The Audit Error That Almost Sent a Clerk to Prison
A tragic mix-up of names and a hurried stamp by an overworked clerk led to a major forgery indictment against a Seattle county employee.
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 charges of forgery preferred by J. McComber against William Wigham, both former employees of ex-City Engineer Stixrud, were quashed yesterday and on motion of the district attorney the prisoner was released from jail. The arrest of Wigham is shown to be a mistake pure and simple. J. McComber and C. McCaully were both employed by Stixrud. McCaully can neither read nor write and, owing to the similarity of names, a mistake was made in paying the men, McCaully being given two checks, his own and McComber's. McCaully went to the bank, was identified by Wigham, and the cashier paid over the money and accepted the check with McCaully's mark and Wigham's signature thereon. The mistake was made known a few days ago, when in looking over the books it was shown that McCaully had been paid twice. Mr. Phillips immediately went to the district attorney, made known the mistake, the proceedings were dropped, and Wigham was released from the county jail. Wigham says he will institute suit for damages against ex-City Engineer Stixrud for false imprisonment.
“The arrest of Wigham is shown to be a mistake pure and simple.”
Administrative errors and the dehumanizing nature of bureaucratic systems remain constant in Seattle governance. This story echoes modern concerns about how easily a simple clerical oversight can escalate into life-altering legal trauma for low-level workers.
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