The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-03-13

Further Startling Charges Against
Ex-State officials.
EXORBITANT PRICES FOR DESKS.

The State Paid s21O Each for Desks which
Cost s44 to Manufacture-Nsarly see,-
600 for Filing Cases That Would Have
Given Liberal Profit at $1,000.
TRENTON, March t9--The third days
session of the investigation into state house
expenditures under superintendent
Ford was resumed yesterday. John Null
lihs, the Jersey City furniture dealer was
| first called and asked If he had the per
sonal ledger to which Bookkeeper Murphy
referred last week. Mr.. Mullins said he
had here all the books that he knew about.
Bookkeeper Murphy was then recalled.
| He pointed out many entries in the sales
book made after he left Mullins & Co.,
and which were transferred to the ledger
pages claimed to have been torn out No
vember Z, 1893.
Witness then showed a number OF en-
tries of desks, chairs, carpets, etc, charged
| to Leon Albeit Jr., and delivered to No.
229 Broadway, New York, the Second Ma
tional bank, Jersey City, and his private
residence. The vouchers also showed these
items to have been paid by the state.
Murphy then showed a charge against
| the state for $50 for a leather couch for
| Comptroller Heppenheimer's office, which
had been paid for twice. An item of seven
desks for the governors S office was charged
| to the state at S210 each, the cost price be-
| ing S44 each These goods, Murphy said,
were never delivered, and only about one
half of the goods sold to the state had been
delivered.
| Murphy then showed by the check stub
| books of Mullins 81 Co. chat a check for
| $3.50, just 10 per cent. of "a state house SALE
was drawn March to Mullins & Co and
and the word Ford written on the stub
| Neither the check itself nor three others
could be found. The stub showed these
four checks to have aggregated 81 ,57S, and
marks indicated they were drawn for
| Ford's benefit.
1t was shown that metallic filing cases
had been put in the vaults of certain Of
fees Of the state house at a total cost of
| S21,Si7.3S. Henry n. Booze, of Philadel-
phia testified as an expert that ST. 430. 90
would have afforded a profit of 33% per
cent. 1t was also shown that William c.
Heppenheimer, who was state comptroller
at the time, interested himself very much
to have the different state officials consent
TO having the cases put in. In one in,
stance, that of Adjutant General Stryker,
the latter refused to approve the bill sub
mitted, claiming that it was exorbitant,
but the bill was nevertheless paid.
The personal ledgerP of John Mullins
s. Co, was produced, and ex- Bookkeeper
Murphy swore that checks aggregating
$4 1877 which had been drawn, according
to the check book stubs, to the order of
John Mullins & Co., We're charged
up to the firms personal account with
nothing further to explain what had be-
come of the proceeds Counsellor Corbin
drew attention to the fact that leaving
out the furnishing of the senate chamber
the total of Mullins & Co.'s sales to the
state footed up a sum that made the
amount of the checks referred to just the
10 per cent which Murphy claimed Ford
had been paid
The committee took occasion to inquire
| of Counsellor Corbin as to the responsible.
ity of Ford's bondsmen, one of whom is
United States Senator James Smith, Jr
I Mr.. Corbin replied that Ford was under q
bond of 5000 for each of three years tC
faithfully and honestly perform his
duty"
Chairman Voorhees,, after the committee
adjourned, said that a report would be
submitted to the legislature probably next
week. but that the committee would by nc
| means nave completed an lnVeSJlgatlon
into state house affairs, to say nothing
about the wider powers which have been
conferred by the resolution under which
the investigation was started.
He also added, rather ominously, that il
would be satisfactory thing if some i'm
peachment proceedings were begun. He
would mention no names, but when asked
how ex-officials could be impeaohed he
| said that TrOopadi N ga aot1Id he in ad
at any time within two years after per
son had ceased to hold office.
xu,,xx