Grant County Board of Commissioners — Governing Body in 1890 Financial Scandal
The board's official record contained many erasures and interlineations, with items apparently added after proceedings were written up [1]. Morehead to fill in later, never checking cancelled warrants against the stubs [5][2]. Bragaw claimed complete ignorance of the irregularities until the grand jury brought them to his attention [2]. Cobb was a non-resident by the time of the investigation and did not appear [3]. Sheridan, who joined the board in March 1890, was not associated with earlier irregularities [3]. Over thirteen months and twenty days, the county spent $91,514.08, with $54,424.72 never published in the board's proceedings [4]. The grand jury censured the board for failing to take ordinary business precautions to protect the public interest [5].
Sources
- The record of the board of county commis-… (1890)The record of the board of county commis- sioners shows many erasures and interlinea- tions, and bears evidence in many places of items having been added after the proceedings had been written up. Some of these …
- Silver City Enterprise — 1888-1890 (full OCR, Internet Archive) — 1890-09-05 (1890)ly therewith. This, he states, he did to close up the business of the meeting of the board, in order that he might sooner return to his home, and because of his implicit confi- dence in the integrity of …
- Silver City Enterprise — 1888-1890 (full OCR, Internet Archive) — 1890-09-05 (1890)upon the orders made by the board. He claimed entire ignorance of the ir- regularities herein reported before they were brought to his notice before the grand jury (as did also Mr. Carpenter) ; Mr. Bragaw a…
- TAX-PAYERS, think of it, $91,514… (1890)TAX-PAYERS, think of it, $91,514.08 of your money expended in thirteen months and twenty days, or nearly $7000 per month. Of this sum $54,424.72 was paid out and the items never published in the printed procee…
- The grand jury cannot too strongly cen-… (1890)The grand jury cannot too strongly cen- sure the board of commissioners of the county for their failure to take ordinary business pre- cautions for the protection of the interests of the people intrusted to them…