Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-08-23
.FREEHOLDERS COMMITTEE.
The Report Of The BarRaby e
Investigation.

We publish below the report of Messrs.
Whitney, Jones and Brown, the COMMITTEES
Of Freeholders appointed at the July meet
ing to investigate the allegations against the
First Ward Freeholder. made by correspon-
dents of this paper
WOODBURY., n. j., Aug. y, 1906.
TO The Board Of Chosen Freeholders Of Gioa-
cester County
The Committee appointed at our last
meet ng to investigate the alleged irregu-
larities in the vouchers Of the Freeholder
from the First Ward Of Woodbury., would
respectfully report as follows:
Ii appears from the annual report Of the
county for the year ending May 7th, 1906,
that the member from the First Ward spent
in mason work, cleaning culyerts, hauling
gravel, ETC., about $3.50, and it was with
the items that went to make up this amount
that your committee chiefly concerned it
self.
At our first meeting Mr.. J. D. Carpenter
appeared by request and stated that the
communications which appeared in his
paper, the GLOUCESTER COUNTY DEMO-
Graf, were written by reputable citizens Of
the First Ward whose names be was will
ing to give if be could gain their consent so
to do. Later the gentlemen in question APP
peared before the committee, but had no
exact information to giye other than that
contained in their communications.
The committee then took up the vouchers
in detail, and as the direct charge against
the member from the First Ward had to do
with those bills in favor OF one Alburtus S.
Pierce, he was requested by the Clerk to
appear before the Committee at their next
meeting This he failded to do owing, as
we understand, to misunderstan ling, but
instead sent an affidavit which is annexed
hereto, and made part Of this report.
From this afidayit it appears that al the
work and labor done by him and BY his
helper for the county during 1905 amounted
to SS 25, and that this sum was all that
was paid him for the work and labor done
during 1905 by the member from the First
Ward. The vouchers presented By the
member from the First Ward and sworn to-
by him were as follows
May 10 mason work to Alburtus
Pierce on repairs to cuiverts u
days. $40 90
IL days TO helper 2l 90
Junp 9 Alhurfns Piaraa < davs II 00
!" john A. Brown helper rs
Total $50 26
At,our second meeting the member from
the First Ward appeared before the COM
mittee and was asked to make full state
ment and explanation Of all the circum-
stances surrounding the work authorized by
him in his ward dnsing the past year, par
tlcularly with reference to the Pierce bills.
His statement as made was far from satis-
factory being very indefinite, and we re-
greet to report served to throw but little
light upon the matters in question.
He stated in substance as regards the
bill OF May 10. 1865, for S63 that sas work
done on the Walnut street culyert, but was
not certain how many days Pierce worked
there, nor when the work was done nor the
name Of the helper, and he was equally
indefinite in his explanation Of his bill Of
June 13.
Regarding the work for which most Of
the other bills were rendered, we have
been able to learn but little, because of the
fact that the committee has been unable to
bring before it the men employed on the
work. It seemed that in almost every
instance they had either moved away from
this vicinity or else weres unknown to the
member. For example he stated that he
hired Frank Dolliyer, mason at West
vile, but does not know where either be OF
his helper, Clansen, are at at present That
he does not know that he can find S. III.
Jones a colored man employed by him.
That Pickering whom he employed for
nearly forty days as mason he did not
know anything about when be first hired
him, that be did not know where he lived
then nor where he is now, nor has he seen
him since last May. The same thing ap-
plies to Gilbert Rainey, Croley, Coleman,
Harris, Gamewen and Shannon. All these
men were hired by the member from the
First Ward at various times, and though it
was pointed out to him by the Committee,
how important it was that he should bring
at least some of them before it he claimed to
be unable to do so. The Board will therefore
readily see how difficult, if not impossible it
was for us to get the information we sought
In conclusion, however, we must point ont
one fact shat seems to US to throw some light
on the subject, viz: That Notwithstanding
the member spent several hundred dollars in
employing masons and their helpers, he ap-
pears to have bought materials for their nse
such as stone, lime, cement, etc., only to
the extent Of about $15
Attached hereto is letter received FROM
Lewis Starr, Esq, and the answer Of the
Chairman OF the Committee thereto
Respectfully submitted,
GEORGE DUDLEY WHITNEY,
Chairman