New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-15

which n Civil Service examination would nav
been required had II bes1 understooo 'heS WIZ
to he assigned to such work
THE CIVIL SERVICE LAW EvADED.
At the Controllers office 1t was stated by Mr.
Roberts that he would have refused to pay the
| salaries OF these men had they been DOWN III
any other capacity than that Of laborers' Ia
| borers being exempt from Civil Service resu'a
| tons Easton found It easy under the heading
of laborers to find offices for the poltlcaI Heei
ers, ward and district presidents OF the bsrnes ne,
machine and II was extremely dlHcut; !. ~. ~
| impossible to get a person on the payroll OF the
| Capitol by any one legislators included unless
Barnes Endorsed him. While Easton was p ,o
| vding places for machine workers at wnateve'
| salaries he saw TT to give them. crediteu Pioo
| ably on the basis OF their worth to the machine,
| what appears on It's face to be actual fraud was
, being perpetrated on the state in at least one
| of the departments under his charge co..
| Eagton has under him as janit0r OF the Sta'e
| Hall another of the State buildings at Albany
| one W. c. Turner. Turner comes from High ,
| land Falls the home Of Assemblyman HooaseiI.
| He RECEIVES a salary OF 800 month and living
| rooms In the State Hall. According to the pay
| roll of December 1896 there were thirteen en-
| ployes I'm the State Hall, including Turner, VINO
has charge Of the employees there under EastOn'
Seven OF these employees according 10 the De
| ceinber payroll, are women. From what Gun pe
learned. 1t appears to have pern ,an not
| Turner to sign the payroll for these women no.
| withstanding the fact that some or them can
write He would then get the money rom ,ne
Controller for payment OF the women ellpoi .un
| Turner had not been janitor Tor a great wnne
| when his wife, Nj. F. Turner VINO ~ sau W nc
| an invalid and unable to work. was put on inc
payroll cleaner at $50 a month Later IN us
| sister II. A. Turner who is said to live at HiBh-
| land Falls, and came to Albany on several occa-
| sions merely visitor was also put upon ,he
| payroll as a cleaner with salary OF soo
month. On this same payroll IL one Margaret
| BannOn for $50 month as cleaner MISS
Bannon is girl Who from what can be learned.
was brought here from Highland FAILS by
/ Lit. ntAU
| case 1t is believed that no work was performed
| for the State
ALLEGED FRAUD ON THE PAYRoLLs.
| On the payroll OF Eastons subordinate. Turner,
from April Is 1885, to September 80 1870. Is the
| name of Caroline Olivette who was put down as
| a cleaner According to the payrols. there was
drawn In Miss Olvette's name from the state
| over Turner's signature for what purported to
| be six months work. the sum Of S26l -. or at
| the rate of about S44 month. AS matter OK
| fact. according to deposition given herewith.
| this woman was not employed by the State. but
worked as a cook or servant in the apartments
| of Turner, and during the time she was en-
ployed there, according to her sworn statement.
she did not particle of work for the state, ana
received for her services as cook from turner
So month. Here is what she says under oath;
state Of NswYork city and and CSiy Of Albany o sd
State of New-York make oath and say as follows:
]. That was hired by W. C. Turner IAN a,ltof OF
March 1895 as his private domestic servant to do
cooking sweeping and busting in his apartments
pose or TO render no other services Of any nature
. That the salary which the said w. c: Turner rn
sum Of s s p %f m MONTH fsFeea "p0" Us
in the Offices OF the state House or hall. -.
4. That have never received more tha aI,-, s2
hSS e month" Snn Of Of june S ana July s when
Pense Of my extra services in nursing the wife OF
given 500 each month my wages.
s. That can read and write, but have never
be ayS or 1efsPt for of m Ss
Of Public Buildings as his empcye or hs, an
simply a private servant of the said W. C. Turner
"f never YER gave the said w G Turner authority
to sign name to any payroll or s%' nnns aoi%
TO ,,' such document or payroll, is a forgery. u
Z. A short time before iett -. dulutr
money from the State on my in his payroll
and / asked him why he did SO. when he said that
Hny onsS Shd the nc" sad Gc
received on payroll on my da m s WdS pavro WAS
. That left the service Of the said W. C.
turner 0" OF "oO"' ''V CAROLINE OLIvETrE
svbscrbed and sworn to before NE ms A Eta Gay
% '-'' Commissioner Of Deeds Albany. n Y
II as appears on the face OF 1t. the state or
New-York has been defrauded in this instance
TO what great extent has it been mulcted In con-
nection with these payrollsf
LIGHTING THAT CAME HIGH
Leaving the payros for the matter Of electric
lighting II Is found that the State has paid the
Municipal Gas Company Of Albany, $i3O92 "a
Thirty thousand dollars Of this sum con-
tracted for: the other $4,000 charged for
extra lighting put in by Eas.on. These extra
lights were not needed. There was or ought TO
have been plenty of light under the contract, II
properly distributed. or this extra lighting ST.
Y s
went TO the Executive Mansion. The balance
was for gas for lighting the other State buildings
The Municipal Gas Company is controlled by
paswell y Flower A. ~ Brady and f.. c. Bene-
dict Brady and Barnes are intimate, and Eas-
ton is Barness man barnes was usefui 10
Brady in getting the last electric-lishting con-
tract 10 ligh. the streets OF Albany and he is now
pernciously active in the interest of the gas
company and his friend Brady in trying to de-
feat the bin introduced by Senator Nussbaum,
of this district fixing the price of gas in Albany
al 81 a Thousand feet.
lighting at the Capitol Is that extra lights are
charged for IN the summer months as well as In.
the winter when the Legislature is in session.
MANY of the lights are only used few hours in
tho vear even when the Legislature is in session.
Tho subserviency OF Superintendent Easton to
the lighting ring in Albany was shown in
instarce most strikingly. The Senate Finance
Committee prepared bill to rehabtate the
electric lighting plant In the basement of the
Capito, In order that the old system Of the State
furnishing its own light might be resumed and
the State saved thousands of dollars In conse-
ouencc. A hearing was given on this BILL at
which representatives OF the electric-lighting
company appeared and stated that it would cost
$1,000 900 to put the plant in shape and
S3O 900 year when In condition. TO run 1t.
Easton's chief engineer submitted statement
10 the committee containing practically the same
figures which the Municipal Gas Company's en-
pineer had furnished The similarity OF the est-
mates aroused the suspicious of Senator Hggna.
of the Committee. who asked Eastons engineer
whether his figures had previously been seen by
the gas companys representative. and he I'M
blushnGy admitted that they had compared
notes Easton. who was at the hearing, at
tempted to defend the figures Of his engineer and
the statement of the gas company that the plant
could not he put In operation al less than $780,
600 and maintained for less than $4,000 year.
But the gas rings arguments were knocked
into a cncsnd hat" when estimate prepared