The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-11-01
DECLARES
PENITENTIARY BUSINESS
FAKE, SPRUNG FOR
POLITICAL EFFECT

McAlester, Okla, Nov. lin speak
ing OF the investigation to be held
here on the charges preferred against
the Texas Construction company In
the building of the new state peni-
tentlary, Warden r. w. Dick said
that he courts the investigation and
| II there Is any bad construction
there or anything wrong in the con
duct Of the work he wants to know il
but that he does not believe there is
q thing in the charges. He says the
state Is amply protected, anyway, as
the building has not been accepted,
all the money due the contractor has
not been paid and that they have a
surety company bond in the sum Of
| 100000.
Gill Less Moderate.
Eugene Gill, state building inspec-
tor, appointed by the state board Of
affairs and who has been here since
the beginning OF the work on the
state penitentiary, gave out signed
statement today In regard to the
charges filed with the state board
OF affairs in which 1t is claimed that
poor work has been done, that the
plans were changed and many other
acts done whereby the state has lost
100000. Mr.. Gill sa.d he is thorough
ly familiar with every detail of the
work; that all claims and accounts
were approved and hecked By him.
His statement IS as follows:
Text of ellis Statement.
Were 1t not for the length and
publicity given to the charges made
against the penitentiary authorities
by w. l.. Bishop, the matter would not
be worthy of notice. Many of his
charges on the face of them are a
preposperous tisue OF falsehoods. For
| instance, his statement that the orig
inal plans and specifications for the
administration building were burned
after the contract was let to the
Texas Building compan1 and new
plans substituted and story left
off the building is too ridiculous to be
seriously considered by anybody.
Such fraud would implicate the ar
chitect and every state official con
nected in any way with it and would
be 100 rank for any one of ordinary
sanity to attempt.
Bishop was discharged for incom-
potency after working there some
eight OF ten weeks as carpenter
foreman His statement that he was
foreman of the steel gang is an abso-
lutte lie. He at no time had charge
OF the reiniorcing neither were the
original reinforcing plans amended in
any instance except two, wherin the
steel was changed in order to make
the reinforcing heavier and stronger
THE reinforcing that he charges
was put in irregular in the west cell
wing was put In after he left the
job The only floor in the west cell
wing put in while he was on the job
was the ceiling floor The reinforc
ing in this was handled by Walter
Miles.
1 "The charge that false girders
were used Is absolutely without foun
dation. The girders were put in ac
cording to the plans and details fur
nlshed by Architect Weathers. The
false bottoms he refers to on the
girders were put in the ceiling of the
administration building below the
regular girders to extend the center
girders down from the roof to q
depth equal to the girders on the
sides of the building. and was, done
in the regular way without Intention
OF fraud, and according TO plans.
r Bishops statement that he recely
ed check for $3.50 from the wal
job while mis- work was confined eX
, cluslvely to the building, had moth
ing to do with the state. II the
Texas Building Co. gave him check
/ marked "Job No. 5" they have never
collected the money from the state
: TO cover that check, because Mr.. Bis
: hop was never credited on the time
/ books OF the state with having work
ed single day on the walls. TIL,
time of the workmen used on the wal
was kept separate by tie state ant
? the Texas Building company's tim,
I books were not considered in the
settlement with the Texas Building
company, and If Bishop did agree L
help, as he said, swindle the stat'
in this connection, he certainly die
not succeed.
'ls Bishop Is In, possession OF thu
facts covering the theft, as he claims
, OF 5000 sacks of cement from thu
Texas Building ompany, as a goo'
slti2en he should have repcrted IL, no
only to the Texas Building compan.
ard The state. but 10 the authoritie
arl caused the arrest and conviction
OF the thieves, The 1900 sacks h
. speaks OF were not charged to tn
|, state by the Texas Building company
Whatever shortage the Texas Build
r ing company suffered in cement wa
|. their loss, as the state allowed ther
D only for the sacks of cement checke
l. - =