Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-09-19
FOR CAPITOL CRAFT.
Contractors Accused of Fraud In
 Pennsylvania Are Arrested.
SOME FURNISH seo,ooo BAIL
Joseph M. Huston, Architect; John Fl. sanderson, Contractor, and H. Burd casseI, Member of Congress, and Fora. mer State Officials Involved.

l
 Sanderson, a Contractor, and H. Burd
 CasseI, Member of Congress, and Fora. | mer State Officials Involved.
 Harrisburg, Pa, Sept 19.-The long I expected arrests of those held to be re- l sponsible for the frauds committed in the furnishing and decorating of Penn- sylvania's $13oOO,OOO capitol were made, the attorney general causing warrants to be issued for fourteen of the eighteen persons and firms named by the capitol Investigating commis- sion as being involved in the scandal
 Those for whom warrants were is-- sued are: Joseph M. Huston, archi- tect, and his assistant, Stanford B. Lewis, both of Philadelphia; John H. Sanderson, Philadelphia, chief con tractor for furnishings; Congressman H. Burd Cassel, Marietta, Pa.; treas urer and executive officer of the Penn sylvania Construction company, con- tractors for steel filing cases; James H. Shumaker, Johnstown, Pa, former superintendent of public grounds and buildings, who receipted for the fur nishings; George F. Payne and his partner, Charles G. Wetter, both of Philadelphia, builders of the capitol and contractors for the $303,000 attic; William F. Snyder, Spring City, Pa., former auditor general, who approved the warrants of the contractors; Will liam L. Mathues, Media, Pa, former state treasurer, who paid the bills of the contractors; Charles F. Kinsman, Wallis Boileau, John q. Neiderer and George K. Storm, all of Philadelphia, stockholders in the Pennsylvania Bronze company, organized by Sander son for the manufacture of the $2,OOO.- GOO lighting fixtures; Frank Irvine, au- ditor in the auditor generals office, who audited the accounts of the con- tractors. l
 Held Under Heavy Bail.
 The warrants were sworn out before Harrisburg aldermen, and nearly all the defendants, who had been notified by the attorney general of the action he had taken, waived a hearing and entered bail for their appearance in the Dauphin county court Several were unable to appear because of ill., ness and will make their appearance later. The principal defendants were held in $60,0OO ball. which was fur nished in every instance by surety companies.
 All the defendants are charged with conspiracy to cheat and defraud the state by making false invoices which were approved by Huston and Shu- maker. Charges of obtaining money by false pretenses were also entered against Sanderson and Congressmen Cassel. Payne and Wetter, it being al- legged they furnished fictitious bills for a greater amount than they were en- titled to receive under their contracts.
 The prosecutions begun are the out come of the political upheaval in Phil adelphia in 1905, when Mayor Weaver quarreled with the Republican organ ization. The independent movement against the Republicans in Philadel- phia that year spread throughout the state and led to the election as state treasurer of William H. Berry, Dem- ocrat. on the fusion ticet. Berry took office in the year 1906, being the first Democrat to occupy that position in twenty-five years.
 Pennypacker Denied Charges.
 In the fall campaign of last year Berry startled the state by charging that, according to the state treasury books. the building and furnishing of the state capitol had cost $13,000,000 and not $5,O00.O00. as had been gen. erally believed, and that S9.000000 of the money went to furnish the build ing. He charged that s5,000,000 of the S9.O00, 900 was pure graft.
 Governor Pennypacker. other state officials and the contractors denied the charges until the last legislature ap- pointed a commission to investigate the whole affair. The commission made a report to Governor Stuart, who thought the evidence of fraud was so strong that he at once decided to bring criminal and civil suits against those held to be responsible for the frauds
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