Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1846-09-25
From he Morgan Herald.
Report Of the Committee on RasCaIity.

Report Of the Committee on RascaIity.
We propose to examine some Of the plunder-
ings Of the Democracy on the Miami canal.
Timothy G. Bates while in power took the re-
sponsibility against the cypress lalo Of The State,
TO build dam across Loramies creek. Instead
Of putting the contracts up for public competition,
he concluded TO let them upon The estimate Of the
engineer, and the way it was done was to attach
them to the contract Of Brown, Anderson d Co.
A man who is destined 10 figure in these chapters
by the name of E. G. Barney was then engineer
upon those works. He went in aud in the name
of Brown, Anderson g. Co. contracted for all the
materials and work on said dam. Davis, one of
said firm, testifes that he knows nothing about
the sub-contracts that Barney pretends to have
made in their names. page 80.)
Samuel King built the dam. While the TIM
Der for other works in the immediate vicinity was
furnished at six cents per foot, Barney got ten cents
per foot, and while the framing and putting in was
contracted for and done at seven and half cents,
Barney charged and got ten cents per foot. The
whole amount Of timber in the dam was paid for
by the State at twenty cents per foot.
Another very curious specimen Of financiering
is recorded OH the 83d page. 1t seems that Bar
ney kept the check book Of VIM. Spencer, the
acting commissioner, and could at any time ap-
propriate any amount he saw fit to any person.
Barney and three or four others became indebted
to one Hardenbrook, who kept livery stable, for
horse and buggy hire, to the amount Of Sll9 98l
ninety dollars Of this was paid him by Barney by
giving him check for that amount for ,0Ork done
on the dam! He testifes he never did any work
on the dam! Again, Barney paid James Brooks
another bill for buggy and horse hire for himself
and others to the amount of one hundred and for
ty-one dollars and wenly-fyecents, by giving him
a check for that sum for work done on the Job
And TO add to the beauty Of the transaction, Bar
ney turned round and collected the proportion of
the buggy and horse hire from these other per-
sons. Thus he took the State funds, UitbOm ac-
counting for them, to pay his own and his friends
livery stable bills and then collected their share
! from them. This is a little the coolest piece of
impudence we have Witnessed of latc-(pagc 85. }
Again, Barney sold checks to Joseph Kelsey
to the amount Of 5000. Kelsey did no work on
the job, but paid Barney the cash for the checks.
He also sold to Mr.. Mott checks to the amount of
81, ,4l5 &c. On the 9Oth page is a statement
showing that Barney disposed of checks 10 the
amount of hco thousand eight hundred and eigh-
ty.eigh dollars and Jortyoae cents to persons that
never did any work on the dam, and that he used
ibis sum as his pl,adCr.
| The whole cost of the dam as charged on the
books, and as paid for by the State is s ,588 66.
Let US look at some of the items. There is u
charge for 1920 yards of pit excavation under
water $3,622 50. Now the testimony shows
that there were only 500 ydrdS and that other
contractors in lock pit 200 yards off cxcavatod
the same kind for 62k cents per yards. Thus
Barney by this operation pocketed the difference
between S3,622 so and 1929 II, being the very
nice little sum of %3,304 38.
Again, for foundation timber, cribs and frame
timber the charge is 12,3l0 feet at 90 cents per
foot $2,714 90. 1t is conclusively shown that
the amount of timber put in was only ,40O
yards, that it cost III cents instead Of %, and
that the sum to be paid should have been $1 ,995
instead of $2,7l4 80. Barney thus pocketeC
the sum of S7l9 80 by this operation.
Again, there is charge for 1854 12 for timber
on hand. No such item existed and it was Sc
much plumber. Again, sheet piling 1881 feet a
10 cents - 1925 10. The testimony shows
$3.50 Oh was all this item was worth. The bal
anco was pocketcd. 1t would be too tedious tC
go through all these items, every one Of them are
charged at more than they cost.
These facts conclusively show that Barney him
self was the contractor, though he was then in thu
employ and pay of the State. He made up his
own accounts, drew the money, and paid himself
The resultshows that this dam cost $5,022 O3 in
stead of 1913, ,588 sc and that Barney by this op
Grafton actually plundered from hesitate of Ohi'
the sum of eight thousand fUe hundred and Gtt
sic dollars and Sirty-ihree cents! page 1O4.)-
Verify, those were fine times for such plunderin,
villains. People of Ohio, shall these men be a
gain permitted to iasten themselves upon the trca
sury! 1t is for you to decide.