The Scandal of the County Treasury
After years of whispers regarding the administration of the former county treasurer, a grand jury finally returns a true bill of indictment for forgery.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
For some time, rumors have been afloat that all was not right in the office of the County Treasurer, but that transactions had taken place under the administration of ex-Treasurer Bill which would not bear the light of honest investigation. The grand jury recommended an investigation of the ex-Treasurer's accounts. Captain Bill expressed his willingness to have his accounts investigated, and a committee of experts was selected by the County Commissioners. Yesterday morning, it became known that a true bill had been returned by the Grand Jury, charging ex-Treasurer Bill with forgery. The charge is that in February 1887, he redeemed a warrant for $66 issued to Providence Hospital in 1885, and instead of taking a true return, raised the amount to $2,166 by inserting the figures 2 and 1. The ex-Treasurer, who has been ill, appeared in court yesterday morning and entered a plea of not guilty. His bail was fixed at $2,500, which was promptly furnished.
“Captain Bill asserts that his accounts are regular in every respect, and his friends are confident of his ability to prove his innocence.”
Public oversight of the county treasury remains a cornerstone of local democracy. This 1887 indictment for falsifying medical vouchers mirrors the modern-day vigilance required to ensure tax dollars reach their intended services, like the hospital care mentioned in this report.
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