Evening star., 1940-10-15
Board Named
To Probe D. T..
Fund Shortage
Cashier, Ousted
With Aide, Better
After Toking Poison

A board of inquiry consisting Of
three District officials was named
today by the Commissioners to in
vestigate the reported $4,000 short.
age in the accounts of the cashier
of the Vehicles and Traffic Depart
ment and to fix responsibility in the
case
At the same time the Commits
sioners ordered the District auditor
to make an immediate audit of the
revenues, including cash on hand.
in each department, service or
branch of the District government.
This order also called for making
special audits at least four times a
year, the results to be reported to
the Board of Commissioners.
The board of inquiry consists Of
Byers M. Bachman, deputy assessor,
who served for many years as chief
accountant of the Public Utilities
Commission, chairman; Maj. Bev-
erly c. Snow, Assistant Engineer
Commissioner, and Porter G. Lump
kin, chief clerk of the Highway De-
partment.
Meanwhile, it was disclosed at the
District Building that this was the
second shortage discovered in the
Traffic Bureau accounts in the past
year. A young clerk at the bureau
was allowed to resign when his
father made restitution of sl00 or
5000" which he was short, it was
disclosed. His resignation took ef-
feet April 1.-THE day Miss Vass
said she discovered the $4,000 short.
age.
Cashier Recovering.
Meanwhile, Miss Julia L. Vass. Al,
District Bureau of Vehicles and
yesterday after the shortage was dis
covered, was reported recovering to-
day at Gallinger Hospital from the
effects of poison.
She was rushed to Casualty Hos
pital from her home, at 16 Ninth
street NE. late yesterday a short
time after her suspension had been
announced She was treated for the
effects of poison and removed to
Gallinger Hospital for observation.
Miss Vass and her assistant. Merk
Dunn, were suspended pending out
come of the probe. news Of which
( leaked out yesterday.
The money had been missing
! since April II, Miss Vass told her
/ superiors. but she did not report it
Immediately. hoping 1t would be re-
covered.
Safe-LOoting Theory.
Both she and Mr.. Dunn stated
that they had no idea what hap
pened to the money. Miss Vass ad-
vanced a theory that it might have
been stolen out of a safe in the
/ bureau.
The money was collected in the
bureau at Fourth street and John
Marshall place NV in payments
for licenses, automobile tags. titles,
etc At the time it disappeared
/ Miss VaSs was said to have been
swamped with work
She was several days behind in
/ turning collections in TO the District
I Building because there was more
bookkeeping to be done than she
| could handle, investigators said. AS
result, there were days when
thousands of dollars piled up in the
safe in the bureau. The safe some
times was left open for short periods
during the day, Miss Vass told in.
vestigators.
She first reported the money miss
ing last week, whe she told her su-
perior. c. NJ. Towers. collector of
taxes, about the shortage. He said
he ordered her to repeat the story to
the District Commissioners and an
investigation was begun by the Dis
trict auditors office.
Pair Are Suspended.
News of the investigation leaked
out and Commissioner Melvin G.
Hazen made a statement yesterday.
He ordered Mr.. Towers to suspend
both Miss Vass and Mr.. Dunn tenn
porarily.
Late in the afternoon a man who
was friend of Miss Vass went to
her home and found her semi-con-.
scious in bedroom. An empty bot
tie of disinfectant was found.
The cashier and her assistant
were covered by bonds totaling
$500. The tull amount of the loss
has not been determined, but .Mr.
Towers said it apparently would be
in excess of the amount the Dis
trict could recover through the
bonds.
The cashiers Office is in the Traf-
fic Bureau, but its employees are un-
der the collector. of taxes.