New-York tribune., 1910-11-22
PROBING CRAFT IN MEAT
Cjtv institutions Not Involved
Thus Far, R. B. Fosdick Says.
WARRANT OUT FOR MARTIN
Ka.tzenstein Refuses Information
Stewards Department Re-
sponsible, DR.. Ferris Says.

o
State Hospital for the Insane Oh aio
Island had amounted to l4oVoo OF lO''0'0
mounds a wear for the last three years.
| That would include the period during
which Anthony Martin. the heao HEEL
cutter of the institution, had charse OF
| the disposition of the barrels OF Doiies
and scraps under which It was founo
many pounds of good meat had been
packed twice a week and shipped 1FoIl
! the island on the state boat WanutIer-
Martin has been missing since Saturody'
when the fraud was first discovered ana
a warrant for his arrest was issued yes
| terday
Commissioner Fosdick is conducting the
| hearings in an effort to find out II the
meat graft might not have been eXtenoeo
to the city institutions on Randalls and
! BlackwelIs Islands so far. he SAID last
night, none of the facts brought out lead
| him to believe that there had been any
stealing from the city institutions. The
hearings would be continued to-day how
ever. he said, and further witnesses ex-
amined.
A complaint that sugar and coffee and
| being stolen from the Manhattan Hospi
tai and the city institutions as well
reached Commissioner Fosdck yesterday.
He said he would investigate the complaint
while at work on the meat fraud inquiry.
Dr.. Mabon's Checking System.
| DR. William Mabon. superintendent of
the Manhattan State Hospital, was a wit
ness before Commissioner Fosdick yes
terday and gave testimony tending TO
prove that at least 1900 pounds of meat
| had been stolen from Wards Island dur
| ing each of the last three years. DR..
Mabon based his estimate of the thefts
on the checking system in operation at
the hospital storehouses, on the boat
Wanderer, by which the number Of bar
rels of refuse removed bi-weekly is sup
posed to be kept track OF. Commissioner
Fosdick said he believed this checking
system TO be unreliable. and did not ac-
count for more than half OF The barrels
taken away.
He explained that. according to the
books for last Saturday, only four barrels
of refuse had been removed from the
island. while seven barrels actually were
removed six of them containing ''practi-
caIly solid meat" According to Dr. Ma
daily at the institution was deprived of
about one-quarter of an ounce Of his daily
ration of meat by the thefts.
The Individual allowance was ten and
one-hah ounces of meat a DAY. he said,
and about 4.oco pounds of meat were pur-
chased each day. It appeared that all
the meat handled at the institution went
through the hands of Martin. the head
meat cutter. and he supplied four different
kitchens as the chefs required it.
George T. Watson. the assistant pur-
chasing steward at Wards Island John
Leardon. chief clerk at the hospital. and
other witnesses from the institution were
examined by Commissioner Fosdick. From
their testimony the Commissioner said he
was convinced the thefts had been carried
on by 4 skillful falsification of the store
keepers books without the knowledge of
any of the hospital authorities, and that
the scheme may have been worked for
several years prior to the time when Mar
tin became head cutter. Martin was an
assistant meat cutter for five years before
he was advanced. Martins assistant tes-
tilted yesterday that the former received
a telephone call from some one Saturday
morning and soon afterward left the
island. saying he was going to visit
friend who was i'll.
Kstzenstein Won't Talk.
Simon Katzenstein who was arrested
Saturday while removing the barrels of
refuse in which 1900 pounds OF fresh meat
were found was before the Commissioner
Of accounts yesterday. His counsel. Charles
T. F. Mccain, and his son. Harry katzen-
stein accompanied him. Commissioner
Fosdick tried to get from Katzenstein in
formation as to whether he had been taking
refuse from other institutions. particularly
city institutions The witness declined TO
answer all questions on the ground that his
answers might tend to degrade and in
crimfnate him.
Earlier in the day Katzenstein had pro-
duced his books in response to a subpoena
from the Commissioner OF Accounts. When
he appeared with his counsel he demanded
that the books be returned. Commissioner
Fosdick refused to return them, but agreed
to seal them until after the hearing in the
police court tomorrow in Katzenstein's
case.
Commissioner Fosdick said that II the
hearings before him developed nothing in
regard to city institutions he would turn |
over all the data he had collected In the
case to the state authorities. He said he |
understood that Attorney General O'Malley |
would send deputy TO the Wards Island |
institution TO make a general investigation |
of conditions there which would be more |
farreaching than the inquiry into the meat !
frauds
Commissioner Drummond OF the city De- |
partment OF Charities said yesterday that
the institutions on Randalrs Island and |
BlaCkwell's Island were in no way involved |
in the meat frauds He said that the |
refuse was removed from the city institu- |
tions by d different contractor. and the |
method of removal varied greatly from that
In effect at the Manhattan State Hospital |
All the bones and scraps were taken from |
RandalTs Island TO Backwell's Island, |
where they were afterward dumped from
the barrels into open wagons and carried |
off.
Discrepancy in Prices.
II was said Yesterday that the city gets |
$50 a ton for the bones gathered from its |
charitable institutions. While the state sells /
them for SO a ton. Commissioner Drum |
mond said the city contract was made !
YEARLY with the highest bidder. DR.. Mabon, |
of the Manhattan Hospital, said the state |
contract for removing refuse was of long |
standing and had always been looked after |
through the stewards department OF the |
institution.
Albany Nov. e1.-Dr. Albert w. Ferris. |
president of the State Lunacy Commission |
in a statement regarding the recent theft |
Ia ~ 81,