New-York tribune., 1910-09-08
SKENE EXPLAINS NOTE
SAYS Brother.In.LaW Advanced
$4,000 for Russell Company.
TESTIMONY NEARLY IN
Former State Engineer Would
Have Concealed Transaction
to Avoid Scandal.

Albany, Sept. 7.-FrederiCk Skene. former
State Engineer. who is on trial on charges
of grand larceny in connection with the
award of good roads contracts, testified to-
day that n. r. Wineholz his brother-in-
law advanced 5000 to meet the proteste1
note of the Russell Contracting Company.
He said that as he was not to be renou1-
mated for State Engineer and was about
to resume the practice of his profession he
did not want the existence OF the note to
become public property and thus connect
scandal with his administration. Mr.. Sksne
suore that he did not know OF the existencs
of the note until after ii had become due
and was protested In October. 1905 This ia
the note that Charles H. O'Neil. who was
confidential assistant to Skene. swore was
discounted for him at Troy and the money
given to Skene.
The taking of testimony was pracucallv
completed to-day. Both sides expect 10
sum up tomorrow so the case can go &c
the jury tomorrow night
Mr.. Skene was on the stand the greater
part of the dav. He swore that after the
note went to protest John B. Russell, pres
ident of the Russell Company. met him In
New York and told him he was unable to
meet it Skene said he had a further talk
a letter to his brother-in-lav. who ad-
vanced the fmoney. Skene testified that
Russell told him he had given the note 10
ONefl. after O'Neil had told him that
Skene was to be renominated and the vari-
Gus contractors were contributing TO a
political assessment which was to bs Ie-
WED against Skene.
Under cross-examination by Attornev
General O'Malley. Skene said that after
ONeil and John j. Allen were suspended
he changed the locks on all the office doors
and office desks. In searching O'Neirs
desk he said he found many important
state papers which should have been fled
months before and for which repeated
searches had been made.
Mr.. OMalIey brought out that the good
roads proposal sheets used under Skene
were different from those prepared by pre-
vious administrations. calling for bids by
items instead of lump sums Later Mr.
Jerome showed that the forms used bv
Skene were similar to those received by
the state printing board, of which Mr..
o Malley Is a member.
The former State Engineer adu1itted 3,
was possible for many of the good roads
rumors that they were. He declared that
to Governor Hughes and asked him to in
vestgate the matter.
Several residents Of Queens Borough were
called by Mr.. Jerome to testify as TO the
good character and standing of Skene in
his home community.
We admit said Mr.. Jerome in his OPEN
ing, that the Russell bid was raised 5000
We do not deny that Allen and O'NeH
were up to the muzzle in it, and that they
did it without guilty knowledge on Sksne's
part The only thing which connects Skene
with this Russell crooked contract falls
from the lips of O'Neil and Allen.
When Skene became State Engineer the
powers that nominated him demanded that
ne place O'Neil in office We will endeavor
to show that the power of Tammany Hall
put him in Skene's office TO put the screws
to the contractors, and he began early by
with Company We will show that Skene
allowed O'Neil 20 the clerical end of
the Office and that ONeil was put there
by Charles Murphy 10 squeeze money out
don't know, but ii must have been up-
ward of s5JO0O0. as O'NeiI said that 50 per
cent of the bids had been raised, and that
he never had been broke.
We can show that in the spring of
1908 there was a break between Skene and
O Neil, and that Skene took from ONeil
the leader of Tammany Hall that he was
going 10 discharge him A request came
back that he hold O'Neil until after cleo
ton. and he consented 1t was at this time
that O'Nen started to gather in all avail
able pickings, including his getting the
cash on the 5000 Russell note.
''Skene is simply the victim of criminal
conspiracy connected with the Denocratic
party affiliated with crooks throughout the
state of their own political making. and 70
use the words of . Neil, Skene is the VIC
,1f fran I'M