New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-06-02
THE SCHOOL BILL FRAUD.
CONTRADICTORY TESTIMoNY-THE GOV
FRNoR NAY TAKE THE STAND.
Try TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.I

~ the forgery Of the Rochester School bill. Gov
'error Roosevelt and Attorney-General Davies
may feel i necessary TO take the witness stand
and inform the Court of what they We're told by
various persons while they were making private
s-,As+iestfon OF the forgery Of the bill. This
statement is made because it is obvious from the
~,,es+iors addressed TO witnesses that certain
sxpected testimony has not been given.
The chief witness to-day was Edward H. Den
,seron- Of Rochester index clerk of the Assem-
biv who positively stated that he had not in
structed the State printer. either directly or in
directly 10 print the spurious copy of the School
bill. and who also denied with the same posi-
tiveness that he had even mentioned George W.
-AlGridge in speaking Of the bill Mr.. Denniston
was represented by counsel Edward Harris OF
Rochester but under advice Of Mr.. Harris de-
clined 10 avail himself Of any privilege not
granted 70 the other witnesses. and submitted
himself 10 an examination by Deputy Attorney
General Mason without the protection of coun-
sci M Harris did not open his lips in Mr..
Denniston's behalf until the Investigating attor-
neys had completed their direct and cross-ex-
animation Of his client.
PECULIAR ACTION AT ROCHESTER.
The witnesses were mainly from the State
printing Office, but some were from Rochester.
L made clear that the interpolated SEN
tences in the fraudulent bill signed by Governor
the expiration Of the thirty-day limit permitted
TO the Governor in the examination OF bills. It
is remarkable that q bill signed by the Gov
error on April ~ was not critically examined
in Rochester by those desiring this legislation
until after the day. Nay 6. when the Governors
privilege Of signing or not signing bill had
expired
Nathaniel H Kelsey was the first witness
called He was examined by Deputy Attorney
49,
composing room Of the State Printer. He said
he remembered the time when the bill was
printed and re-engrossed. It was his belief that
II took place after the adjournment Of the Legis-
lature. probably within week after that date.
At the tine the copy for the reprint was re-
ceived there We're other measures for re-
printing. He presumed that the copy went back
with the engrossed bill About this he was not
positive The copy is not in the Site Printers
establishment. A search in the last Two weeks
has failed to find il. At the time the bill was
being reset the proofreader called his attention
TO q paragraph which did not read sensiby.
copy Of the bill was shown to him by MI Mason
and ne recognized the paragraph as the one in
which there was mistake He said that 1t
was new matter and had been written upon the
margin OF a printed copy OF the genuine bill,
with q pen or pencil The witness swore that
he went TO see Mr.. Winchester manager OF the
the bill Mr. Winchester was about to go out
said Nj Kelsey, with Mr. Hauenbeck, and did
not look al the copy which had. He said that
he could nov attend 10 II then, and told me 10
take il 20 Mr.. Denniston for correction sent
II 10 Mr. Denniston with the boy who usually
takes copy 10 the Capitol, and he returned 1t
corrected. I that the paragraph made
sense, and gave It out for final composition"
Edwin D. Ober, bookkeeper for the State
r[a
false bill on his books
TWO MYSTERIOUS PERSONS.
Harvey NJ Earring, messenger OF the State
Printer. then gave the following Interesting tes-
timony:
lid 90A -e 94 ,istake IN y his proo ~! I'm nnet
- i-b 80 o,Te- I1a5 IN the Io5by
OF the Assembly Chamber. We sat down on one
Mr. Denniston took the bill and wrote something
IN IL
Q.-Do you think you could recognize these men
with Mr.. Denn-ston? A-One Of them was thick
was between thirt ty and forty-fve years old.
On Denniston did not make the corrections?
He DID not, He handee II 70 one OF the men
one Of the men said: The bill is now all right
proof Ras Ma Randed 10 aN5h 5 when the
Judge Gregory-Eould you recognize either Of
Q-Did you indicate TO Mr. -Denniston where. the
P 6 of % MS neF 70 NJ ngee9 correction
Isaac A Friedman. messenger TO the Mayor
OF Rochester and John J. McQuerney. ex-
ecutive clerk 10 the Mayor Of Roches-
Ter both testified that they believed the
genuine bill went TO Rochester William P.
BeIden, Of Amsterdam. one OF the clerks Of the
Senate. sWore he sent the genuine bill TO
Rochester Milton Noyes, Superintendent Of
Schools Of Rochester, said the fraudulent bill
came 10 him the latter part Of April or the early
part Of May. but he did not read IT. He thus
cid not become aware of the interpoated SEN
tences until May 3. ). The examination
continued:
Q-Tou called AssembIyuan Rodenbeck's atten-
ss9A 10 ne -nterpoated sentence on Sunday, May
Q-Do you mean 10 say that you never noticed
rs sentence IN the bill Ill the night before? A
exS -EoU dig nor know your term Of Office might
40 you know Charles Z. Morris. the agent
- american Book Company? Al do.
Vas there not complaint in the newspapers
49, 80 ne 9-c Board Of Education, whose terms ex
49, -L January = was il Office that too frequent
rre-Eg-- were made II textbooks? Al do not re-
sS-5-as there. been 50 much criticism Of the
5e| board Of Education came into power? A.-Not
1870 -e"spaDers but among the patrons Of the
~ 6aI explanation have you 10 offer that the
---s---Pe ol me bogus school Dill outside of the
32-1li-yf possession is II your hands? Alt came
% me through the mails ike other bills, and paid
D-strtct Attorney Dyer-Did you ever make any
v~z -a-- = a4y member OF the Legislature that
Odd you know Mr. Denniston? Al did not.
Fh--etus Chamberlain member OF the Roch-
ester School Board was called and said that
Ne mad been told by Principal Warren that there
was some provision OF the bill which related 70
ne s1De-inrendent's term OF Office. He went to