Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-06-26

sented by him, and that he signed tn
name of said McCulloch Bros. to sal,
! vouchers. What quantity, if any, O
pork was delivered, Tor which sal,
vouchers was given by said Campbell
ana Kent, we are not advised, ant
nave had no means of definitely as
: certalning but from the above fact
and other questionable transaction
which the evidence discloses between
SAID last named parties and the lat,
warden, we have serious doubts O.
the bona tide of the above transac
ton.
KENT AND CAMPBELL.
That Kent is not above suspicion
NO one, after reading his evidence
Will for moment doubt. He admit,
having signed State voucher, at the
request of DIR. Craig, for a larger sun
than he was entitled to, or received
and the numerous vouchers to which
his name ia affixed, bear w:tness tha,
the late warden's generosity was shsr.
ed in by him.
Durlng almost the entire Warden.
ship of s. II. Craig, j. w. Campbell
TOT several years one of the Commits
sioners of the prison, was one of the
favored few to whom the penitentiary
was source of great revenue. We
dld not obtain his testimony, business
or Importance, $50 he left word) call.
ing him away about the time evidence
was being elected duplicating him
anu which we presume, from the fact
Of his not returning until immediate
ly after we left Ft. Madison, unavoid.
ably detained him. Up to the time
of his departure, he appeared to take
as much interest in the investigation
as did DR.. Craig, with whom he was
almost in constant consultation.
| The evidence discloses that he was
interested directly or indirectly in
nearly all of the large transactions of
the late Warden, except those relating
to stripes, groceries and dry goods.
Although he was not dealing in beans,
pork or -four, yet he received pay for
large quantities of those articles,
which he claimed he furnished. 9th
er contracts he procured for persons.
for which he charged and received
commissions, amounting in one in
stance to one-fourth of the whole
amount received on tho contract =
Nearly If not quite all of the coke
and coal claimed to have been used
in the prison for the last six years, he
has received pay for. Owing to the
absence of Mr.. Campbell and our con-
sequent inability to obtain an inspec-
tion OF his books of account, we are
unable to express an opinion as to the
quantity of the above articles really
furnished, or how much cash he actu-
ally received.
No allowance is made by the law
of provisions or supplies to the Depu-
ty Warden, yet from the evidence it
appears that the late deputy, James
II. Reynolds, for the past six years
has kept and boarded on an average
six persons besides the members of
his own family, during all Of which
time he has with the knowledge and
consent of DR.. Craig taken from the
prison supplies all the fuel and lights
and most of the meat and potatoes
used in his family, for which the State
has in no manner received compensa-
ton.
| HUI \ HAUL
The bills and vouchers show pur-
chases of groceries, tobacco, ETC., from
IL. +. Hunt, of Burlington, and pay :
ments to him therefor, amounting 10
III, ,lOl.6S. From comparison of the
bills rendered by him, with the en-
tries on his own books, from which
said bills were made, we find many
L lfnmc n hot a
ed that the prices on the bills are
often double and treble what they
are on the books for the same articles,
and 1t is our opinion that the over
charges made against the State in his
transactions with the Warden, exceed
the sum of $1,000. We also find that
of the goods delivered large quanti-
ties were sent from Burlington to the
farm OF 5. II. Craig, near Farragut,
Iowa, which we estimate at $1,000.
The cash-bOok of said Hunt shows
payments made out Of State funds on
Stuart's account, for which it has not
received credit. Italso shows that on
days that payments made by Craig
were entered on the debit side of the
cash-boOk, on the credit side entries
OF less amount were made to "W. C..
y Co.. (Warden, Craig & Co. we in
| terpret IT'D which amounts. in some
instances, correspond exactly with the
difference between the charges "a en-
tered on his books and the bills rem
dered for same.
GREENRAuM, SCHROEDER 4 CO.'S, PART IN
IT.
In June, 1872, S. FL. Craig commence
ed business with Greenbaum, Schro-
der Il Co., wholesale and retail deal
ers in dry goods at Burlington, Iowa,
and so continued until January, 1878.
The total of purchases made from
this firm, as appears from the bills on
| file, is $l9.475.7S. During the first
fourteen months the purchases
amounted to $2l5.06, and the transac-
tions were usual and regular, and the
prices paid, reasonable. The only
benefit realized lherefrom by Craig,
was two silk dresses presented to him
| by the firm. About the lst of Sept,
1873, new arrangement seems to
have been entered into, for from this
time the purchases made were large
and frequent: the firm ceased to keep
any record in their books of the sales
made to, and cash received Of DIR.
Craig. The account was,kept on slips
of paper by Joseph Greenb baum, and
carried in his pocket, and every effort
was made to cover up and hide the
transactions, even to secreting their
books OF account, and swearing that
they had been destroyed, and BY
bringing before the commission a
book "doctored" for the occasion.
Samples of many of the goods sold BY
this firm were obtained from the pris-
on, and from them, aud the testimony
of experts, one of whom was during
the entire time that Craig was deal
ing with this firm, clerk in their
store, it is abundantly proven that
the goods were of inferior quality /:
that the average prices charged the
the State on purchases aggregating
$l9,475.78 were in excess Of 100 per
cent. of the retail price at the time the
goods were sold, and in some instan-
ces it reached 400 and 500 per cent.
Entries found in their book, and the
testimony of Joseph Greeubaum, and
their book keeper II. Hershler dis
closed that vouchers for greater
amounts were executed to the War
den than he actually paid. Without
taking into consideration goods
charged for and not delivered, we find
that the State has been defrauded in
said transactions by S II. Craig, and
said firm, to the amount of not less
than $4,000.
KEoKUK FIRM ExHoNERATED.
An appropriation was made 5y the
Fifteenth General Assembly of 49,.
coo for improving the water works OF
the prison. to be expended by the
Warden. Sample, McElroy 4 Co., of
Keokuk, Iowa, offered to make the
improvements for $2,527, which was
accepted by DIR. Craig, coupled with
the condition that they would sign a
voucher for $2,9S7, and allow him to
retain the balance, which he claimed
he wanted to use on the gas contract
and could not legally do. The Job
was completed and q voucher signed
by said firm for $2,9s7, when in fac,
they received but $2,473, the balance,
/ xAf6 hi fYn mn sha j