New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-24
THEFT IN EVERY ITEM.
MAJOR HURLEY'S COAL BILLS
MORE DISCLOSURES OF WHOLESALE ROB
Berry AT TRENTON.

EVIDENCE BEFORE THE VOORHEES, ISVEsrio~1
ING coMMITTEE-BOOKs FALsIFIED AMI
.1IL.s FOR COAL SYSTEMATICALLY
RAIsED-MANY THOUSANDS sroL~
EN- FROM THE PUBLIC
r.v TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE1
Trenton. March 23.-The Voorhees, Invesugauhs
Committee devoted almost all Of to-days sttnhs ~
.,xa,,on of ,he books Of Major Michael
Hurley of this city, who supplied nearly al the
coal used at the State House during the foru re
gime and who secured the contract lot 'ea's
down the Old Assembly Chamber and ala cohs'uei%
BILE digging for which. Mr.. Corbin, the con'ih''eus
counsel said last week. ex-Assemblyman James w.
tanning was paid by the State. lncidentaiiy, Ni.
Corhir n,,ced James NJ Seymour, OF Newark On
tho witness-s,and as an expert on ventilatihs a"u
showed that the State was roDoeu VI a
s2l 900 on the ventilatng jobs in the Assembly aa
Senate chambers. These jobs, MI Coi"i
cost the State $4,000 and Mr.. Seymour said ne
would gladly take a contract TO place ihoiei" a
ha,,or ventilating systems in both chambers ior
so. oo Major Hurley's books made bad sho"ihs'
and his present clerk William Darcy anu hIs - .o
mer clerk John A. Fritz. as Wel as the MAUI .
self were subjected 70 a severe cross-eAa"i''
the two clerks being told almost IN 50 many WIN"
that they were perjuring themselves.
,rha frs, witness called young Darcy, anu
no was asked to produce the cash BOOKS ior i"''
and 1891 which Chairman |oornees mao o"eI
him to bring to-day Mr.. Darcy expiaihei 'na' no
had burned the credit book over year ago IN the
nr.ssnce Of a witness He had done this OF MS
ou,n accord and without receiving orders from MA
.r Hurley or any one else. and before the senate
Investigating Committee was thought OIL ne s
As for the debit book, he said he knew ho'hnns VI
This for the years 1883 and 1891. ana IL mao no'
turned over to him by the former DookKet fi''1
narcv declared that ne had never made cfai 'ai-
nd no
oo,Id be made from them He was simply keeping
tho hooks on the same lines as fritz had oohs'
T, no desired 70 know how the finances STOOL ne
slr,t,ly balanced his cash on the cnecH STUDS
Ahram swan, architect. was the next Witness
us svors that ne had bid FOR the contract OF tear
a., down the old Assembly Chamber. FROM 'ne
s,sclnca tions on file In Superintendent Fords once
he learned that he was not TO nave any VI ''
a,er,aI In the old building Major Hurley testi-
aed last week that his contract empowered MN "
take anything not used In the new pulIdihs.
F. b Everitt contractor. had also pa ana u's
understanding was the as that Of Mr. swan
PROFITS IN THE vENTILATING JOB
r,,.s n SEYMOUR. jr. then took the stand to
tell something about the ventlating Joo' ne w. W.
co,su,,,nr engineer while tfe present VenthatlhS
apparatus was being placed In the state aouSe' III"
evidence ran as follo"s' ,, -
Q-Mr seymour did you make a, ,bs budins?
Al dId l examined TIE system from Top - WV
'Vln 'oYou made a careful estimate OF the &c cost o.
ventllatlng the Assembly Chamber .,cA4,o wS;bont
aPd nT6 fouHa and sS ss with % per profit etdes "a
Q-And in the Senate Chamoer A,ragP'' n,as, S''"
ha YOU the ACTUAL J a cos ud aRe ,Ra Xssen Sss sns
Ply ,,3S sT% a, c5uId SIT nave been done for $4,000
sHd ays d% noda f Sas 1t e on fRsa Ss aa
Q-ln other words Mr oeyflSuy 40 Ventilation for
&Ico which has cost me pa 3.a't & so'HySib wbirb could
$500 Sox 4 Not ias s, .yi'ein aI the pest "'
o~Would any modern engineer use II A.-We''
ne would not be in business very long II re a. r.
q Then the system is not good oneF Alt
is not a modern system -.
The counsel asked IL the witness consiae'eo 'he
price paid by the State exorbtant
For the work done | most certainly oo' re-
sponded Mr. Seymour
The witness said the system at the state house
was defective. for the reason that II ore" air IN
stead OF letting II ou,
,rha st,ta House engineer J. p. Spracklln was
called after Mr. seymour had been e.cused 10
show that the radiators in the State House were
not In good order
HURLEY'S SUSPICIOUS IGNORANCE
Then Major Hurley was called. and thirty-hve
bills with his signature were shown to him. which
ne was asked to identify. His testimony was as
follows:
ply coal to the state House. Mr. Hurley? Al bid
'o1 'oo1 NJ Didn't YOU see Mr Ford? Al might have
seen him after sending in the bid .
Q-IIow did you send in your bills! A-Some-
times brought them TO the State House.
O.-Who did YOU take them 70; a; NJ r1ra' Or NV
Odd you bring duplicates? A.-Not 10 my
knowledge.
Further questioning on this line showed mat
Mayor Hurley had no practical knowledge OF BOOK
keeping According 10 hts testimony he PAID no at
tent!on whatever to his book accounts. because he
rolled largely on memory conduct hts business.
Odd you know. Mr.. Hurley that your book
keeper destroyed your cash books! Al knew noth-
''5 How did you come to make out your bills for
larger amounts than were called FOR! Al never
'Q.1why did you add to your actual weight A.
Why did YOU add to the amount OF your bill?
Al never ga IT, make my oiils out straight
Odd You add nothing for political purposes'
70. Did YOU make presents to any one? A.-No
Q-who altered your books? A.-No one. to my
Chairman voorhees, asked wha, the witness meant
by>such an answer.
simply that | know nothing about them.' an
swered Hurley.
..Do Won mean 10 say that you know nothing at
all about your business" asked Senator Herbert
81 run the business" was the answer.
Prison Deputy Daniel Haggerty. another Witness
wa, seen in the room by Mr.. Corbn. and he was
requested to go out
A BOOKKEEPER UNDER FIRE.
John A. Fritz the former bookkeeper for Major
Hurley. took the stand He had made out all the
State House bills for coal up to September lSsl and
all had been made out simply from the weight
books His examination as follows:
Q.-Dldn't you your books? A-No, sir.
1--WE will see about that" quietly remarked tho
counsel taking up the ledger.
Q-How often did you post your ledger? A.
Every three days.
Q-You put down dates. etc? A-les. sir.
O.-And do mean TO tell me you made out all
yoIr bills from those stub books and figured them
all out over again giving yourself double work!
Ayes. sir. $500 .
Q-What did you do It for? A.-Well. that was
the way J did 1t.
o What you doing all day? A.-Nothins In
particular