The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1907-09-20
ON GRAF TING Charge
Warrants Issued for Arrest Of
Fourteen Pennsylyanians.
CAPITAL SCANDAL IN COURT

Defendants Accused in Several Counts
of Conspiracy to Cheat and Defraud
the State and Of Obtaining Money
Under False Pretenses. ~.
Harrisburg, Pa, Sept. 19.-Warrants
for the arrest Of fourteen persons in
volved in the state capitol scandal
have been issued by two Harrisburg
aldermen on information furnished by
Attorney General Todd. Each of the
defendants is charged on several
counts with conspiracy to cheat and
defraud the state by making false in
voices and four of them are also
charged with obtaining money under
false pretences. Following Is a list of
the men for whom warrants were is.
sued:
Joseph NJ. Huston, architect, and
his active 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 +. Payne and his
partner, Charles G. Wetter, both OF
Philadelphia, builders Of the capitol
and contractors for the 100000 attic;
William P. Snyder, Spring City, Pa,
former auditor general, who approved
the warrants Of the contractors; Will
lam L. Mathues, Media, Pa, former
state treasurer, who paid the bills of
the contractors; Charles F. Kinsman,
Wallis Barleau, John G. Neiderer and
George K. Storm, all OF Philadelphia,
stockholders in the Pennsylvania
Bronze company, organized by Sander
son for the manufacture of the $3,000,-
900 lighting fixtures; Frank Irvine,
auditor in the auditor generals Office,
who audited the accounts Of the con-
tractors
Money by False Pretenses.
Charges Of obtaining money by false
pretenses were also entered against
Sanderson, Cassel, Payne and Wetter.
The informations allege that these
four men furnished fictitious bills for
greater amount than they were en-
titled to receive under their contracts.
Attorney General Todd said he
would require the defendants to fur
nish a bond of $4,000 on each infor-
nation and that the minimum bail
bond Of each of the defendants would
be 100000.
The men for whom warrants were
issued include all of the eighteen per-
sons and firms mentioned by the in
vestigation commission in its report
to Governor Stuart as being involved
in the capitol contracts with the ex
ception Of Frank c. Harris, former
state treasurer, and. Edward B. Har-
denborg, former auditor general, both
of whom were members of the board
of grounds and buildings that award
ed the Cassel contract; George G. C
Keim, bookkeeper in Shumaker's Office
and the present deputy superintendent
of grounds and buildings, and the In
ternational Manufacturing and Supply
company, an alleged dummy" bidder
against Sanderson.
The arrests are based on the report
made to Governor Stuart by the COM
mission created by the recent legisla-
ture to investigate the capitol scandal.
They will be followed by civil suits
for the recovery of a portion Of the
$9,000,000 collected from the state by
the contractors for the furnishing and
equipping Of the capitol. In it's report,
made public about month ago, the
commission named eighteen persons
and firms as being involved in the
capitol contracts and recommended
prosecution Of "any and all persons
concerned in the fraudulent transac-
tions, named specifically, and all per-
sons who may be directly or indirectly
involved"