Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1908-02-21
PENNYPACKFR ON
WITNESS STAND
Admits he Didn't Know of Illegal
Payments to Capitol Trimmers.
az, TOO, RELIED ON huston

Harrisburg, Pa, Feb. 19-FOrmer
Governor Pennypacller was a most
important witness at the state capitol
conspiracy trial in the Dauphin county
court. Mr.. Pennypacker was president
e .he board of grounds and buildings
G--ing the construction and equipment
Ce The capitol
His colleagues on the board were
former Auditor-General Snyder and
former State Treasurer Mathues.
It's executive officer was former Sup
orintendent Shumaker 1he former
governor was called as a witness for
these three former state officers.
Mr.. Pennypacker told Of the selection
Of Joseph M. Huston, by the board to
prepare the plans and specifications
for the capitol furnishings and of the
award of the contract to Sanderson
He said extraordinary precautions
had been taken to safeguard the COM
mOnwealth in the payment Of the bills
by requiring the architect and the
superintendent of grounds and build
ings to certify to them and the con-
tractor to make oath to their correct
ness. He was asked if Huston was re-
quired, under his contract with the
board to supervise the manufacture of
the furnishings and whether il was his
duty to weigh and measure the furnish
ings
Counsel for the commonwealth OBJ
fected on the ground that the contract
spoke for itself and that the former
governors testimony was not evidence. |
The objection was sustained by Judge |
Kunkle and the defense took an ex- !
ceptlOn. Mr.. Pennypacker was not eX-
amined on the statement of Sanford
B. Lewis assistant to Huston, that the
famous Huston letter to former At J.
torney General Carson was prepared
at a conference between Pennypacker,
Snyder and Lewis and that it was made
TO dove-tail into other letters written
by persons connected with the capitol
contracts.
Mr. Pennypacber admitted under
cross examination that he did not
know that 81 ,O69 900 had been paid by
Snyder and Mathues to Sanderson
without the appoval Of the board or
that on Jan. 10, 1905, the date of the
adoption of the resolution by the board
requiring the architects certificate on
the bills that s.. 900. 900 had been paid
TO SandersOn in excess Of Illusions
on the cost of the furnish
Ings.
He was asked if he understood from
the quantities" plans and the guam
Titles" books that a sofa for which
charged the state 1888 could
have been billed for $11OO. But coun-
sell for the defense objected and Mr.
Scarlet withdrew the question. !
Asked how long he relied upon the p,
Of the architect, Mr. Penny
,acker replied that he might SAY to
he present time"
The commonwealth showed in the
of James H. Steven
on. Sanderson's bookkeeper. that bills
or furniture for the senate and house,
to over 100000, were made
Iut as so many feet in bulk and paid
n the course OF Sanderson's business
nd that several months afterward :
stevenson, when ordered by Sanderson u
0 make out detailed bills, simply took =
he lump sum of feet and 'appOrtioned" !,
among the articles, cleaning some =
from blue prints and re- =
Giving the remainder from Sanderson.
Stevenson had some left and he add
that to the rostrums of the senate
nd house caucus room. Evidence was c
Introduced by the defense to show that
l spite Of the approximation" system
billing the Sanderson furnishings OF
le state was the gamer to the extent p
: SS4s,22715 on Sanderson's bills for X
lrniture and that Sanderson could bt
ave collected s1.224.293.55 instead Of 81
$40, O66,40 for the furniture. tn
M