New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-12-03
BONE BARRELS CAME BACK
Inmate of Wards Island Hospital
Before LunaCy Commission.
EXPLAINS THEORY OF GRAFT
Investigators See Light in Story
of "Trusty'-Experts at Work
in All State Hospitals.

The testimony Of an inmate OF the Man
haitian State Hospital on Wards Island
went further 10 enlfghten the State Luz
macy Commission on the probable method
employed by the missing Anthony Martin,
who is suspected of connivtng 10 rob that
institution of many thousand dollars worth
Of good meat than that of dozen other
witnesses examined at the hearing before
the commission yesterday afternoon. Jacob
GrubalsEd, the inmate at the insane hos
pital, would hardly have qualified IN
court of law. and the commissioners &C.
cided not 10 swear him after he was asked
if he understood what would happen TO
him il he took the oath and then did not
tell the truth.
Nothing could happen to me- he an
swered 10 the question Of Dr. Albert w
Ferris president of the commission, Tor
am insured for 100000
But despite Gruhalski's belief in his
immunity. he was examined, and his testi-
rnony was most illuminating. 1t substan-
tiated' the theory Of the commissioners
that the bone barrels in which fresh meat
was packed under a thin layer Of refuse.
never left the island, and were substituted
by others filed with the meat
GrubaIski is q rusty who is employed
at odd jobs He testified that he packed
the barrels with bones from the Kitchens
and hauled them TO the dock every Tues
day and Friday afternoons. He declared
that. although he covered the barrels with
Lurlap and nailed il down tight. he always
got the same barrels back the following
oa -bazr the
same barrels. he insisted that he knew"
because he had handled them so often and
could not be mistaken
John Cashel one Of the storekeepers.
partially corroborated the inmates tesu-
nony. He testified that he had never seen
any empty barrels come back to the ISL
and. One witness was found who tesu-
fed that he had seen Martin hauling
barrel TO the boat landing about 5:45
o'clock in the morning The witness was
Andrew Meyers a deckhand on the Wan
derer, the small steamer in which the bone
barrels were taken 10 Manhattan every
Wednesday and Saturday morning Other
deckhands testified that Katzenstein, the
bone contractor, who is now out on bail
pending trial for implication in the meat
graft, always gave them careful instruc-
tions as 70 how TO load the barrels in his
wagon at the East 116th street dock.
Katzenstein often gave them cigars and
money for loading the barrels for him,
they testified
". D Palmer, mate OF the Wanderer,
corrobora1ed the deckhands' testimony. and
in answer TO further questions said that he
had been unable 10 find any freight book
or records of outgoing freight when he
had searched the desk Of the mate, Thomas
Glynn, who preceded him He declared
that Katzenstein had left him out in the
matter Of tips
Charles Andrews, who assisted Martin as
meat cutter. said that he had always taken
Tuesday and Friday afternoons off. as Mar
Tin had told him those were the regular
Gays for the assistant TO absent himself.
He had never been able. consequently. to
see what fas shipped in the barrels on
Wednesday and Saturday mornings, as
they had always been removed when he re-
turned to work at The witness
said that Martin always received the meat
as il came from the meat house and
weighed it.
Several employees il the stewards office
and the hospital stores testified 10 the loose
method OF checking and bookkeeping in
keeping track of the hospital supplies in
general
A formal statement issued by the COM
rnissioners after the hearing yesterday
read:
Expert accountants are now making
examinations In the majority of the hospi-
tals. and by the early part of next week
they will be in every hospital. with a view
to investigating. studying and reporting
upon existing conditions.
..Other lines of investigation than those
covered by these experts and by the public
hearings held at Wards Island are now
being followed out This work is being
done by the District Attorneys office, rep
resented by Mr.. De Ford; the Attorney
Generals Office represented by MI Boyer.
as well as by the attorney for the hospital,
Mr. Mack, and the commission
A. Full reports OF the investigation VIII be
given to the public when completed