Show TOMMY ATKINS AIKINS m RETAINS mm BUNCH OF curs CASH Neglects to Turn in Receipts From Poll Tax and Stubs Are Withheld IS SUSPENDED BUT SAYS HE CAN EXPLAIN ALL BOOKS TAKEN FROM SAFE IN STREET DEPARTMENT AFTER AFTER THREATS TO USE uS HAMMER The embezzlement of 31 51 of funds belonging to thO th city is charged against T St Leger Legor Atkins chief clerk In the Tho learned special auditors whom the city is Ia IJ paying thousands of dol doi dollars dollars lars hare to make perfect the bookkeeping of the various departments did not discover the discrepancy in Mr Atkins accounts and It remained for tor Council Councilman man L J 3 Wood to make the disclosure s sure ure Atkins is chief clerk of the street de tie department department of or which J T Raleigh Is superintendent and in that capacity keeps all the books It is said that he has kept a private receipt book for poll tax collections in the office and that the persons who paid their poll tax to him received receipts from this book which were never entered in the ledger That this is so was substantiated by several everal councilmen who visited the street department office yesterday af afternoon afternoon afternoon In the party were ere Council Councilman Councilman Councilman man L J Wood G H T TR TR TR R Black and an John Holley Clerk Is Embarrassed Wood demanded that Atkins show him the private book which he ho kept in the safe This embarrassed the clerk and he declared that he did not have the key to the safe safo with him it is an contrivance with without without without out a combination lock You had letter better get that key and hurry up about it said Superintendent Raleigh or I will have the safe safo brok broken en open with a sledge hammer Atkins said the th key was at his home and went to get it Returning he said that he could not find the key keya a Raleigh immediately called call d for the hammer saying that he was deter determined determined determined mined to see the book which Wood said was waa there Before B fore hIs command Gould COUld be b exe executed executed executed the electrician of the flip county building was found and he managed to pry open oDen the lock without breaking the safe Book Is Found In the he safe was sas found the book which Wood claimed was there It con contained contained tamed originally 1000 receipts but of them had been torn out Th stubs showed only the Hie name and address addre s cf of the payer and did not show the date or whether the poll tax had been pawl paid for tor in labor or cash cask On the th ledger kept In the office there were no en entries entries entries tries of any of these receipts The numbers in the book were ware from 30 X to and how the special l auditors failed to discover the discrepancy is isa Isa isa a mystery as there was as another nook numbered from to which is js recorded in the ledger as a are also the two to books on the other side of the lie missing numbers The accusation is that Atkins kept this book in the safe and whenever any anyone one paid poll tax to him he gae gave them a receipt out of the book and did not enter it in the ledger le ger Councilman Wood who made the tle complaint acknowledges that he hiS has the book for four tour months Wiry WHy did slid you not tell teU me mo about It asked Superintendent Raleigh Well because I was afraid you would tell til t ll Atkins and he would destroy the evidence replied Wood Atkins Protests Innocence Wood before his election to the council was a poll tax collector and was under bond of 1000 to the city as Is Atkins i Atkins says sa s there is nothing to the charges He claims that he has ha not had time to enter these th se receipts In his ledger and that he intended to do so oat o oat at once He says sas he can prove his In Innocence Innocence innocence of any wrongdoing The matter came before the council last evening on the reading of a com corn communication t ion from Superintendent Ra Raleigh Raleigh Raleigh leigh suspending Atkins until an n In Investigation investigation investigation is made m The matter was referred to the streets and finance committees |