The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-10-12
SAY WAYNE
COUNTY HAS
SHOR AGE:
State Board Alleges Dis
crepanCies in Accounts
of Treasurer.
sTo INVESTIGATE OTHERS
Findings viii Be Turned
0unr In EilIinm
@T0 INVESTIGATE OTHERS
Findings viii Be Turned
Over to GiIIiom.

Wayne County was rocked today
with disclosures by the State board
of accounts of numerous irregular
tiles on the part of her public Off
cials. Cash discrepancies totaling
S6,24764 have been unearthed by
accounts board examiners through
an audit of of the books of Harry
f. Thornburgh, auditor of Wayne
County. of which Richmond is the
county seat.
AS a result of the disclosures, an
investigation, it is understood, will
be pressed to determine how many
county officials are affected. The
findings will be turned over at once
to Attorney General Arthur L. Gil
liom, whose duty it is to sue for col
lection of money illegally collected
or retained by public officials. The
irregularities range from the collec-
ton of illegal pay to the retention
by officials of tax collections which
should have been surrendered to the
county treasury. During the course
of the inquiry, the examiners col
lected S5,007,60 due the county, the
report shows. Discrepancies of
$1,240.04, however, remain unad-
justed.
Official Pays
Following the charge by exam
Nners that j. o. Edgerton, Wayne
Township assessor, had retained IL.
legally $1,759 in dog taxes, the of
fetal paid the amount to the county
treasury, the report shows. Exam
iners reported Edgerton had retained
S844 of the 1925 collections and 1915
of the collections for the first seven
months of 1926
Thornburgh, the report shows,
collected S1100 from the county for
services which. according to the
examiners. the law requires as part
of his regular duty. The collections
consisted of $500 for carrying over
delinquent tax, which the examiners
said was part of his official duty;
$500 "for making assessors books,
'to which he was not entitled" ac-
cording to the report and $500 for
making new transfer books" which
the accountants said was part of
his regular duty"
Responsibility for the Illegal pay
ments to Thornburgh was laid
partly on the board of county COM
missioners through contracts, the
accounts board report says. None of
the claims against Thornburgh have
been settled The commissioners are
Albert S. Hindman. Garfield Jack
son and Louis N. Hampton. All are
Republicans.
Discrepancies Settled
Other discrepancies which have
been settled follows:
Overpayments of $3,113.85 on ma
cadam road bond accounts, overpay
ment Of $19.75 to Dunbar & Son on
equipment for county infirmary.
item Of S108 retained by Infirmary
superintendent j. l.. May from pay
ments by guardians of inmates and
an overpayment Of 81 to clerks en-
1Aoyed by Deputy Coroner F. E.
teith.
Among the unsettled claims are
the following:
Overcharge Of $34.14 on public nd.
vertisirg by f. C. Mosbaugh, for.
mer publisher of the Cambridge City
Tribune, and claims of SIS pay and
5000 expenses by E. ]. Martin, Gep
uty health officer, on authority Of
DR.. John M. Fouts, county health
commissioner, during 1925. Com
menting on the latter charge, the
examiners declared:
Such service would be part of the
official duty of the secretary, for
which he receives a salary"
Carelessness Of county officials in
protecting public funds on deposit
In the county banks is criticised in
the report, which declared that on
May 1S, 1925, there was in excess of
$4,000 in public money on deposit,
unprotected. The 1925 tax refunds
were too numerous and many were
not valid, the examiners also
charged.