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

CRAIG'S CRO0KEDNESs.
1t is Reviewed at Length by tn,
Investigating Committee,
Full Text Of their Official Re
port to Governor Gear.
To His Ercellency, John III. Gear
u Governor of IOsca:
u SIR: In accordance with the re-
quirements of chapter 189, of the Act
of the Seventeenth General Assem-
bly,, being "An act to create com
mission to investigate the affairs ol
the Penitentiary at Fort Madison
during the administration of s. II
Craig,as Warden" Sc, the undersign
ed respectfully report:
i That, after our arrival at Fort Mad
ison, and within few hours aftel
we commenced our labors, we were
enjoined from proceeding e further b,
temporary injunction procured BY
said Craig, and though the same wal
soon after dissolved, it had the effecl
to delay us several days and to Grip.
pie lis in our efforts, by causing wit.
nesses to believe that the Commission
had no authority to compel their at.
tendance, several of whom for that
reason refused to appear and testify,
among whom were ii. Clay Stuart,
clerk. and Annie 1 Reed, niece of the
late Warden. Said Craig and Stuart
also advised many of the witnesses
not to appear and testify, and sought
in other ways to prevent our obtain
Ing the real facts in the case. On ac-
count OF the great expense and loss OF
time that would necessarily have re-
suited from attempts to enforce the
attendance of said contumacious wit
nesses, We did not deem such pro-
ceeding advisable. Several impor-
tant witnesses left the State to avoid
testifying; but, Notwithstanding the
the many obstacles thrown in our
way we have had before us large
plumber of persons whose testimony
covers about 1900 pages of legal cap,
and as the result Of our investi ga
tions we find:
That said Craig has conspired with
sundry and divers persons to defraud
the State out of large sums Of money
and property, and has so defrauded
1t, in the manner hereinafter stated.
THE SPECIFICATIONS.
He has wholly failed and neglected
to comply with sections 4,773 and
of the Code, and contrary to their ex-
press provisions has, during his en-
tire Wardenship, studiously avoided
complying Herewith. He has pur-
chased all articles of food Except
beet), clothing, bedding, raw materi-
ais for manufacture, fuel, and other
articles for the use nf the prison, with
out making contracts therefor by the
year, when such contracts could have
been advantageouly made. No an
nual estimates of the quantity Of each
article necessary for the next ensuing
year were made by him at any time,
nor did he advertise for sealed pro-
posals for furnishing to the prison
such articles or any of them. His
large purchases were made, year aft
er year, of the same parties, who
were permitted to fix their own
prices, and no inquiries were made
by him to learn whether he was be-
ing overcharged, and as the result
proves he paid them from 20 to 100
per cent. more for large wholesale
purchases than the retail dealers in
Fort Madison charged for the same
goods sold him and others during
the same time:
Bills of the quantity and price of
the supplies furnished for the prison
at the time Of the delivery were some
times taken, but in very few instances,
If any, were they exhibited by the
Warden to the clerk and compared
with the articles delivered to ascer-
tain if correct. Had these require
ments been complied with, and the
Warden and his clerk been honest,
they would have discovered that a
large number of bills contained items
of merchandise for which many
thousands of dollars were charged to,
and paid for by the State, that were
never shipped to or received at the
Penitentiary, as is conclusively prov
en- to us by an inspection and COM
parison of the bills rendered, receipts
given, and the books of the parties
from whom the bills were received.
The bills for merchandise were not
"entered with the date, in book kept
for that purpose" or any other book,
and hence there was no check upon
the Warden or his clerk, to prevent
the bills from being altered, or new
ones substituted therefor, to suit their
purpose, months after they were first
received, as the evidence shows was
in some instances done.
BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS.
During S. II. Craig's Wardenship
large sums of money having been ap-
propriated for the erection, repairing
and improving Of public buildings,
and making other improvements on
the Penitentiary grounds which has
been expended by him. In making
such expenditures he has almost in
variably carefully refrained from in
viting bids or in any manner giving
publicity as to when contract for the
same would be let; but on the con-
trary has misled those who were de-
sirons of having an opportunity to
put in their bids, and has in some iu-
stances let the same to parties who
were not engaged in that or similar
business, and in all cases has expend-
ed nearly, if not quite, every dollar
appropriated, when, had he invited
competition, thousands of dollars
would have been saved TO the State
thereby. In our opinion not less than
one-half that the State lost in the
manner aforesaid went into the pri-
vate treasury of this dishonest and
corrupt Warden.
PRIVATE ACCOUNTS PAID BY THE STATE.
He permitted and induced persons
with whom he dealt to include the
private accounts of himself and fami-
ly, and of his clerk and deputy in
those made out against the State, and
to sign State vouchers for the same,
all Of which were charged to the
State. During his entire administra-
ton he has paid nearly all his family
expenses, including household goods,
groceries, dry goods, boots and shoes,
clothing, school books, &C., and has
sent large quantities Of merchandise
go paid for to his farm near Farragut,
Iowa, for which the State has receiv-
ed no credit.
He has, during all of said time,
kept from four to six cows, and sold
the butter made therefrom to the
State, having his servants sign vouch-
ers therefor; has kept, on an average,
three horses and one hundred and
fifty hogs, all of which have been fed
and cared for at the expense of the
State, aggregating thousands of dol
lars, and has sold lard, tallow and
grease that accumulated in the prison,
for which he has received not less,
in our opinion, than IS, 900 that he has
not accounted for; all Of which he
claims as perquisites Of his office,
which claim is in direct conflict with
the statute governing his official acts
and privileges.