Evening star., 1908-01-30
Contractors Simply Carted 1t
Away From Harrisburg.
CAPITOL WAS A GOLD MINE
Evidence That Bills Were Paid
Three Times Over.
ALL THE TRAFFIC WOULD BEAR
Furniture Seems to Have Stretched
Under the Per Foot System
of Measurement.

HARRISBURG. Pa, January 3O.-The
supplied by Contractor John Sanderson of
Philadelphia, one of the defendants in
the state capitol conspiracy suits on trial
N the Dauphin county court, was offered
in evidence by the commonwealth today.
Sanderson collected s1.619.2O from the
state for this stand, and paid the sub
Photographs of the rostrums of the sem
ate and house caucus rooms, for which
the state paid Sanderson $50. 1880. and
or which he paid the subcontractor
50, ,06o, were also offered in evidence.
Fred H. Potter and Howard Kroehl of
the Audit Company of New York were
called by the commonwealth to establish
the measurements of the sofas, clothes
trees and table produced before the jury.
All of this furniture was supplied by
Sanderson at the rate of $3.50 per foot, "
and, according to the commonwealth, he
vas paid for certain articles at the rate
# three times the actual measurement.
Bitter Over Huston.
The commonwealth also offered several
ills for furnishings supplied by Sander
on for the purpose of showing that differ
mt systems of measurement were en-
,loyed by the contractor for collecting for
,rticles supplied under the same items
n the special capitol furnishing schedule
If 1904.
Architect Joseph NJ Huston who has
,ecured a separate trial. has been sub
,enaed as witness for his co-defendants,
tormer Auditor Genera! Snyder. former
state Treasurer Mathues. ]. NJ. Shumaker,
ormer superintendent of grounds and
buildings, and Sanderson, but may not be
:alled. The feeling against the architect
n the part of his four co-defendants
grows more bitter as the trial proceeds.
nd interesting developments are expected
result.
Ephraim Oswald carpenter for the
allied by the commonwealth vest starday to
IDENTIFY the furniture offered in evid nee
md to testify as to the measurement and
contractors tags on each artic e. was re-
called when the trial was resumed today
and cross-examined bri fly by counsel for
The defense. but nothing of Importance
was brought out.
That Architect Joseph NJ. Huston means
o take care of himself at the expense of
lis four codefendants in the state capitol
conspiracy cases, now on trial In the
Dauphin county court, is apparent from
he testimony of his brother, the Rev.
Samuel c. Huston of Phi adelphia. a re-
ired Presbyterian clergyman, who was
called as witness for the common
W alth.
Stanford B. Lewis. the architects ac-
i've assistant while the capitol was being
constructed and furnished. and who is un-
Ter indictment on two charges of con-
spiracy TO cheat and defraud the state in
he payment of bills aggregating s92,704 SO
or capitol furnishings was also a witness
or the commonwealth.
Rev. Mr.. Huston testified that when his
rother went to Europe in the spring of
906 on business for the state he left with
i'm signed blank architects certificates
md power of attorney. Soon after the
architects departure Contractor John H.
Sanderson, one of the defendants ap-
peared with a bill, supported by an affi-
iavlf, purporting to be in proper form. for
which he asked and obtained certification
of the architect by the brothers sigma
ture.
Proof of Fraud.
The commonwealth expects to prove that
this bill was fraudulent, in that Sander
son was given the contract for certain
furnishings under one item in the special
.apitol furnishing schedule and billed
these articles to the state under another
item, the amount of which is in excess of
he item under which he was given the
contract, and also that some of these ar
ticles were invoiced to the state and paid
sor as containing three times as many
feet as they actually contained.
Following the testimony of Rev. Mr.
Huston and that of Lewis to the feet
hat tine architect was expected to certify
Jnly to the quality and not to the quantity
of furnishings. the commonwealth had
,rought into court and exhibited to the
jury two of the sofas, table and two
clothes trees supplied by Sanderson for
The capitol under the per foot" system
One of the. sofas was measured for the
information of the jury and was shown
20 be SIX feet long. Sanderson billed this
sofa To the state at IS feet, and it was
paid for at the rate of $3.50 per foot
The other sofa also measured six feet and
was billed and paid for as containing 1917
feet. The table had been billed under
item - III the schedule at $3.50 "per
foot instead of under item 81, at So 40
as called for by Sanderson's contract The
clothes trees was billed as containing IL
feet at $3.50 and should have been fur
| nished, the commonwealth claims. for