Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 January 1913 — WARNER CHARGED WITH BIG SHORTAGE [ARTICLE]

WARNER CHARGED WITH BIG SHORTAGE

Board of Accounts Alleges That Former Clerk is Illegally Holding Large Sums.

MOSTLY TRUST FUNDS Examiners Did Not Look for Receipts and Show Clerk Short Much That Has Been Disbursed But Which Was Not Receipted On Margins of Record. Charles C. Warner, who retired April 30th, last year, as county clerk, is charged by the state board of accountants with having failed to make settlement with his successor, Judson H. Perkins, and withholding $25,188.50 which belongs to persons for whom it was held in trust and for fees which the board claims he is not entitled to retain. Of the total amount the board figures show that he holds trust funds in the sum of $22,500.96, and fees in the sum of $2,687.54. Mr. Warner was seen by the editor of The Republican and said that the trust funas were not and for the most part never had been in his hands. It has been a custom in this county for administrators to disburse the moneys in their hands and to enter on the record of the clerk’s office that the money had been paid to the clerk, filing the receipts for the money disbursed with the other papers in the cases and not having the parties receiving the moneys receipt for it on the margin of the record. The examiners, Mr. Warner said, had charged him with all the moneys wherever not receipted in the records, instead of looking up the papers where the receipts were filed. Whenever the money was paid to him he disbursed it by check and if the person receiving a check was a non-resident the record was not signed but the check which was returned through his bank furnished as a receipt but the accountants charged him with the money just the same. When Mr. Warner went out of office he did not settle entire with his successor, he said, for the reason that some of the trust money was to go to persons whom he, in conjunction with attorneys, had been trying to locate and he had notified these persons as he found them that he had the funds ready to make settlement. He said that these were in small amounts and not much in the aggregate. One item was $156, money belonging to an heir of the Jane Shaw estate. The heir has not been found and this money will now revert to the state but Mr. Warner had held it when he and an attorney in the matter were trying to find the heir. Mr. Warner was some time ago furnished with a statement from the board of accounts. He was charged with holding something over $2,000 in the Madison Makeever estate, money which, he says, he never handled, but which was disbursed by the administratrix and the receipts filed with the papers Instead of being receipted on the margin of the record. The Hartsell estate was settled the same way, as were many other administrator cases. Of the fees retained Mr. Warner says much is for making trans-

cripts, which he claims he is entitled to and will hold until he is compelled to relinquish the money. He spoke of the Marble ditch case. The transcripts in this case cost about $370., Mr. Warner paid out $l4O in extra help to have the transcript made. He believes he is entitled to the fee. The Pancoast ditch transcript cost about $455, and Harry Folk, the court stenographer at that time, received $385 for getting it up. Mr. Warner is charged with the money paid to Folk, as well as with S7O he received himself for the transcript. Mr. Warner says that there are some small amounts due the county owing to errors. The stupenduously large amount shown by the accountants created no little talk in Rensselaer today. In the main, however, it is explained by the fact that the accountants had charged Mr. Warner with all money shown to have been received in the settlement of estates not receipted for in- the margins, but for which receipts are filed. Mr. Warner says that the men went through the probate record without asking any questions about the receipts and made no effort to find them. He stated that was there any money due persons as reported by the board of accountants they would certainly be right after it and this is certainly the case. There was a fault, he agreed, in permitting administrators to disburse the ftmds without having the recipients call and sign when the money was paid out.