The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1909-05-18
CRATER SANDERsON DIES
A VOLUNTARY EXILE
Pennsylvania Capitol Looter
Under Prison Sentence.
GOT MILLIONS ON CONTRACT
With Others Who Were in the Con-
spiracy He Was Convicted For
Plundering His State-He is the
Fifth to Die.

PlunOer1fg HIS 0taUS--E1e AS the
Fifth to Die.
New York City-John H Sander
| son died in his apartment at Sherry's
| of Bright's disease At his death he
was under heavy bail pending SEN
tence on a charge of conspiracy to
defraud the State of Pennsylvania of
a sum which has never been exactly
estimated, but which must range be-
tween $1,0O0,000 and SIS, 100000.
Sanderson was the furnishings con-
tractor of the Capitol at Harrisburg,
the frauds and excessive contracting
! charges being made the subject of a
| legislative inquiry.
Together with ex-State Auditor
| General VIM. P. Snyder, ex-State
Treasurer VIM. L. Mathues, and Jas.
M. Shumaker ex-Superintendent of
Grounds, Sanderson was found guilty
of conspiracy on March ID, in Harris
burg, before Judge Kunkel, after a
seven weeks trial, and bailed at $780,
900. Mathues died early in the win
ter
Sanderson was indicted with thir-
teen others on the conspiracy charge
next day to reimburse the State If the
charges against him were dropped
and if the materials were not up to
specifications. His offer was not ac-
cepted, however, and he was held for
trial
The scandal concerning the frauds
in connection with the building of the
State Capitol came out more than two
years ago At that time it came out
that the profits of Sanderson's firm,
which had offices in Chestnut street,
Philadelphia, were between $4,000
900 and $5,000,000. AS Sanderson
was merely the furnishings contrac-
tor, and as the entire Capitol build
ing was to cost only $13, 900, the
people of Pennsylvania felt that his
emoluments were rather large.
In March, 1907, while the legisla-
tive inquiry into the State Capitol
frauds was going on, Sanderson him.
self was found to have been living
very quietly here for six months pre-
viously.
A brother, Harry Sanderson, was at
that time carrying on the firms bust
ness, ]. H. Sanderson having resigned
from the firm, even before his last
bills, amounting to $150,000, were
paid by the State OF pennsylvania for
some of the furnishings in the Cap
itol
Sanderson's profits were estimated
at between $4,000,000 and $1,000
900 during the legislative inquiry
About the same time that he moved
into Sherry's he bought yacht and
made plans to cruise in her under the
flag of the New York Yacht Club.
Sanderson collapsed three months
ago when his counsel made 1t evident
that the Superior Court would not
grant new trial and that sentence
and term in prison awaited him.
His death makes the fifth fatality in
connection with this scandal. Lesser
actors died while the trial was pend
ing, one since, and another has gone
insane. The latter, an important wit
ness, lost his mind just before the
second trial, when he was about to be
called by the Commonwealth.
Sanderson's contract amounted to
$5,4S7,500. He sold his furniture
by the cubic foot, charging for air
space. Just before the Capitol expose
he married Southern woman and
took up his home at Sherry's.