Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-01-12
About 100000 Cash
and 100000 Warrants
Turned Over to Pennsylvania
Officials al Harrisburg.
Further Criminal Action In CAPITOL
Frauds Is Dropped.

Harrisburg, Pa, Jan. il.-Restitutiop
to the amount Of $1.300.00o and the
surrender of warrants aggregating
500, OG0 upon which payment had been
stopped. were made in the Dauphen
vlcted or otherwise implicated by the
state OF r. nnsyivana in the Capitol
funds. In return, :.se commonwealth
agreed to drop all further criminal
action against the defendants and with
& t exception Of the case of Joseph
NJ. Huston OF Philadelphia now under
a sentence of from months to two
years. who has an appeal in the SUI
psrior court the Capitol fraud cases
are declared 10 be ended and the state
satisfied. Thus ends one of tha irost
important criminal prosecutions ever
brought by the state.
The new state capitol. a magnificent
structure, with its rich furnishings
cost approximately Sl3.0G0.000. OF this
sum tac state alleged that 1t had been
d.frauded ont OF about 100000. AT
terney General NJ. Hampton Todd.
Who conducted the prosecutions, in
a statement after the settlement was
received BY the state Tuesday and
through former resolutions. was ST.
Isl, TAO. TO date the state has eN-
pended slt7.96i in prosecuting the
cases.
Among the defendants participating
in todavs settlement were The FOL
lowing:
Estate of John II. Sanderson, contract
or for furnishing, who died In New YORK
after being sentenced, while on bail pend
ing an appeal; estate of w. l.. Mathues'
former state treasurer, who died after
being ventenced. while on bail pending
an appeal; William p. Snuder. former
auditor general, now serving two years
in the penitentiary; John II. Shumaker.
former superintendent of grounds and
buildings. now serving two-years SEN
tence: Joseph NJ. Huston. architect of
the Capitol, under sentence and awaiting
disposition of an appeal; Frank G. Har-
ris. former state treasurer, and f. b.
Hardenburgh. former auditor general.
who were only sued civilly to recover
money former Congressman II. Bur Cas-
sci, who was acquitted of charge of
fraud.
One of the interesting features of the
case, the amount each party to the set
Element contributed. is lawyers secret
and probably will never be made public
State Treasurer Charles F. Wright was
in court and received two checks. aggre-
eating 81, 300,0oo. when the cases are for
mally settled and Auditor Gen. A. E. Sis
son accepted the surrendered warrants
The Sanderson estate surrendered war
rants for sloS.S79. and Huston's repre-
sentatives handed over warrants for So
COO
Two civil actions were brought, one
against Sanderson. on which the sum col
against the contractors for metal furni-
ture in which Cassel was involved. On
this contract 100000 was turned back in
to the treasury
The Capitol fraud expose was one Of
the indirect results of the political up
heaval in Pennsylvania in 1905, when Will
liam II. Berry, a Democrat, running on
a fusion ticket, was elected state treas
urer. He was tipped off, that some
thing was wrong, investigated. and laid
bare the colossal frauds. The result was
indictments, prison sentences for some,
for others. Several of those i'm
plicated went to their graves while their
cases were still in the courts. and one
defendant was sent to an insane asylum
before his case could be tried.