The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-18
FURNITURE BILLS
 NUT HIGH ENOUGH
Pennsylvania Capitol Scandal Is
 Well Aired
CONTRACTOR WAS LIBERAL
Testimony Shows That He Didn't Take as Much Profit From State as He Could Have Done Under
 Contract

Harrisburg, Pa, February 1.-The de- fense in the state capitol conspiracy suit against Contractor Sanderson and the eN- state otncers, Snyder, Mathues and Shu- maker, on trial in the Daphin county court, showed today by the testimony of experts who made the measurements for Sanderson that the contractor charged in the aggregate less square feet on furni- ture in the senate and house chambers than the measurements would have al lowed.
 These experts testified that the meas urements of furniture in question totalled t. los square feet. and that in his bill for this furniture Sanderson charged for a total of 44O16 square feet
 The defense contends that though San derson charged the state more for the famous bootblack stand in the senate law atory and for the rostrums in the senate measurements allowed, he billed other furniture to the state at less than actual measurements, making the difference in the total number of feet 1892 square feet in favor of Sanderson.
 The commonwealths lawyers had the experts measure certain furniture exhibits In the court room to ascertain their meth cd of arriving at their computations and will call them for cross-examination.
 The trial was resumed today after 8 re- cess since last Thursday. Charles H. Bergner, of counsel for Shumaker, in his opening statement to the jury. said that Shumaker trusted to Architect Huston in certifying to the quality of the furnish ings. MT. Bergner said also that the de- fense would prove that Illusions s assist ant, Stanford B. Lewis, deliberately mis- stated facts in his testimony relative to Snyder and Mathues
 John Kaufman of Philadelphia. a de- signer of furniture, who was in the em- ploy of Sanderson when the latter was given the contract for capitol furnishings, testified to the measurements of the 65 sofas mentioned in the indictment, show inE that Sanderson did not charge for as many fleet" as he might have under his contract. According to kauffman's s testimony a sofa for which Sanderson charged the state s3S0 as containing 21 feet, actually measured 64h surface feet' and could have been billed at $1182. A table measuring two feet, six inches long, and two feet, six inches wide for which Sanderson charged the state S64, according to Kauffman'S testimony con- tained g Surface feet and should have cost the state s423. Sanderson furnished the state clothes trees at $37 each, as containing one and one-half feet. The revised measurements made by Kauff- man show each tree to contain eight and one-half surface feet and each should have cost the state S156
 Kaufman said the 65 sofas, 80 oblong tables, 24 oval tables, 50 round tables. seven square tables and 145 clothes trees mentioned in the indictment measured F, 49O square feet. At the various ''per foot prices charged Sanderson could have collected s130,614, according to the witness. Sanderson charged the state S49,417
 Mir Kaufman at the afternoon session said the famous bootblack stand in the senate lavatory for which the state paid Sanderson s16l9.20, measured 64la square feet. Sanderson sold this stand to the state at the rate of s1s.4O per foot" According to Kauffmans measurement, the contractor should have collected s11s6. 80, instead of s161920. The state charges that Sanderson paid a sub-con- tractor only s120 for the stand.