The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-06-05

Such municipal rottenness as was
disclosed at Saturdays hearing in the
Lackawanna township Indebtedness
matter before Commissioner Quinnan
almost surpasses credibility.
One batch of claims alone was cx-
amined into and they were 30 per cent.
bad. They were not selected either as
being especially pregnable. They were
the claims held by one person, E. b.
Davidow, and were only picked on first
because they comprised one OF the
largest patches presented.
Sixty per cent. of them were pro-
nounced forgeries, and 80 per cent. Of
them were alleged to be based on or
ders that had already been paid once.
The attorneys who are attacking the
claims. Township Solicitor NJ. J. Dom
ahoe, Hon. c. Z. OAIalley of Willard,
Warren & Knapp. and George NJ. Wat
son took each Of Mr.. Davidows $1,000
worth of claims in turn and submitted
1t to the scrutiny of the supervisor,
whose name was attached.
With astounding regularity the sup
crVisor would declare THAT Is my
name but the signature is a forgery"
a comparison of the signatures they
admitted were genuine with those they
claimed We're forSeries corroborated
them.
PAID BEFORE.
About every third order that came
up for examination was recognized by
ono or the other of the present or past
supervisors as having been once re-
deemed. These orders were issued for
road work, they explained, and upon
the receipt of revenue from liquor Ii
ccnses or q remittance from the tax
collector, the orders would be called
in and cashed and then turned over
to the auditors to be cancelled
To all appearances, the auditors neg
leCtsd to cancel them and allowed them
to go out again as claims against the
township.
1t cannot be stated now as q fact
but ii is common talk in Lackawanna
| township and will undoubtedly develor
later in the investigation that the aud
itors learned that Mr.. Davdow and
| some others like him who were not wei
acquainted with the fiscal conditions
in the township. were buying up all
the orders they could get without ask.
| ing any questions, and the unscrupu.
qucnces turned the orders over to theii
! cousins and brotherS-in-law and the
| like to peddle them to these parties
| for whatever they could get for them.
The explanation given of the source
| of the. forged orders is that a print.
| ing press was set up i'm "a certain place
| in Minooka and blank orders printed
| by the wholesale, which from time t
| time We're made out in favor of trus
| ted confederates and peddled among
| the spectators in Scranton and else
| where
RECORDS STOLEN.
All the township records that wer,
| in charge of the auditors We're stolen
it will be remembered, last fall. The
| auditors We're summoned to bring thC
records before the commissioner.
That night the auditors clerk brough
! the box containing the records from
| his home, near the Archibald. and. ac
| COrding to custom, left them i'm tn,
store room in the rear of McDon
Ough's general store, so tha
they would be handy for the auditor!
when they started for the hearing tn,
next day. In the morning the box anC
the records We're missing. and no trac,
of them has ever been discovered.
| Another hearing will be held Thurs
| day, when the auditors will be asked
| to explain matters. The supervisor,
who We're present at Saturdays hear
ing We're James Ward, w. j. Fern
NJ. p. Judge, u. j. Quinn. Michael Glib
bons, Frank Toole and Patrick Coyne