The Washington times., 1895-03-13
NEW JERSEYS BOODLERS
Eight Hundred Per Cent Profit on
Metallic Filing Cases Charged.
Comptroller Heppenheimer Engineered the
Officials May Be Implicated.

Trenton, n. J., March 12.-In the Ford
investigation to-day it was shown that
metallic filing cases had been put in the
vaults of certain offices OF the statehouse,
at a total cost of S21, ,s47.3s. Henry y.
Booze, of Philadelphia, testified as an ex-
pert that 81. .430.95 would have afforded
profit of 33 1-3 per cent, the actual cost
being 81, 400. 1t was also shown that
William c. Heppenheimer, who was state
comptroller at the time. interested himself
very much to have the different State Off
cials consent to have the cases put in.
Adjt. Gen. Stryker said he had been re-
quested by Comptroller Heppenheimer to
have the cases put in: that he considered
them much safer as regards fire than the
MANILA boxes he was using; but that when
the bill of A. B. Dick & Co., for $3,715,
was presented tohim he objected to it and
refused to approve it.
Comptroller Heppenheimer, he said, re-
piled that he had nothing TO do with approx
ing the price; that it was matter for the
statehouse commission. Gen. StTy ker
indoecd the bill correct as 10 work fur
nished.' The bill was then approved
by the comptroller and other members OF
the Statehouse commission, and was paid.
Col s. Meredith Dickinson, who is as
sistaBt 10 Allan McDermOtt, clerk of the
court OF chancery, testified that metallic
cases had also been put in the vaults OF
the clerks office, and that when a bill OF
So, ,110 was presented ne was satisfied it
was too high, and indorsed it goods duly
fuTnis he'd Comptroller HeppeuheimeT,
III this case, too. was anxious that the cases
should be put in.
The other offices in which cases Were put
in We're the State treasurer's and the ex
! ecutive office, at a cost, respectively, OF
So ,S72 so and So $40, and the comp
trollers offices, main floor and basement,
/ at a cost of S4,612 and S3,e04, respec-
/ lively.
/ The personal ledger" of John Mullins &
I Co, which was called for IN the morning, was
| produced and ex-Bookkeeper Murphy swore
/ that checks aggregating S4,l97. which
/ had been drawn, according TO the check
/ book stubs. TO the order of John Mullins &
4 Co, were charged up to the firms personal
/ account with nothing further to explain
| Northumberland ofthe proceeds. Counsellor
| CoTbin drew attention to the efactthatleaving
| 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 l o per cent
| which Murphy claimed Ford had been paid.
! of Counsellor COrbin as to the responsibility
of Ford's bondsmen, one of whom is United
| States Senator James Smith, jr Mr.
| Corbin replied that Ford was undera bond
| of So 600 for each of the three years to
faithfully and honestly perform his
duty"
( Chairman VOORHEES,, after the committee
| adjourned, said that report would be sub
| mitted to the legislature probably next
! week. but that the committee would by no
| means have completed its investigation
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 addeds rather ominously, that it
would be a satisfactory thing if some i'm
peachment proceedings would be begun. He
mentioned no names, but when asked how
eX Officials could be impeached. he said
that the proceedings could be instituted at
| any time within two years after person
had ceased to hold office.