Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-08-26
INTRODUCTORY.

Il
= INTRODUCTORY.
The act authorizing the erection of the
new Deaf and Dumb Asylum in Colum-
bus, was passed on the 23i of March, 1864.
and $40 900 were appropriated by that act
to commence the work. 20 H5H = u.,a -i'
The appropriation act for the year 1865,
and the first quarter of the fiscal year 1866,
appropriated s200,000 more. s-3 "a
The act of April 6, 1866, appropriated an
additional 100000.
The act of April 16, 1867, appropriated
$150, 900 ''for the completion of the new
building, including plumbing, gas pipes
and fixtures, heating apparatus, engine
houses, tanks, cooking, drying and wash
ling apparatus, with every thing necessary
ito put the same in complete working Or
der"
These appropriations, in the aggregate.
amounted to s490,OOO. s..
The partial appropriation act of Februa-
ry i, 1885, made an additional appropria-
tion of $4,000 for said Asylum, and the
general appropriation act of April 80, 1883
$s5OOO more-making the entire amount Of
the appropriations up to this time. s625, 600
When the act authorizing the erection of
the Asylum was passed, the estimates for
the entire cost of the Institution had been
fixed at $2S5,O0O., This sum was deemed
amply sufficient to complete the work; and
statements of witnesses under oath show
that honest officers would have completed
it, without exceeding the estimates. As it
| is, the cost will be above 100000.
| The appropriations having already far
exceeded the estimates, and the building
not yet completed, the present General AS
sembly concluded to look into the matter.
Among the members of that body and the
people generally, throughout the state, the
opinion had become prevalent that giaring
and outrageous frauds had been committed
somewhere, and by somebody, and that the
time had come when thorough and
searching investigation was demanded.
Accordingly, on the 9th of March, 1868.
Gen. BALL, one of the able and ever-vigi-
liant Representatives from Muskingum
county, introduced resolution in the
House of Representatives, (Which was
adoptedD providing for select committee OF
that body, consisting of five members, to
investigate the alleged frauds in the con-
struction of the new Deaf and Dumb Asy-
lum at Columbus.
In pursuance of this resolution, Messrs.
BALL, of Muskingum; HILL, of Defiance;
PARKER, of Huron; PARR, of Licking, and
THOMPSON, of Columbiana, were appointed
to constitute said committee. 0a 4a .
Mr.. THOMPSON having subsequently re-
signed, his place was filled by the appoint
ment of Mr.. PoND, of Morgan.
During the late session of the Legislature,
several meetings of the committee were
held in Columbus, and a number of wit
nesses examined in reference to the matters
which the committee was appointed to in
After the adjournment, the committee
met again in Columbus and also in Cleve-
land. The Investigations were, on all oc-
casions, conducted with entire fairness and
importantly witnesses all being ex-
amined under oath-and the unanimous
opinion of the committee was, that frauds
of the most glaring and astounding char
acter had been committed. 1t was equally
apparent to the committee that these frauds
were mainly and directly chargeable upon
j. M. BLACKBURN, who had been appointed
to superintend the building OF the Asylum.
In this expose, it will not be possible to
give at full length the testimony of all the
witnesses examined before the committee.
The main facts developed must suffice.
And first, in regard to the -
q-c Esha' LUMBER FRAUDS.
The bills on file in the Office of the ,Au-
ditor. of State-certified copies of which
were furnished to the committee-show that
BLACKBURN was paid, by the State, for
L057,s6 feet of lumber, alleged to have
been used in the construction of the Asy-
lum, at a cost of $3s, ,2S1.73. This is mat
ter of record, and indisputab:e.
In order to test the accuracy of this lum-
Der account, the committee employed Mr..
G. w. HEARD, practical architect of thir-
ty-fiye years experience in that business,
in Cleveland, Ohio, to make an accurate
measurement of the lumber used in the
construction of the Asylum. He made the
measurement, and furnished the committee
with certified statement of the result
The whole amount of lumber used, accord
ing to this statement-uow on file with the
committee-was 253 1S3 feet, making a
difference between the number of feet paid
for by the State, on BLAcKB URN's order,
and the number of feet actually used, of
s04,67S feet. In this measurement, Mr..
HEARD allowed 43 per cent. for additional
thickness and waste in working. At the
highest average of the prices charged in
the bills paii by the State to BLACKBURN,
the lumber actually used would have cost
only $40, ,127 80; while he received for it,
from the State, s3S. .2S1 .73-showing a
fraud on the part of BLACKBURN against
the State, of s2s ,O5441, in the price oflum-
Der alone.
But the most astounding feature con-
nected with these lumber frauds, is the fact
that BLACKBURN manufactured number
of fictitious bills on lumber dealers in
Cleveland, to the amount OF thousands of
dollars, which were paid by the State. His
lar firm, another from different firm, and
so on, and then make up new and fraud
ulent account, containing various items
from bills which had already been paid by
the State, The clerk who officiated in his
office in Cleveland at the time, testified to
these facts, He said under oath, before
the committee, that he had made out bills
in this way under BLACKBURN's direction,
and by his order had receipted them in the name