New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-03-14


village of Sing Sing, which he enbellshed with the
State marble cut and dressed BY tee conyiet', and
in which be erected bridges got out in the Prison
shops, and put up by Prison lsbor-.o an estimsted
cost Of 60 3l7 20.
Az an evidence Of the unrevealed plundering the
State IVES subject to- the report shows that TIE labor
of 81 able bodied convicts constantly employed
in the queries and stone shops for krss years and
IRE months rettsG loss of al ,4lf GIL
The Stone Quarry Account IL short s35,coo-tor
which there Is way of accounting except upon the
reques, of the Agent, that il shall be presumed 70
have been expended in repairs
In the prodieality Of vainy spread over these -
octave pages We are ST lose Whist TO select and what
10 leave out of the verbatim testimony OF the wit
nesses under oath which We wish TO present TO our
readers. Take as a sample:
George W. Characterization 10 "Look uoon
voucher Of the Prison Agents accounts marked No.
%, and dated July Is, 1882 purporting to be re-
ceipt from T. 7. Crofut & Co. for 81, 2s, paid for
" -four. &c"
Arswer-Tha. voucher IL in my handwriting and
subscribed to ii the firm name Of T. p. Crout & Co.
never sold or delivered to the Agent OF the Sing Sing
Prison or TO any other person for him. or for the ben
eft of tina, prison the goods named in the voucher,
nor were they sold ana delivered by 1. T. Crofut \
Co.; T. y. Crofut & Co. never received 81 OF the
2si admitted 10 be paid by that vouchers no trans
seton of the kind ever took place between the Agent
of the prison and T. 7. CrofuI Co 10 authorize the
giving of that voucher.
Q. How came you to msSe ard sign that receipt
George +. Stanton my place OF business | hlre OF
Stanton and transact business for him IN his al
senca the morning that voncher - dStei stanton
called upon me, ana asked il I would make bill
from memorandum he then hao on a slip OF paper;
| made that voucher from such memorandum our
signature not sffxed TO his memorandum; he
ssked me would not make that bill IN the name OF
our firm az he was not engaged in tbst line OF bus
ness ana his usme might excite suspicion; first oO-
ected II using 10 the receipt for the reason
We had no such transactions, and that the thing might
come 10 light some time - inlure my reputation
and creoit; be said then-Oh the devil you need not
be afraid about tbat-tbis blu does no; go 70 the Con-
roer-th ymake out bills az the pr sou-oice TO send
there; remarked TO him that did not Ike to do ~
as had inst comm enced brsiness-had but small
osptal-that cespised doing anything OF the Kind,
and would only do II 20 oblge him. He sad need
have no hesitation about it-that Il was all right, and
that il would never be known 10 the public; one rsa-
son Of my Directing 10 sign the bill was that thought
the amount too large for prison purchase at any one
time.
Q. Look at the receipt now shown you, purporting
to be for $685. 81 received Of VI. Lockwood, agent
Of the prison for 20 Darrei with - carriage oil HOUR
at - - per barrel furnished April 2l and inform
the Comnis toners who made and signed that receipt
a. | copied that receipt from memorandums fur-
niahed by George T.. stanton, at his request, and
signed to il the name of our firm we did not cell or
deliver 10 the prison the flour named in that receipt
nor old we receive cent Of the money Tor when
il was given; made that receipt under the same CIR
cumstances under which made the one tor 81 80,
already described, and think these bills were ootn
made on the same dag, and at the same tlmei the
oates and amounts inside sgreeaby TO hs request
q. Look upon the receipt now shown you, marked
voucher TO- for s6s7 %, signed Thomas =. Cfofut,
and tts.e in whose handwriting it is, and all you
know about il A. The first date. with the head and
BODY of the bill in the handwriting OF Russell Bar
nun, nv clelb who at the time was book-keeper for
George Stanton the last date is in the handwriting
of George +. Stanton, the words received payment
and the name OF Thomas r. Crofut; never knew oil
l. L I'll amt W
partner Of Thomas p. Crofu at the time that bill
purpors 10 be recepted and swear positively tn At
we never sold any such bill OF goods; have exam
Ded our partnership books and lind that the largest
bill We ever sold the Prison at any one time WIN net
exceed $50: George f. Stanton was not merchant,
or epgsged in any kind OF mercantile business at that
time; DO not believe that George T.. stanton ever
sold any such goocs to the Prison toa the receipt oe'
fore NE indicates; believe that the whole bill IL
fraud upon the State, and can be reccncled ana ex
planned upon other grounds; have examined the
books of Tbos p Crofut, before our partnership, end
which cover the month of December, 1911 when
that bill ia first dated find such entry IN them
consider that this transaction is fraud upon the state
between Lockwood, the ssent, and Geo. r. stanton
! and that they made dupe OF my brother Ihomi'
l. Crofut and thus procured the use OF MS name u
| oopsummate tbe fraud. | have talked with my
brother in relation 10 signing these bogus bills while
we were partners. He admitted signing tue bills,
| but supposed that IL was only doing them favor,
without injury TO any one elsei but, when stanton
brought them in go fast ard exhibited such die
crepancy in the dates and altered dates u SUIT him.
self, my brother and became alarmed, and resolved
TO sign 10 more. DE has not signed sny siace, TO
my knowledge. j know positively that the bull here
sbown me, of s6s7 o. ia fraud, by the fact that II
pmporrs ihst we sold the goods therein mentlone i
on the 18th and 18th OF December, 1851, when. in
fsct our whole account for goods sold the Prison
from the esd day Of September 1851 to the 29th day
of January, 1852, was but s45 10, IS will appear
from our books "
So with receipt for 1919 worth of four-another
for s269-another for 32O3 25-another for s5lj DO
this merchant swears that every one OF them were
false or iorperie-.ha he never sold one article
toned in them But come of his receipts were genu
inc, and OF the following character:
Two gallons Of brandy; II pounds Of cheese, and
10 pounds of crackers l think those articles wee
furnished on the occasion of persons visiting the
prison on invitation of Gen. Storms, the Inspector.
"Tweve gallons of brandy, and Of wine. There
also dried apples, eggs, lemons, batter cheese,
ginger oil tobacco, port wine, stone pot, apples ana
crackers.
"Four gallons of pale brandy : ib pepper cam
phene, and u eggs We delivered the goods all but
the csmphepe, at the Warien's house
City -four ID OF cheese 80 ID Of crackers gal
Ions of brandy sacks of salt; quart of port wine
delivered these things at the Warden house.
THE bill for 323 % is ia my handwriting, and Is an
honest and b0na fde bill, and consists Of gallons oil
brandy . casks OF salt, and demobns; received
that money from Lockwood, and gave him that re-
cept; delivered the brandy E; the Wardens house,
ana the salt at the prison mess room 10 January a'
| visited the prison one day, aad lockwood asked
Chlds, the clerk, if they oged me anything Tor
brandy, and Chilts replied, No, by Cd, We don't
want bis brandy 20 long as the Governor furnishes
US the suppies they stated, in a conversation be-
tween the sgen clerk, myself and others thtt Gov.
Sey mour had sent them down lot oil prsndy ~
Ney.Years present, and they aszei ms into the War
den. back paror where they kept their liquor to try
il; Ch.lds, the clerk, was somewhat into1 c ited
turned the brandy out Of fve-galon demljohn, snd
We oil drank Of it; there were ten or fifteen OF US
nres.ut; among whom was the agent clerk, Major
Ioring, the dock keeper, Samuel Pafser, keeper,
and other keepers whom do not remember this was