The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1908-02-06
THE CAPITOL CASE.
State Shows Contractor Used
Two Ways of Measuring.
WILL PROVE CONSPIRACY

Commonwealth Alleges That Snyder,
Mathues and shumaker Helped to
Juggie Charges For Furniture-sofa
Shcwn to jury.
Harrisburg. Pa, Feb. 4.-pills. in
voices and furniture showing that prior
10 securing the capitol furnishing coz
tract in 1904, Contractor Sandcrson sold
furniture to the state on the basis Of
linear foot measurement were put IN
evidence at the trial OF Sand erson.
former Auditor General Snyder. former
State Treasurer Mathues and James NJ.
Shumaker. former superintendent Of
grounds and buildings. in the Dauphin
county court. The defense fought Wig
orously against the Introduction of
this evidence. without which It would
have been difficult for the common
wealth to prove that # was not a reg
ular thing for Sanderson TO charge on
this basis and to show that his charge
by the surface foot" measure was IT.
regular. but was over-rulod by Judge
Kunkel
The commonwealth elso connected
the former state officers with Sander.
son in the conspiracy charge by show
ing that they certified TO bills contain
ing the wrong item number IN the
schedule upon which Sandsrson was
given the capitol furnishing contract.
To do this the states lawyers showed
that previous TO payment Of the bill
for sofas. tables and clothes trees in
the case now on trial Sanderson had
rendered bills under. the proper item
number in the schedule and contended
that. therefore. Snyder. Mathues AMI
Shumaker must have had knowledge
that the certification Of the bin under
the wrong item was fraudulent.
The commonwealth showed also that
the eight sofas In the senate chamber
were billed by Sanderson to the state
as 1910 feet at a total price of SIS. sos
under Item 25. the proper one under his
contract. but that when Sanderson
billed furniture under the proper sched-
ule item at $3.50 per foot" he multi
piled the number OF feet by more than
ten times the linear measurement. II
was shown last week that when billed
under the wrong item number. at $3.50
per foot" Sanderson multiplied the
linear foot by three
One Of the senate sofas measuring
11k feet long. 2is feet deep and 5is
feet hish. was brought into court as an
exhibit The commonwealth showed
that n sofa six feet long. sold on the
Surface foot" measurement under the
special schedule OF 1904 by Sanderson
at the rate OF $3.50 cost the state
$s5s.s0, but that in 1899 he collected
only s141.o5 for a eik-foOt sofa. at s2l7o
per foot.
The theory OF the commonwealth Is
that the first sofa was sold at lsls times
the rate per foot" and the second sofa
just 6lA times the rate per foot" or its
true linear measurement
The state expected TO secure the ad-
mission OF the various bills and in
voices applying to sofas. tables and
clothes trees under one ruling by the
court. but Judge Kunkei directed that
each separate bill. invoice and piece Of
furniture offered as an exhibit be intro
duced separately and the court rule on
each particular case This made It
necessary for the commonwealth to
call several witnesses a number OF
times TO identify these exhibits and
the signatures to the papers. Just be-
fore the court adjourned for the day the
commonwealth secured the admission,
against the protest OF the defense of
several of Sanderson's bills for furui-
ture to show lack OF uniformity in
measurement and prices as evidence Of
the conspiracy on the part OF the de-
PENDANTS TO cheat and defraud the state
IN the payment OF these bills.