Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 75, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 January 1911 — State and General News [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

State and General News

SHORTAGE FOUND IN ACCOUNTS Of Rev. Zark Sweeney, Former J ish and Game Commissioner of Indiana. Indianapolis, Ind., Dec. 31.—Examiners employed by the State Board of Accounts have reported to the latter a shortage of more than $7,250 on the books of Rev. Zack Sweeney, of Columbus, former Fish and Game Commissioner of Indiana. W. A. Dehority, Chief of the board, refused to discuss the matter to-day. Rev. Sweeney is one of the most prominent men in Indiana, having been a leader in the Christian Church for many years. He is the father-in-law of former Lieutenant Governor Hugh Th. Miller and son-in-law of the late Joseph I. Irwin, multi-millioniare, who died recently. During President Harrison’s administration Rev. Sweeney was Minister to Turkey. He took up the work of Fish and Game Commissioner because of a natural interest in it. Rev. Sweeney, it is said, is ready to make good the shortage as soon as the board presents the matter to him. He has employed attorneys here, who are said to have asked the Indianapolis police to arrest Sweeney’s former Chief Deputy, E. E. Earle, and his wife. The Earls, it is alleged, left here about a month ago, supposedly for Mexico. Earle obtained a divorce three months ago and married Miss Meehan two or three days afterward. Rev. Sweeney turned the office here over to Earle to run, and Earle is said to have had charge of all the funds. After he was succeeded in office by a Democrat Earle started to form the Farmers’ Fis£ and Game Protective Association for the purpose of bringing about the repeal of the present Fish and Game Commission law. ' . Sterling R. Holt, an officer in the organization, said that Earle had all the money paid in by members. The amount was between S2OO and S3OO. Practically all of the shortage is said to have come from failure to report hunters’ licenses in this county.