The City Treasury Scandal
Seattle sues former treasurer Adolph Krug and his bondsmen after a massive public funds deficiency is uncovered.
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.
While the criminal prosecution of the treasury looters is being pressed in the courts, the city's law authorities are taking steps to secure what they can from the wreck. The city council met yesterday morning to authorize city officials to take possession of all good securities and attach the remainder to determine what proportion can be recovered. Corporation Counsel Donworth explained that the amount of cash which should have been in the treasury on the day Krug left was $256,202.70. The amount actually in the safe was $1,510.50. Suits were filed against Krug and his bondsmen in the superior court by city attorneys. The complaint recites that the balance of the deficiency was unlawfully converted to private use.
“The balance, $205,096.00, was unlawfully converted to private use.”
Public corruption cases were common in late 19th-century Seattle, often involving the speculative frenzy of the era's growth. The struggle to hold city officials accountable for the mishandling of public money remains a core theme in Seattle's political history.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.