The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-03-09
NEW JERSEY D9ODLING.
Startling Testimony in the State
House Investigation,
EXORBITAHT CHARGES FOR GOODS

Walnut Furniture Removedand Cheap Oak
Furniture Substituted Desks, Tables and
Chairs Sent 10 the Homes of Politicians
and Charged to the State.
TIRE NToN, March 9-The seuate investi
CATION OF the management of the state
house under superintendent Ford was re
sumed yesterday. Samuel Dickinson
druggist of this city, testified chat he had
furnished a lot of soap, baskets and
brushes for superintendent Ford which
cost him S433. 10. He charged the state for
the goods (Which were charged as drugs'D
1880. 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 a carpenter for ten
years at the state house, testified that he
built two liquor refrigerators for Super
intendent Ford one for the superinten-
dents office, and one for the cellar for
storage. The refrigerators were constantly
in use. In the rebuilding of the state
house Superintendent Ford told him to
Wi bll1 ANNN JNIHbl DbllOOl anu T. VI hAuNlAN
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-
and feet of lumber were added to the BILL
and the state never received the lumber.
Mr.. Heath took the stand and testified
that he could not explain discrepancies
amounting to about 200 feet each on seve-
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,
said that in the past five years the state
house had been stripped in every room of
its handsome walnut furniture, and cheap
oak furniture had been substituted at "a
cost of 1923, 900. Many rooms had been fur
nished twice in that period, and eXOrbitant
prices charged
John Mullins, of the firm of John Mul-
Inns & Co., of Jersey City, whose firm fur
nished nearly $50, OOO,worth offurniture for
the state house, produced his books, four
of which We're 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 the night after the election in
1898 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 his 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 Cor
a dining room table and six chairs sent to
the house of ex-senator Michael Barrett
was charged to the state; desk and chair
valued at Sll8 was sent to the home of
Leon Albeit Jr., at Jersey City, and also
charged to the state, The state also paid
for an S1s senate chair sent to H. M.
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 SEN
aational In what they disclosed. The com
mittee adjourned to meet next Tuesday.