Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-05-28

stan Correspondence Of Gazette and journal.
DOVER, May 23.-This morning Clerks
Hearn of the Senate and Dunn of tho
House met here for the purpose of en-.
deayoring to trace up the missing enrolled
copy, OF the School bill providing for free
text books in the State schools and making
other changes in the school laws.
The announcement that this bill was
missing was complete surprise in Dover,
no one having any knowledge of the fact
until u was announced by Speaker Dona-
hoe OF the Senate in his personal organ.
strict search having failed to bring the
Dill 70 light, the two clerks this morning
careIully compared their journals TO see in
what condition the official record left it.,
The entries show that it was reported bv
the House enrolling committee, signed by
the Speaker of the House and sent to the
Senate. There the record stops There is
no record TO show that it was reported by
the Senate enrolment committee for the
signature of the Speaker of the Senate.
Why the bill should have disappeared is
a mystery, as no personal motive for MAX
ing away with it can be imagined.
DOVER, May 25.-The missing Free
Text Book bill was found Saturday
afternoon. After the bill was traced TO
the Senate by Clerk Dunn, a search
was instituted by Assistant Secretary
of State Hughs and Librarian Gruweli,
and after unlocking number of the
senator's desks, the original bill and
enrolled copy signed by the speaker Of
the House was found in the desk of
Senator Pilling.
Senator Pilling was member of the
Senate enrolling committee and an ex-
animation of the Senate journal shows
that the bill had never been reported as
enrolled by the committee in the Senate
and therefore has never been signed by
Speaker Donahoe.
The best legal opinion here is that il
can yet be signed by Speaker Donahoc
as instances of the kind have occurred
before and the bills have been signed
after adjournment.
SENATOR P1LLING WAS SURPRISED,
NEWARK, May 25.-Senator Pillinr
was greatly surprised, to-day, on being
informed by THE GAZETTE CORE,
spondent that the missing School bill
had been found in his desk at Dover.
u know nothing about it," he said.
Before left Dover cleared every
thing out of my desk. l also left the
drawers unlocked and put the KEYS in.
side the desk, so that the librarian could
get them. am positive there was
nothing in the desk at the time, and
anything found there since was placed
there by some one after | left Dover"
Beyond this Senator Pilling said he
knew nothing about the matter.
DOVER, May 26,-The unreseryed state
ment of Senator Pilling that he cleaned Ills
deskout thoroughly and knows that thefree
text books bill was not in there when the
SENATE 2dlourned-is corroborated by Page
CAIRO! Downes, of the Senate, II am sure
the bill was not in Mr.. Pilling's desk
when the Senate Adjourned said Carol
last night. Being asked how he knew he |
SAID that as soon as the members had left
he proceeded to go through the desks for
pens and gums. He ransacked every desk |
= ,h1oroughly except the desks of Senators
Moore and Richardson, which two were
locked and he couldn't get into them. and
he knows positively that there wasn't as
ings desk at that time.
Newsletter J. d. Dean, in whose hear /
ing Carol tolk his story, said he was Sit
,ing in the Senate lobby while Senator'S
tllling and McMullin were cleaning ont
their desks; that his attention was nartici,.
arly. attracted to them, and that he felt
certain from the thoroughness and min
lteness with which they went through this
Job that it would have been impossible for
Mi. I1lling to have overlooked PACKAGE
IS bulky as this bill.
DOES THIS CONFLICT?
On the other hand, State Librarian
iruwell says that he locked up the desks
u which the keys had been left within an
iour atteT the members had vacated the
'ham6er, lie does not recollect whether he
ooked into Mr., Pilling's desk before lock-
ng 1T he may haye done SO or he NAV
not. Each desk has its own key, of a Yale
PATTERN but Mr.. Gruwell is not positive
hey are Yale keys, and no kew will nm
ock any other desk than the one to which
belongs. Having locked the desks he
ook the keys down into the library
, y licked bis oI them up in a drawer
nre, they were not taken out
If there, by any one else, and that they
emained in his custody up to SATURDAY.
asst, when he was called on by Assistant
'ecretary Hughes to go up and search the
Iesks. for the missing bill. Taking the
,teys from his drawer he went up with Mr..
Unlocked and examined Senator Halls
!esk. Then they looked through the next
lesks in order, those of Senators Houston
md Ross. Then they came to Pillinp's
md McMullin,s desks. Librarian Gruwell
Unlocked Mr. Pilling's desk, while Hughes
Unlocked Mr.. McMullins desk. In the
main drawer of Mr. Pilling desk Librarian
iruwell at once saw the bill, took it out
With his own hand and handed it to Mr..
hughes, who at once identified it as the
ill of which they were in search. 1t was
he enrolled bill, with the original bill
inside, the package being circled by gum ,
and. On the outside of the bill was the {
ndorsement of the House enrolment COM {
nittee, dated May 18th, and directly under
cath this the endorsement Of the Senate
committee as follows:
Senate Ex. corract. May ID 1891.
[Secretary Marvel and Mr.. Hughes read
his date as May Is, but the writer would
nhesitatingly pronounce the date as
The endorsement was identified by Mr..
faryel as in Senator Pilling's chirography I
nd by another gentleman as in Senator I
filings photography.
The story told by Assistant Secretary
hughes agrees exactly with that of Libra c
ion Gruwell. Besides the bill there was
othing in the drawer but small scrap of
taste paper. !,
"But,f asked James L. Wolcott Esq, !
since this bill had been examined and !,
pproved by the enrolment committee,
thy was it not reported for signature r.
Clerk Hearn's journal contains no entry l
the report of the bill, from the Senate :
Dmmittee |
WHEN THE BILL WAS MISSED.
Speaker Donahoe did not discover that n
le bill was missing. He came down to y
love-, partly ON private business connected v
18th the, purchase of farm near FELTON,. b