Perth Amboy evening news., 1907-06-13
CONTRACTORS
ON The RACK.
Investigating Committee at Tren-
ton Continues TO Show Up
Questionable MelhOds
is BEING CONTINUED TODAY.

TRENTON, June 13:-Boolss that
weren't burned furnished Chief In
quisitor Backes, of the Hahn Investi-
eating Committee, ground for a trail
of graft yesterday. He had Contract
or Lawton and his fair young book
keeper under fire again and the books
that remain and the check stubs that
were produced show some transac-
tions that Mr. Backes says need a lot
of explaining. George j. Tobln, who
has had such a fine thing with his
plumb bing contracts under the Law
ton regime of seven years, relented
and brought his books to the capitol
for the inspection of the committee
yesterday. They were not reached
during the days investigation, but
will come up for searching inquiry
today.
If Tobin's books will disclose the
things which Mr.. Backes has intimat-
ed are concealed by the destruction of
Lawton's books, an interesting ses-
sion of the committee may be ex-
pected.
Nor was yesterdays session at all
lacking in interest, for the books of
Contractor Lawton, which escaped
the ravages of the flames last Janu-
ary, disclosed traces to Inquisitor
Backes which, by suggestion at least,
| lead toward some questionable trans
actions connected with Lawton's
dealings with the state In Lawton's
surviving ledger Mr.. Backes found
| item after item in which 1t was ap-
parent that a name had been erased
and replaced by the initials 81. l.. &
Son." or the name Lewis Lawton d
Son. Opposite these names we're
amounts ranging from 800 to ST.
000. Mr.. Backes also found check
vouchers and check stubs correspond
| ing to these entries, made out by
| Lewis Lawton & Son, and payable to
| Lewis Lawton & Son.
| Counsel Backes struck an apparently
promising lead when he recalled Miss
May g. Beck. Contractor Lawton's
| bookkeeper. to the witness stand and
questioned her regarding some erasures
in the Lawton firms cash book. Be
meath an entry of $1,000 there was an
erasure, but Miss Beck was unable to
tell what it was, in spite of the fact
' that she testified Tuesday that the
| books at present in use by the Lawtons
| we're opened about the first of this year.
| other erasures had been made for pay
| nents marked IL. L. & Son" (apperent-
meaning Lewis Lawton d q sem, IN pHt td
which Mr.. Backes subjected her, Miss
| Beck was unable to remember what had
been erased All she could RECALL was
1 that Mr.. Lawton had requested that q
| change be made in the entry, and that
| she made it as directed by him.
| At the side of each OF the erased
items was a cross-reference to page
in the ledger which Lawton testified
Tuesday he had burned. Miss Beck
| attention was called by Mr.. Baekes to a
large number of items of this character
but she was able to give no explanation
The amounts of the items ranged from
500 to $1,000. Mr.. Backes pointed out
1905, Of $1,7Ss.S0 and s693, received
from the state and another entry dated
February 20, 1906, marked u. L. q Son
$3.50" and asked Miss Beck II there was
any relation between the two entries
| Each bore the erasure to which Mr.
Backes had called attention; Miss Becl
| said she did not know whether they
were related There was an entry OF
January 16 of $6,323.50 from the Pawley
Jail Building Company, and four days
$1,000" accompanied by the strange
erasure. Mr.. Backes became pointed in
his questions when he asked Miss Beck
i whether the name of Poole e. Bent had
not been erased from some of tho en-
tries referred to, but Miss Beck denied
this The Poole mentioned is now state
architect.
More Railroad Assessment.
The greater part of the morning ses-
sion was devoted to the examination OF
Stephen J. Meeker, a member of the
/ State Board of Assessors, and Counsel
Backes confined his attention entirely
to questions about the assessing of rail
road main stem property. Mr.. Meeker
admitted that the board did very little
actual assessing, getting most of its
Information from the reports made by
the railroad companies and from the
inspections made by the boards engi-
neer This corroborated the Testimony
of State Assessor David Baird Tuesday
Mr. Meeker said 1t had been the custom
of the board to accept the individual
Judgment of the members who are
familiar with their own parts of the
Il state.
i Mr. Backes inquired whether the
board regarded the main stem of the
Pennsylvania railroad Of the same
value from the Delaware river to Jer-
sey City, and Mr.. Meeker said that the
value was the same throughout this
} extent for railroad purposes. Attention
was called to the fact that individual
property in the various taxing districts
. of the state had increased SO per cent
in the last twenty years. but Mr. Meek
. er said he had made no Investigation K
ascertain whether there had been cor
Responding increase In the assessment
,of railload main stem property passing
Through these taxing districts.
II In refutation of the statement mad
~ IN mage 2.)