The Wilmington daily Republican., 1895-03-09
NEW JERSEY B00DLING.
Startling Testimony in the State
House Investigation.
EXoRBITANT CHARGES FOR GOODS

Walnut Furniture Removed and Cheap Oak
Furniture esubstituted-Desks,T Tables and
Chairs Sent to the Homes of Politicians
and Charged to the State.
TRENTON, March 0-The senate investi.
CATION of the mana cement of the state
house under Superintendent Ford was re-
sumed yesterday Samuel Dickinson, a
druggist of this city, testified that he had
furnished lot of soap, baskets and
brushes for Superintendent Ford which
cost him $i33. 10. He charged the state for
the goods (Which We're charged as "drugs'D
S735,55. He sent out of generosity to the
state house about 500 worth of champagne
and cigars after the bill was paid He did
nothing to earn the profit except to buy
the goods and see that they were distrib-
uted.
Asher E. Lambert, carpenter for ten
years at the state house, testified that he
built two liquor refrigerators for Super
fntendcnt Ford, one for the superinten-
dents Office, and one for the cellar for
storage. The rcfrigerators were constantly
In use. In the rebuilding of the state
house Superintendent Ford told him to
toll the New Jersey School and Furniture
company to make their profit 20 per cent.
or nothing. Ford made him return a bill
TO the bookkeeper Of Samuel Heath, a
lumber dealer, in order to have the amount
raised for political purposes Three thous-
ana rect oil lumber were added to the bill,
and the state never received the lumber
MIR. Heath took the stand and testified
that he could not explain discrepancies
amounting to about 200 feet each on seye,
raj orders of lumber where the amount
was raised on bills rendered to and paid
by the state. The discrepancies were the
work of his bookkeeper
Mr.. Corbin, counsel for the committee,
salu that In tho past five years the state
mouse had been stripped in every room of
ITS handsome walnut furniture, and cheap
oak furniture had been substituted at a
cost of Sl23aoo. Many rooms had been fur
nished twicein that period, and exorbitant
prices charged
John Mullins, of tho firm OF John Null
lins & Co., of Jersey City, whose firm fur
nished nearly $50, 000.worth offurniture for
the state house, produced his books, four
OF which were mutilated by hundreds of
pages being torn out. He testified that he
did not know how the books were mutt
lated. The police Of jersey City had sus-
pected one of his clerks. The mutilation
took place tho night after the election in
1eoS' He denied giving any commissions
OF any kind and professed to having no
knowledge of his books.
Eugene Murphy formerly bookkeeper
for Mullins firm, who was DISCHARGED
In 1898 for playing the races" gave the
prices on goods bought by the firm and
sold to the state. The profit in every case
was nearly double the purchase cost. Mr..
Mullins asked the witness once to figure
out the amount sold to the state, for Bar
ney Ford was getting very impatient and
wanted bis divvy." A check was drawn
for Ford, the amount being about 10 per
cent. Of the bills He would have to have
missing personal ledger to tell the
amount of the check
Murphy testified further that the bill for
dining room table and six chairs sent TO
the house of ex Senator Michael Barrett
was charged to the state; a desk and chair
valued at Sll9 was sent to the home OF
Leon Albeit, Jr., at Jersey City, and also
charged to the state Yfle state also paid
for an SIS senate chair sent to H. NJ,
Negus, of Red Bank. These entries were
taken from the FIRMS books.
Mr.. Mullins made statement that he
had only sent to Senator Barrett desk
and chairs, which was in return for legal
services, and he did not know they were
charged to the state Neither did he know
anything about the chair sent to Red
Bank.
The events Of the day were highly sem
sational In what they disclosed The COM |
mittee adjourned to meet next Tuesday.