Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 262, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 November 1915 — ACCOUNTS IN EXPRESS OFFICE BADLY KEPT [ARTICLE]

ACCOUNTS IN EXPRESS OFFICE BADLY KEPT

Two Auditors Work On Books For Several Days and Are Still Badly in the Dark. J. L. Wikoff, of Indianapolis, an auditor for the American Express Co., assisted by another inspector for the company, have been employed for several days in angfiort to determine what the trouWeis at the local office, which for several months has been in charge of Walter Gehr, a young man who came h/tre from Lima, Ohio, where he b«£a been an employe of the company/in the capacity of wagon driver. He was brought here to take the place of George A. Hart, who was promoted to the job at Crawfordsville. The inspectors have no information to give out at thi® time and after spending about a week on the books they are still unable to determine just what conditions are, although they have found that money for C. O. D. packages had not been for in the returns to the company. It is reported that something like SI,OOO is unaccounted for and Mr. Gehr is unable to account for it. Gehr's assistant in the job here has been John Harmon, who has driven the wagon for some time during the time Mr. Hart was in charge of the office. Both Gehr and Harmon seem to have devoted their time energetically to the care of the business here and nothing about the conduct of either would lead to any suspicion of intentional crookedness and this is not charged by the inspectors. Apparently a lack of ability on the part of Gehr to handle the bookkeeping and reports is responsible for the present condition. Something like two months ago Harmon, the wagon driver, lost or had stolen from him a purse containing about SIOO. The money belonged to the express company but the loss was not reported to the company and no record made of it on the books.

Mr. Gehr says that since that time Harmon has paid it all back and at this time does not owe the company any part of it. It is expected to make a change in the local manager and it is possible that Harrison Timmons, who handled the business so satisfactorily for some time, may take the job again, since he retired from the service of the company the first of the year he moved to Benton Harbor, Mich., where he has employment. He came here recently to testify as a witness for the state in the case against Comrade Fox and has since been visiting relatives in this city and in the southern part of the state. He is temporarily assisting at the express office. His reinstatement here would meet general satisfaction with the express office patrons. Later —C. N. Cravens, of Tipton, is here to take the place of Gehr as manager of the express company.