The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1868-01-16

o''', "nliSt IN terms II I
al qnired the whole TO be compIet
Ir for about one. half Of what the con
% mlttee had estimated to be pece
J sary. Had the appropriation be,
j. what 1t was no d0abt intended
= be, a partial one, the truste
b would have begun the work
= bull lding; but under the langua,
8 OF the law they have properly fe
= unauthorized to proceed until yc
: have sanctioned tho necessary g,
Q penditnre. gHlti.t-r.n, edl'l5
t The Asylum for Idiotic cbildre
s Is nearly completed, and the insu
nclent and uuwholesome quarters .
: present occupied by these unfort,
mates will soon be exchanged fo
the cheerful, airy, and well al
: ranged apartments of the ne,
:, building. a.us e8 Ife
:, The new Asylum for the Dca
: and Dumb is also very nearly fin
ished, and the Trustees hope I
: have the school in progress at a.
: early day in your session. Th
; old building being overshadowe,
oy the new one, and The sewerag
being dcranged by the new con
struction, became alarmingIy un
healthy during the sumner Al
epidemic fever broke out anon.
the pupils of so malignant a CHAR
acter that the medical advisers re
ported it necessary to suspend th,
school and send the children tc
their homes. By doing thi,
promptly the fatal cases were nude
very few, and many lives un.
doubleday saved. The opportuni
ty was taken to remove tho old
building and gra& the grounds,
80 that The unhealthy effects which
might result from much change of
the soil whilst the school should be
/
IN progress, are Obvia,ed.
In the month of October, facts
winch came to my knowledge sat
ished me thatSn the mode of con
ducting the building of this Asy
iu'n, the architect and superinten
dent, Josenh NJ. Blackburn. ad
oeeh committing a series uf petty
frauds and embezzlements Is reachlD :,
oack to the very commence
ment OF his services 10 that capac.
liy in 1864. The high character
Tor honesty and integrity he had
borne in Cleveland, v here he re.
sided, and the great confidence
Governor Brough, by whom he was
appointed. was known 10 have fclt
in him, made mo very cautious in
examining the question of his hon.
csly, and with the assistance of the
trustees OF the Institution. and par.
tlcularly of Hon. S. Galloway, "a
minute and careful investigation |
was made. 1t was found that in
the payment of those workmen
employed directly by the architect.
a ha6llual overcharge for their
work had been made, more being
entered upon the pay rolls receipt
Cd by them. than they were actual.
y paid. Tho class of men thus
Employed being generally day la
,orers and Inexperienced mon,
.hey were easily prevented from
snowing the fraud practlced, or
nadc TO believe the transaction an
allowable one. In a similar mode
# overcharge, lumber bills pur.
biased in the spring Of 1865 were
increased in amount, and the diff.
erence in both cases appropriated :
y the architect No prelonce of {
lght to charge commissions existed
r was claimed, he being cmpIoyedat ;
hxed salary asautborized by law.
he total amount thus embczzled {
urlng tho whole period from July,
864, TO the time of discovery, is /
Iund to be little les than ten u
housand dollars. The invesliga. t
on was found to impliCats r. 7. @
'rooks, a subOrdlnateand assistant 8
Blackburn, and The case was =.
laced in the hands OF the Attorney e
eneral, who has commenced both Il
'lminal and civil prosecutions +;
5ainst the offenders. ......1 Il
The discovery Of these frauds Il
aturally gave rise TO rumors and Il
lspicions that others would be O
und in tho contracts for building, O.
c. So far rs l have been able 10 81
lrry this Investigation, no NAL. o.
'aetices have been proven in the tc
'alings between architect and h
'ntractors, nor have 1 seen evi. el
'nce that any such profit has been Il
ade by the contractors which Sc
ould lead TO reasonable suspicion. Of
'r their justification, however, as tr
ell us for u more complete exam. OF
alton than l have been able to III
nke personally, / would recon-. I'll
end a searching investigation by Sc
committee fully authorized to lii
nd tor persons ana papers. hC
AS soon as tho facts referred to or
owe were known, Mr.. George hi
FLOWS, Of this city, was appoint lci
Architect and Superintendent, s,I
place of Blackburn removed, Oh
d has been occupied in making tic
reful measurements and estimates W,
the work done as compared
th contracts and specifications PC
soon as. this labor is sufficiently th
vanced, his report will be laid ty
tore you, showing the precise ye
ldition ofthe work and ofthe mi
rious accounts connected with it. re
anwhile it is extremely important no
the interest Of the Institution ia!
1t the heating apparatus and co
should be promptly fin in,
ed, and tho little carpontering as
plasteriDp still incomDleto lee