The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1949-06-04
WILLIAMS DENIES
POLITICAL CHARGES
in ANCHORAGE FEUD

in page one hannerllneS.
Charges and denials flew, STEM
ming partly from the reluctance
Of District Attorney Earl Cooper
to prosecute Archie L. Brown, who
resigned as Deputy Tax Collector
after shortage in Territorial funds
was. discovered by auditors.
Following his confession of bor-
rowing sums at various times and
replacing them before transferring
funds to the Juneau office, Brown
charged Williams with political in
trigue, and said he had been asked
by Williams to use his influence
with the district attorney in behalf
OF z. E. Eagleston, who was SEN
fenced the previous week for as
/ sault.
The political charges were pub
lished Saturday in an extra edi-
ton of The Anchorage Times. al
ter story of Browns resigpa-
ton and discovery of the shortage
had appeared in the rival paper,
The Anchorage Daily News.
! "All charges OF political intrigue
as made by Archie l.. Brown and
the publisher of the Times said
Williams today. ARE absolutely I'M
founded, and l gave statements to
the press solely because believe
the people are entitled to know the
| facts
Although Brown stated that his
shortage was only $500, which he
covered with his personal check as
i soon as it was discovered, the re-
| port of Arthur Andersen and Com
pany, auditors, showed shortage
! of $555.29 and restitution of the
entire amount.
On receipt of the auditors re-
pert dated May Is, telling of the
shortage. Williams went. to Anch-
orage May 20 to investigate.
Il tried to call on Brown the
next day." said Williams. He was
fishing. l interviewed him the fol-
lowing Monday, and obtained his
signed confession, in which he adj
mitted borrowing $685. from the
cash drawer in March. Browns
statement also admitted borrowing
| $555.29 in May--the amount OF the
shortage discovered in the audit.
Brown also detailed how he had
used the money.
Il have in my possession the
original confession In which he
states definitely that he borrowed
$555.29 from the till in the office,
and just as definitely that, at the
time OF the audit, he gave the audi
tor a check for 5000 and the bal
ance Of $355.20 in cash.
"At the time Of the confession, =
Williams continued, Brown admit
ted he knew 1t was wrong to take
the tax money and use It for per-
sonal uses. but he claimed he al
ways intended to pay 1t back.
II called Tax commissioner NJ.
P. Mullaney, and he came up from
Juneau May rs. Brown had resign
ed May %. but it was more seemly
to wait and let the announcement
come from Commissioner Mullaney.
ION the Goth. Mullaney and I
went to the district attorney, and
gave him the confession and the
auditors letter, with Browns cam
celed check for $S65 to cover the
March shortage.
The next day, Attorney Cooper
informed me that, at that time,
he did not intend to take further
action. He returned the papers tc
me.
II gave the entire story to the
News, which printed excerpts from
Browns confession in it's issue of
May 49," Williams went on.
The the Times came out with a
special edition the same day, in
which Brown said the shortage was
only 1929, and In which he accused
me OF being implicated in political
intrigue to make him scapegoat.
s'As to political activity" Williams
said. Il consider this a part of
Robert Atwood's attack on the
Democratic Party. as evidenced by
his editorial of May "a. in which he
lambasted the Democrats. Atwood
personally accused me Of insisting
upon presenting this matter TO the
district attorney solely due to the
fact that Brown is a Republican
Atwood accused me OF politics. but
1t seems to me that he is trying
to play the game himself"
The sequel to the controversy Is
announcement this week by District
Attorney Cooper that charges of
irregularities in the Anchorage Ter
ritorial Tax office will be presented
to the grand jury for investigation.
No date has been set for converting
the grand jury. I