The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-01-04
BECAME SUSPICIOUS
MARCH, THIS YEAR
Gates, Respondent Testified, Said He
Was Glad the Graham Matter Was to
Be Fixed UP as It Had Given Him
Many Sleepless Nights.
Especial to The Reformer.)
MONTPELIER, Jan.

/ behalf, BANK Commissioners rfaHh y. /
| Williams explained the manner in |
which he made audits for the different |
biennial periods from the time he was
sworn into office until the last audit |
was made, June 80, 1916.
There was considerable contest be- |
tween the state and the respondent rel |
/ ative to the use of the word ''advanc |
esq and advancements, the respon- |
dent using the term to indicate that |
4 the auditor had given the state officials |
Il advances on expenses and salaries and
on department appropriations, upon
which to handle their business. The
H respondent said he treated the Graham
account just like all other department
accounts and that it was audited just
the same as the others.
/ He testified that when the audit was
made in 1912 there was a small short
age-money advanced on Graham s ac-
eount-and that during the next BIZ
ennial period the itemized vouchers ap-
peared to cover that audit. Itemized
vouchers appeared in the following BIZ
ennial periods in the due course of
time. Some were delayed, he said, aft
err the period of audit had been passed
/ and he had been suspicious of moth
ing wrong until March. 1918, and that
he started then to make the present
audit, which is now underway, for the
period ending June 80, 1918, claiming
that he had to do the work piecemeal
as other duties prevented him from TAX
i ing up the back work
In making this audit he found
shortage of $5,575.41. He called Au-
4 ditor Gates s attention to that and Mr.
/ Gates explained that it came over from
the Graham account. Commissioner
Williams testified that he asked Mr.
Gates if he had taken the matter up
q with Mr.. Graham and he said he had
not but that he had discussed it with
Mr.. Graham s friends and with his,
Mr.. Gates s, friends.
The respondent testified that he saw
Il Mr. Graham about the matter and
B received a promise. that the matter
would be fixed up and that in his next
conversation with Mr. Gates, which was
i within a few DAYS, he told Mr.. Gates
8 the matter was to be fixed up and Mr..
81 Gates said he was glad of it because
he had lost many nights sleep think
8 ing about it.
Mt An effort was made to introduce a
q letter showing that the respondent had
h written Mr. Graham about the matter
4 following the other conversation but
y the state objected and the court sus-
Il tanned the objection. Continuing, the
81 respondent testified as to his acquain-
Z tanee with Mr.. Graham for a long pc
Rod of years, stating that he had al
ways considered him, up to 1918, an
q honest and truthful man.
s. About Las clock court took a re-
cess until 10 o clock Monday morning.
After court opened yesterday after
noon Judge Stanton made the an
nouncement that he had decided to de
s. ny the motion of the defense that the
S respondent be dismissed ON the first and
second counts of the indictment. He
b held, however, that count charging
the respondent with failure to examine
d the Office of the state treasurer in 1916
a served no useful purpose and might
b therefore he dropped.
As to the request of the defense fol
more definite specification of "certair
fraudulent orders and vouchers men
toned in counts 3, 4, 5. and 6. Judg,
n phrase covered all orders and vouchers
not properly drawn or receipted for.
Following these two rulings, both o
h which were favorable to the state, tn
defense opened with statement b,
Frank Plumley to which Attorney Gen
II eral Barber frequently objected. MI
Plumley said it was his intention t.
prove that Bank Commissioner Will
oil 40
the duties of the Office were such a
to make it impossible for the commits
sioner to make an expert audit tina
vouchers always had been in thei
Y proper places until recently, and tina
the commissioner always had been abb
II to get the vouchers into their prope
n files before the time for making hi
report by urging Mr.. Graham to &c
Il them.
n Mr. Plumlev said he expected t
H show that delays sometimes were lone
err than others In 1914 all the itemize
vouchers We're on file except abor
Sc, 900 and later all these came exceI
-. $102.75 and finally voucher appeare
n for that. In 1916 all of the voucher
were in their proper place excel
enough to cover $4,000 which was e,
planned as clerk hire and other e,
penses and before the report was mao
the vouchers to cover that amount We
in their proper place.
1t was not until March of 1918 tn:
Mr.. Williams IS attention was Gale
to anything that led to any solieitut
relative to the funds. He. then begs
an investigation and April II call,
the the matter to the attention of NJ
iii Graham who nrouiSad To secure ri
vouchers to cover the amount and
take care of the matter, but was calls
- to Washington on government bushes