The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-09-23

cIceA' was porn aU LOat OreCk. 1 Know
Jacob J. Foster and @. II. Anderson. Tn
latter is an intimate acquaintance Of mine
He was a telegraph operator at Blackwood
| worked with him on the wire A rttl
after @ O'Clock on Sunday evening, Juno 13
1897, l called Mr.. Anderson on the telephone
That is the hour 1 am compelled to be at thu
Office to receive Sunday messages. After TIN
evenings work / called up Mr.. Anderson fo
the purpose of getting the address of
friend whom Mr.. Anderson and me talke,
about | was to call upon him when il
BlackwOod. l asked if Mr. Anderson wa,
there. Mr. Foster said mo" that he would
not be there for quite a while. He asked me
if there was anything new in
the region. / said nothing, except
that Major e. c. Wagner and
McHenTy Wilhelm, Of the Taxpayers Asso.
citation, were in town Saturday afternoon
and believed they were about to investigate
the School Board which had long been
known as corrupt affair. He asked me
what they found and 1 told him the people
were not making known what they might
find. He then asked what were the charges.
l said did not know positively, but it was
| rumored that there was cOrruptness. Then
he wanted me to dive into the corruptness
and l told him as I had heard it among the
people. / told him about the teachers not
getting their institute money for five years
and told him that extras to the amount of
several hundred dollars was paid out mysteri-
ously and paid out by the directors. That
the contracts for new buildings were given to
the highest bidders.
The witness denied that he had COM
municated to Mr.. Foster that double the
amount Of bids had been drawn through
farHau hat 4 A.
Directors had diverted to their own use at
least 81 600 that much having been found on
the books in excess of the contract price
witness said he didn't undertake to state
where the money went Mr. Foster did not
say he was going to publish what witness was
stating to him and witness did not say
whether, or not, he sent il for publication nor
did he ask, secure, or attempt to secure the
publication.
Witness said he was never the correspond
ept for the Miners Journal, and he had no
intention to communicate any of the facts
when he called up the Journal, but simply to
talk TO MIR. Anderson on personal affair
When he learned Mr.. Anderson was not at
the Miners Journal office he was about TO
leave when he heard Mr. Foster call Hello I
hello ~ Witness answered and then Foster
asked If there was anything new.
State whether or not the matter of institute
orders was generally discussed in the town
ship2
Yes, sir.
What was the talk about that?
That the teachers didn't get their institute
orders that they were obliged to give them
up that they We're Withheld by the
Directors In fact that the Directors received
the value of the orders-that the teachers
didn't have any value whatever for them. l
understood that Tim MahOney although the
highest bidder, had some kind of a hold on
the Board of Directors that he would get
every school contract they would give out,
regardless of his bid.
In general way, was it talked about
among the people?
Yes, sir.
Did you know that the Directors would
give out these contracts for new buildings to
the highest bidders2
Had you known that to be the fact as to
the Colorado school building2
Yes, sir. ---
Was that talked about ---,-- ---.
Yes, sir.
As we'll as the VIM. Penn school building (?
Yes sir.
Witness stated that Murphy's testimony as
to what ONeill stated about the latter
sister was absurd. The case of the wit
nesss sister occurred IL or 13 years ago
Since that time witness has been on good
terms with Mr.. Ferguson and taught his son
telegraphing free of charge.
Murphy testified to your telling him not TO
go into FergusOn's saloon on one occasion?
Nothing of that kind occurred.
Murphy is the man who lad you arrested
for larceny?
Yes, sir.
The cause of that was l believe, you took
tools belonging to yourself that were in his
possession
Yes, sir.
court2
Yes, sir; by his honor here.
Did you, az any time, make threat or
threats, that you would get square with Fer
guson, or seek revenge, or say you would get
even with Ferguson before he would die?
have no recollection of making such
statements.
Later witness said that Murphy came to
him and he suspected Murphy of being Fer
guson's agent and, perhaps, in temper he
might have said he would get square with
Ferguson. He also testified that he remem-
bered that P. NJ. Noon, at present School
Director, came to the witness's office and
said Ferguson had robbed the School Board
Of West MahanOy township of So, 00O Moons
sister had been disappointed in an appoint
ment at the time
On cross-examination by Mr.. Marr, O'Nein
admitted that before he told the story to
Foster he did not go to any of the directors
to ask if the story was true. He did not eX-
anime the auditors report because it was not
prepared at the time. He did not examine
since because he didn't take any interest in
it, Ex-SchOol Director Crane spoke to him
about the Colorado school house.
letter directed to County Superinten-
dent Weiss dated April IA, 1897, was pre-
sented to and read by the witness He ad-
mitted writing it. The letter complained
that his sister, Maggie A., had been refused
certificate in Butler township while others
| less competent had received them and also
referred to witness sister, Katie, being re-
fused a certificate some time before, through
the interference of a West Mahanoy town
ship School Director. The latter also con
tained a request that the certificate be
granted and that if it was refused the writer
would be obliged to speak i'll of the Superin-
tendent and oppose him at every tun The
witness said the director referred to was p.
| J. Ferguson
That was the man you were cunning for ?
| ., no. was not cunning for him.
Witness said he blamed Ferguson for
/ stopping his second sister from getting a
certificate in Butler township because Fer
guson is interested with Tom" Nolan, of
| Butler
| We're you not aiding and abetting Joyce in
raising money when Joyce was fighting Fer
| guson's license2
| No. l knew nothing Of it whatever.
The witness also denied that he sent of his
own accord, or caused 10 be sent, kilograms to
| Ferguson's colleagues during an election that
| Ferguson was cutting them.
Did you not write TO some Of the officials
Of the colieries employing some of these
Directors, making complaint against them ?
! No sir.
| Mr. Whalen Did you have conversation
with Mr. Ferguson, after these law suits were