Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-14
HEARD IN SILENCE
REPRESENTATIVE Cassel Next One to
Be Prosecuted.
MOTIONS FOR NEW TRIAL
Verdict Against All Defendants in
State Capitol Frauds Case Brought
in After Two Ballots.

| The convicts-John II. Sanderson chief
contractor. who furnished the capitol:
William p. Snyder. former auditor gen.
eral. who approved the contractors war;
rants; William L. Mathues, former state
| treasurer. who paid the contractors bills.
and j. III. Shumaker, former supern
tendent of public grounds and buildings.
who receipted for the furnishings.
The charge-Conspiracy to defraud the
/ state of $4,000 in a bill of $4,000 for
tables. chairs. sofas and clothes trees
| The plunder-Graft to the amazing total
of 100000 out Of total of 100000
of the states money used to furnish the
new $5OOO,OOO state capitol at Harris
burg.
HARRISBURG, Pa, March Icon
tractor John H. Sanderson. ex-Auditor
General William P. Snyder. ex-State
Treasurer William L. Mathues and ex-
Superintendent Shumaker of public
grounds and buildings, last night were
found guilty of conspiracy to cheat and
defraud the commonwealth of Pennsyl-
wanna in the furnishing of the new state
capitol
| The jury returned it's verdict at $50
o'clock last night. having been out since
1918 Yesterday afternoon. The greater
part of the time was devoted to going
3
charge. Only two ballots were required
to reach an agreement. The first bal
lot is reported to have been nine to three
| for conviction
the verdict motions were made for new
| trials for all four defendants. The court
Will allow thirty days for the preparation
OF the papers on these motions Mean
bail.
The case. involving tables, chairs, sofas
and clothes trees furnished by Anderson.
on which fraud of $4,000 was alleged in
Dill OF $4,000. has been on trial seven
weeks, having been started January q,
Ten other defendants are under indict-
ments in thirty-eight cases.
Inc verdict was received In silence and
When announced Judge Kunkel thanked
the jury for its patience and the care
given.
The Next Cases.
Wnen the jury retired all other cases in
which the same defendants figure were
continued until March %, the day upon
which the next trial will Begin
1t was announced that the next case to
be tried was one involving an alleged
fraud Of $17,7S9.70 in bills for metallic
furniture In this action, which Is a
charge of conspiracy, Representative H.
Burd CasseI, Architect J. NJ. Huston and
Snyder, Mathues and Shumaker are named
as defendants. with Frank Irvine, a trav-
cling auditor, who made the measure
| ments of the metal casing.
This trial will be followed by a false
pretense case involving Charles G. Wet
ter, the partner of George F. Payne, the
builder of the capitol. some time in April
according to present plans.
The prosecution of the capitol frauds ia
the indirect outcome Of the great politi-
cal upheaval in Philadelphia in 1906,
which resulted in the fall Of that year
| in the election of w. H. Berry. a demo-
| crat. to the office Of state treasurer. After
| Berry took Office he startled the people
| OF the state by charging that the books
| OF the state treasury showed that the
capitol, instead OF costing 100000. had
actually cost $13.000.000.
Ten More to Be Tried.
A legislative investigation followed, and
the findings Of the investigators were to
the effect that there were great frauds
committed in the furnishing and deco
rating the building. The case was laid
before the attorney general, who began
proceedings which resulted In the indict-
ment Of fourteen persons, leaving ten still
| to be tried.
John H Sanderson of Philadelphia COL
lected more than s5,250.00O for lighting
| fixtures furniture, marble and mahogany
| wainscoting and other furnishings Of the
building Sanderson has been a contractor
| for furniture and other state supplies for
many years, and he had monopoly OF
| the contract for furnishing the new capi-
| toll. The state still owes him $10S00 for
furnishing, which State Treasurer Berry
refused to pay on the ground that there
was evidence of fraud in the contract.
| Sanderson is a member of the Union
League of Philadelphia, of which Huston
| is member, and he served as an aid on
| the military staff Of Gov. Beaver many
years ago. still retaining the title of
| colonel He retired from business after
the exposure of the capitol scandal and
| has since been spending most OF his time
| in New York.
William P. Snyder. as auditor general
and member of the board Of public
grounds and buildings. approved the war
| rants of the capitol contractors. Mr..
| Snyder was also member Of the capitol
building commission. and was the only
state official who was member of both
bodies during the construction and equip
| ment OF the building. He has been one
| of the republican leaders of Chester
| county for twenty years, and served as
! member Of the house. Of representatives
and afterward Of the senate before he was
elected auditor general In 1904
Shumaker a Wreck
William L. Mathues. state treasurer.
paid the bills OF the capitol contractors
upon the certificates of Huston and Shu-
1
paid during the two years that Mathues
was state treasurer. His term expired in
MAY. 1906 his successor being William
II Berry, democrat. who was the first to
| expose the actual cost Of the capitol. Mr.
! Mathues Is the republican leader Of Della
| ware county, of which he was prothono-
tary four terms before he was elected
state treasurer.
James NJ. Shumaker of Johnstown was
SUPERINTENDENT of grounds and buildings
and executive officer of the board Of pub
lie grounds and buildings during the con-
struction and equipment OF the capitol
He receipted for the capitol furnishings
| without question, and upon his certificate
| and that of Architect Huston the bills
for these furnishings were pair.
May Not Be Sentenced for Months.
The convicted men may not be called
for sentence for MANY months. if at ALL
AS soon as the jury. which had been sit
ting in the case for seven weeks, returned
its verdict Of guilty as to all four men
last evening Judge kunkel received mo-
tons for new trials and allowed thirty
DAYS in which to file the reasons. When
they are entered upon the record Judge
Kunkel will set time for argument and
will decide the matter at his convenience.
The general belief is that no new trial
hut Of II to