Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-03-09
BIG FRAUDS EXPOSED.
Sensational Testimony Before
 the Trenton Investigation.
THE sTATEHoUsE SCANDAL AIRED.

THE sTATEH0UsE SCANDAL AIRED.
 Witnesses Tell About Queer Transactions
 In Which the State Appears to Have Been
 Robbed-Furniture Sent to Senators and
 Paid For by the State.
 TRENTON, March 9.-when Eugene Mur phy, the principal witness before the New Jersey senate investigating committee, said, Barney Ford was getting impatient and wanted his diyvy," the several hum dred spectators drew such long breaths that the noise confused the witness.
 Murphy had been on the stand for moro than an hour explaining the mysterious bookkeeping of the firm of John Mullen & Go. of Newark. This firm sold $4S, T5O worth of furniture and carpets to the state of New Jersey. They charged the state exorbitant prices, charged for goods it never obtained and gave a percentage to B. J. Ford, the superintendent of the statehouse.
 Murphy had been the bookkeeper for Mullen & Go. for seven years and was well acquainted with the wagonload of ledgers, daybooks and cashbooks that were piled upon the table in front of him.
 The Investigating committed when it examined the books, discovered that a ledger that contained the statehouse ac- counts had been mutilated, and 35 pages were missing. Other books had also been mutilated. It was asserted by Mir. Mullen when called to the stand that on election night, 1898, after his establishment was closed, some one cut the pages from the book. It was never known who did it, al- though detectives employed on the case said the theft was done by some one on the inside
 One Partner Is Away.
 The firm consists of John Mullen and John Moriarty. The latter represents the company and is at the head of the count ing room, and he knows moro about the
 books and accounts than his partner. Mr. ,Moriarty was the witness the Investigating
 committee wanted, but Mir. Mullen ex-
 plained that his partner had taken no va.
 cation for several years, but had taken
 one now because he had to go away to at
 tend funeral, and after that would go to
 Prince Edward island and Canada.
 MT. Mullen testified that he transacted his business "incipally through Mir. Ford, making only fair profit on the goods de- livered. He could give no explanation
 why so many leaves had been cut out of tho books containing tho account of the firm with the state, nor could he explain
 why in all cases where tho books did show
 tho charges against the state that the item
 was written in the book in ink and the amount charged was filled in with lead
 pencil.
 This fact was proved because the foot
 ings of the pages containing these lead
 pencil marks did not include the amount charged, but did correspond to the totals
 of all the other items charged on the page. Eugene Murphy was then called to the
 stand. He was discharged from Mullen $
 because he played the races his discharge
 coming on the day after election, 1893,
 when it was discovered that the book con-
 taining the important items in the state house account had been mutilatcd He
 was assured by Mir. Mullen that his dis
 charge had no connection whatever with
 the books mutilation.
 Prices Were Arranged. Mir. Murphy identified the various books, and then told the committee that only one
 was mutilated when he left, and that the others had since been tempered with, and that the lead pencil figures had been in- serted lately. He said no ono in the count ing room knew the price charged to the state for various articles; that the goods
 sold were entered in regular form; that
 the place for price was left blank by the special orders of Mir. Moriarty, and that when the bills were made to the state these items were copied from the ledger
 and the prices fixed after the firm had a conference with Mir. Ford, who frequently
 visits the store.
 He had often asked for the figures, so as to close up this page, but he was told
 not to fool any time away on tho state house account, and he said he concluded that these orders were made because the sN charging the statehOuse He pointed out
 that the state was charged with tho ex, pense of tho salesmen and other agents | who visited Trenton on business for tho
 firm, and although the contract for the senate and assembly carpet called for mak- ing and laying, the state was charged with l tho expenses of the sewing women and up holsterers who laid it.
 He created quite a sensation when he
 said Q dining room table and six chairs
 sent to Senator Michael Barrett of Essex
 county were charged in the statehouse ac.
 count and paid for by the state; that a | $100 desk and an SIS office chair were sent
 to the home of Leon Abbett, Jr., during
 the time he was private secretary to the governor and tho goods charged to the
 state of New Jersey.
 Wet Goods Kept For Legislators. Asner IhilbcFt WHO was tne netiu car penter of the statohouse, discharged once during Mir. Ford's term and re-employed by him, testified that in his line of work as the carpenter he erected two ice boxes and refriSerators-a large one in the cellar and another made of walnut in the retir. ing room attached to the superintendent office These, he said, were kept filled with wet goods.
 When asked to explain what kind oi wet goods, he said Beer, whisky, wine, gin, soft drinks and cigars" They were given to members of the legislature, state officials and all who called on the superin. tendent. MT. Ford kept a man employed | to hand out these liquors. These Ice boxes | cost the state $225.
 Before the close of the session John Mul- len testified that he sent a desk and halt dozen chairs to Senator Barrett's office without Q bill because he refused to take a fee for acting as counsel in a real estate transaction. He said Senator Barrett nev- | CT received any goods, and he could not un. | derstand the strange entries on the ledger.
 Counsellor Corbin read several acts un. der which appropriations have been made for rebuilding and furnishing the state house. and astonished the committee by stating that s123, 909 had been expended l for furniture alone. In five years the cap I itol had been stripped from cellar to gar. | ret and new furniture put in.
 Some of the rooms had been furnished twice in flve years. Expensive walnut | furniture had been taken away and cheap | oak stock furniture substituted for it. The prices were exorbitant. to say the least The supreme courtroom, by all | odds the handsomest chamber of the kind in New Jcrse y, if not in the country, wa: | stripped and refurnished with cheap stuff. | Death of m Alleged Murderer.