The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1909-07-10
GREATLY IN EXCESS OF
ARCHITECT S ESTIMATES
President COnnOTS Of Board Of
Control RidlCuIeS Padded
Payroll Charges
Special 10 Daily Leader.

Special 10 Daily Leader.
McAleater. Okla. July 1O.-T. A.
Chandler of Vinita, member of the
st.-te board of public affairs. arrived
here last night from Sulphur. where
he had been making arrangements
for temporary buildings for the deaf
and dumb school lie had been as
signed by the board to come here and
investigate affairs at the penitentiary.
When shown dispatches from Guth
rie relative TO the expenditures mere
he said it was non intended by the
board 10 make this public at the time
but from some Of the details named
in the dispatches he knew the mat
ter had leaked out from some de
partment or Office other than that Of
the hoard
Mr. Chandler Talks.
Mr. Chandler said tod1f that their
attention was called 40 the matter
when In going oyv the accounts
they found that about $4,000 Of the
construction fund had been used and
they had before them i'm addition
thereto, bills amounting 10 about
5000. there being one item OF
5000. another of $1,000 and large
number Of ordinary claims ana ac.
counts, with the aggregate above
stated
On further examination they could
not find why this amount had been
expended from the construction
fund and the wall at the penitentary
not half completed The architects
are being paid on a basis Of the to-
tai cost of $32 0e3 for the wall and
figuring the convict labor at ffty
cents per day il would not so be
yond S43, 10 complete the wall
Instead of this $4,000 is gone and
the wall not half completed He
said 800 600 had been appropriated
for p penitentiary and al this rate il
would all be used up for maintenance
and there would be no penitcntiary,
that at this rate the wall alone would
cost over $200,00 and that it would
be better To- let ii ont by contract
rather than 10 use the convict labor
by which they had expected TO save
50 much money
The board decided AT once 10 make
q thorough Investigation OF the mat.
ter ana air Chandler was sent here
to look through what had been done
Eugene Gill. Of Guthrie. arrived here
Yesterday 10 assist him, but Mr.
Chandler said he could do nothing
until the papers arrived from Guth,
rie They were TO have been here
yesterday. but the auditor did not
get them ready. He called MP the
auditors office this morning and was
informed they would he completed
and forwarded this afternoon and
will reach here tomorrow morning
Then he will 80 10 work TO find out
lust where and how the construc.
tion fund has been depleted
Asked If 1t was probably just a
matter of transferring money from
one fund to another. or charging
items of expenditure to the wrong
fund, he answered that he did not
know what it was and would not I'M
i'll he had examined into IT,
Judge Connors Talks.
Judge ] T. CCnnurs member OF
the board Of control was here from
Canadian today When asked about
the story relating to probing the af
fairs of the peniteutianI he said the
published reports We're no lees than
SANDER He gaid this work was
all an experiment. that thov had
twice as many prisoners as Wher
they were brought from Kansas. that
they were coming in at the rate of a
hundred a month and that they must
be cared for
He said the penitentiary was mol
like a school or an asylum that il
could net be closed up for q term but
must be kent going He said il tool
money r. do this and that part oil
the dispatch relating to some items
being charged against the construc
ton fund was trivial
He said the estimated cost of the
wall might have been S32 but +
must be remembered that tber,
were other things that had to be pur
chased He said the9 had thrty-si'
teams of mules that cost money. tha
they bought good animals and nov
they were worth Just as much al
thev paid for them.
Then. too he said. there wer,
many ether things they had TO buy
Thev had 10 have a plant to do thi
work with that there were fonr o
more expensive machines. engines
mixers and other articles necessar
to carry on this work which they hai
to buy It required thousands o