The San Francisco call., 1897-04-10
The Contractor Who Built
Folsom Prison Finally
Recompsnsed.
Amount of Coin in the State
Treasury Decreased by
$63,563 90
G,Iden Sequel to the Long and Bitter
Contest in legislature and
Courts.

SACRAMENTO, CAL, April 9.-After
being successfully piloted past the reefs
and through the shoals of six stormy ses
sions of the Legislature. only to meet dig
aster at the hands of various Governors of
the State. the now famous Jordan bill ar
rived safely in port. and this afternoon
the event was celebrated with the m usical
chink of $50 gold pieces as State Treasurer
Radcliffe's deputies deftIy slid $63, ,563 66
into canvass receptacles and passed the m
over into the grasp OF the hungry crowd of
attorneys, who had gathered like buzzards
around worn-out horse which had
dropped by the highway, to fight and
auibble over the spoil. The Jordan bill
has been paid, and never more will its
merits and demerits echo through the
halls of the State Legislature.
The history OF the claim is interesting.
Prior TO the passage by the late Legis-
lature of the bill appropriating money 10
it, Thomas p. Haynes, assignee in the
insolvency case of Dennis Jordan, brought
suit to recover certain amounts alleged to
be due former creditors ana served in :
junction papers upon the State Controller
and Treasurer to prevent payment of the
money. After the bill passed State Con-
troller Colgan refused to draw the war
rant on account OF these injunction pro-
ceedings.
On the ID of April Jordan applied for
writ OF mandate in the Superior Court Of
Sacramento County and an alternative
writ was issued 10 Controller Colgan COM
manding him to draw his warrant or
show cause on the 9Th day of April why he
refused. Yesterday another obstacle
cropped up in the form OF suit for $500,
,,,C Co Ex k,,A
q former creditor, and another restraining
order was issued and directed to the Con-
troller, commanding him not to draw the
warrant in favor OF Jordan until further
order of the court.
The suit instituted by Haynes against
Jordan was dismissed and the restraining
order dissolved, so when the man
damus proceeding came up in the Supe-
rior Court in this city to-day Jordan's at
torneys insisted that 'peremptory writ
should be issued, because all injunction
proceedings instituted against the Con-
troller prior 10 the issuance OF the alterpa-
tive writ of mandate had been dissolved.
Deputy Attorney General &. n. Post, rep
resenting the Controller, demurred, con-
tending that the in junction served in the
suit of Dobe VS.. Jordan was binding on
The Controller and was a sufficient an
swer to Io-dan's petition Cor peremptory
writ, which he contended the Superior
Court in consequence had no right to
issue.
A recess was taken and Jordan's attor-
neys communicated with San Francisco
and obtained settlement and dismissal
in the Doble suit. Thereupon a peremp-
tory writ of mandate was granted by
Judge Hughes and served upon the Con-
troller, and the long and hard fight for
the Jordan claim ended with the issuing
OF warrants and payment by the State.
The claim of Dennis Jordan against the
State was for extra work done on the State
Prison st Folsom at the time that institu-
ton was in course of erection. Jordan
had taken a contract to erect the building.
but was somewhat hampered by lack of
funds and eventually was frozen out. The
claim was based on the fact that he had
put in extra stone, labor, etc., for which
he had never been remunerated by the
State, although the latter had been d.
rectly benefited thereby.