Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-07-19

meeting of the committee Governor Gafcei0n
rendered additional account of his dlsburse-
,rents. as follows: A receipt signed hy r. w.
Black for $50: sundry receipts signed oy
Bradford F. Lancaster. Superintendent OF
Public Buildings. for payment OF police, etc,
amounting TO 1920; receipt signed by 3. u
Leavitt for $1,000; NJ. T. Haskell for S63;
g. w. French for 500; J. Benson. Jr., Sso;
Major NJ. N. Folsom $50: Benjamin Bun
ker. S67; c. H. osgood,s u. B. and ,
HartweN. Safeguarding s3.4- for which
he produced vouchers. leaving S221o IN
vouchcd To reduce this amount the witness
gave the following items: y. L. Gould, 500 !;
maid members of the Council. $3.50: paid
three gentlemen employed as special poilce
sl0s pail sandry items OF personal expenses.
sina: psil for teams and various incidental
expenses. sl2o-aggrpgating $500. leaving,
as he chained. $3.50 in his hands. 500 OF
which, he subsequently refunded to the Treas
urer al STATE a. unexpended funds remaining
in his hu,ll- without rendering any account
in deiai. oi the matter.
In regar,! 10 the vouchers signed by Il. +.
Lancaster, il Was brought out IN his testimony
before the same committee that they were.
some of them at least. made for the emereen-
CIV in the Augusta House. either from MEM
orv or were made to order 10 suit the conven-
icnce or necessities of the occasion. Lancas-
ter himself has never rendered detailed ac-
count of the money received of Governor
Gareelon: in fact he has neglected TO settle
his accounts as Superintendent of Public
Buildings for 1879.
Some of the payments made by Garceion
were indeed extraordinary. The payment of
Benjamin Bunker ST. as telegraph operator
for 20 days services. while at the same tine
ba, Scot 4 and rho Western
Union Company had an operator at the Capt.
tai: the payment of 500 TO clerk in the
Adjutant Generals office for alleged special
services as policeman at 81 per night and 81
per day for the same time; the payment OF
John Benson, Jr.. 81 per day for staying
around and figuring for the position of Dep
uiy Secretary OF State, AMI the forcing of
$1,000 upon the Adjuntant General without
any request on his part, TO meet an emerger-
cy that did not exist, were, to say the least,
unprecedented transactions. The money was
drawn illegally for illegal purposes. and was
expended illegally, frauduenuy and foolishly
The whole thing is covered from beginning to
end with trickery and looSeness that would
ruin any administration if it had any reputa-
ton to be ruined.
ONLY A SAMPLE.
| could give further instances of this
character, but forbear. These crooked
operations are lost sight of and eclipsed by
the more glarng and barefaced attempts at
the greater fraud of stealing n Legislature
and State Government: but we conceive it to
be proper to alude to them at this time, mas
much as the same parties who perpetrated
the il iquity have not ceased to cry out
fraud, bribery and corruption, etc, and the
organs that upheld the administration
Al. al.
charges of irregularities in Republicans, to
hide the positive illegalities in the only adj
ministration that ever brought lasting dis
grace upon the State of Maine.
S.
AUGUSTA, July II, 1880.