but it revealed little of interest regarding Johnson's shortage. The report contains foot note to the effect that $2,000 note on the City Bank and Trust Company of Hartford,