The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-04-25

| mOny OF some other witnesses was
interesting. Harry Calvert, of
Pittsburg, one of the Secretaries of
the commission testified that he
had purchased from a firm in that
city set of andirons precisely like
those put into the capitol as speci-
ally designed. They were not speci-
ally designed, the dealer said, but
had been in the regular stock list
for ten or a dozen years: The price
he paid to the Pittsburg firm was
S25 set though the State paid
S73. 60 a set and allowed illusion
four per cent. on the entire amount
for specially designing them.
The testimony of Frank Harris
was really pathetic. He simply
pleaded the baby act. Huston COM
| pletely deceived the Board, he de-
clared and did whatever he pleased
with the State funds. They were
all hypnotized by the brilliant and
dashing young architect, he added
substantially, and that gentleman
was to blame for everything that
went wrong. Huston's story would
be interesting, in view of this "con-
fession," but Huston will not be
permitted to testify. AS Justice
Moody of the United States SUI
preme court stated it during the
trial of one of the Beef trust con-
spirators, putting criminals on the
witness stand during preliminary
proceedings is equivalent to giving
them an immunity bath" Pro-
badly Governor Pennypacker will
not be summoned to testify for the
same reason. He is anxious for a
summons, according to gossip, and
would probably tell curious tale
of woe. But he is so directly in
line for criminal prosecution that it
would be pity to open up way
for his escape.
Harris made poor witness. He
contradicted himself and confused
everybody. But he made it clear
that the conspirators had set out to
loot the treasury to the last dollar
and would have achieved the pur-
pose if the election of William H.
Berry to the office of State Trea-
surer had not interfeled with their
plans. He admitted that the law
had been violated and the people
defrauded- He acknowledged hav-
ing signed orders for trimmings"
which would have cost SI6, 900, 900.
One contract, that for a granite
wall around the capitol park at an
expense of $1,000, 900, was revok-
ed because the people of Harris
burg kicked, he said. But he was
fooled, he added. Il am innocent"
he despairingly declared, at the
close of his testimony, land I did
not know until now that the State
was so defrauded."
I.OA DED IRON FOR SOLID BRONZE.
Probably what Harris said is
true but nobody ever imagined that
he was such stupid. Pennypack-
er encourages that sort of impress
sion about himself but Harris took
pride in his reputation as keen
business man. He was Inundated,
he said, not because the treasury
was looted and the people plunder-
ed, but for the reason that the
methods were unbusinesslike."
His testimony was no more incrimi-
mating than that of other witnesses,
however. William +. Sauter, of
Philadelphia, president of the Will
hanson Brothers Company, brass
and iron founders, swore that his
firm had furnished loaded iron
frames for the bronze chandeliers
and that instead of being Solid
bronze as required by the specifica.
tions and represented to the State,
they are loaded" iron with a thin
sheet of bronze as a coating. The
value of these fraudulent chanda-
liers was four cents and the charge
to the State about four dollars and
half pound.