Seattle’s Ex-Treasurer Owes Nearly $6,000—and His Bondsmen Are on the Hook
A judge found Isaac Parker’s books $5,535 short, with interest pushing the judgment near $6,000. Parker’s sureties vow to appeal, while the city tries to collect from the men who guaranteed his office.
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.
The shortage in ex-City Treasurer Isaac Parker’s accounts with the city was yesterday decided by Judge Osborn to be $5,535, with interest from August, making the amount nearly $6,000, and the city was given judgment for that amount against Parker and his bondsmen. The case is not finally determined, however, for J. A. Stratton, the attorney for the bondsmen, will appeal to the supreme court, having given notice of intention yesterday. Judge Osborn has heard the case, which came before him on exceptions to a referee’s report, under advisement for several weeks.
When Parker went out of office, his successor, W. L. Ames, could not get the books of the office to balance and opened a new set, crediting the city only the cash actually on hand. Parker claimed that he owed the city about $2,700 and placed a certified check for the amount in a bank to the city’s credit. The city’s attorney would not accept it and give a receipt in full, and soon after brought a suit to recover from Parker and the bondsmen, who were Andrew Brown, L. Piller, Samuel Kenney, O. J. Carr, Fred Oesch, J. M. Frank and M. Taylor.
“Parker claimed that he owed the city about $2,700 and placed a certified check for the amount in a bank to the city’s credit. The city’s attorney would not accept it and give a receipt in full.”
In 1894 a treasurer’s bond was the main safeguard for public cash; today Seattle’s city auditor and the state Auditor’s Office perform that oversight. The Parker case is a reminder that audits and appeals move slowly, but the core question—who answers when public money goes missing—has not changed.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.