New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-07-17
PUT / STRONG TO STIR
THE PUBLIC, SAYS BLAKE
Graft Charges Made to Bring
About Thorough Investlga-
ton, He Ayers.
PREDICTS ANOTHER INQUIRY
Frawley Asserts Committee
Will Make One, Too
Prison Report Badly
Punctured.

tFrom a Stan Correspondent OF The Tribune. J
Albany. July l6-Both George W. Blake.
Governor Suffers special investigator into
the prison department. and Senator James
]. Frawley. chairman OF the legislative
committee which is now trying to SHOW
up" the Blake report on. prisons, said at
to-day's hearing that there would he
more thorough and careful investigation
into the physical conditions of the state :
penal institutions.
Frawley's assertion was made when he
was trying to pin Blake down to some
specific statement az to the $4,000 graft
which Blake's report indicated in the
Great Meadows Prison The Senator said
that his committee meant to go up there
and 60 into this matter thoroughly ana
he wanted all the information as to posi-
BILE graft that Blake could give him To
guide the committee.
Blake limited at another and more de-
tailed inquiry under the auspices OF Gov
eruor Sulzer when corncred by Frawley'
questions into making the admission that
lis, $4,000 graft" statement was dc-
signed practically as "a general statement
rather tndn SpPtlilt d''hohAi'i ~ 49,
the thing would be investigated.
These are the things / asked Governor
Sulzer to investigate and he's going TO-
Blake added.
Frawley and his committee sadly shat
tered the expert status OF the Blake re-
mort but i'm spite OF this they could not
shake Blake from the statement that NJ
believed the Great Meadows Prison had
cost the state $4,000 more than 1t should
have done. lie was not ready 10 say
nbetber the 10000 was lost 10 the state
through graft or carelcssness.
Henry Leeds. a brother-in-law OF Blake
who was hired as an expert az >lSo a
week. was forced TO admit that nc couIu
not qualify as an expert either as bulIu-
or or an accountant In the investigation
work hc had been set down az an expert
in both those lines Eugene Lamb Rich
ards counsel 10 the committee. Induced
IN. witnes. 10 confess that he had never
ieou an accountant. and Senator Frs"-
Irr. himself a cOntrac tor. forced Leeds To
own mo that he knew very little anout
the pricc Of labor or materials used IN
building contracting.
Leeds testified that be wa partly re-
sponsiblc for the statement IN the BIaK'
report that the Great Meadows prison
should have cost 10000 less than n did
but An spite ~ the demolition Of his status
as an expert he stuck 20 that state
mcnt. saving hc based 81 on many THINGS
he had observed At Great Meadows out
side of details he had reported upon spe-
ciHcaliv 90 Blake.
Blake was recalled 90 tho stand TINS
afternoon and Was hcckled numerically
~ 10 his basis FOR many statements IN
his report 10 the Governor. ON some OF
the smaller accusations Blake had
enough data Ia mind 20 shut of that line
~ questions. notably In the matter OF
the Juggling Of the prison accounts in
meat buying.
The farmers swore that they we're
forced to swear to false weights Blake
said
Blake explained that he had referred
pointcIlv 20 the existence of a prison
ring" because he found the same names
always cropping up in his inquiry. When
me said that the Great Meadows prison
had been used for over two years 10 rob
IN. state. hc did not mean 10 accuse any
one OF graft but 20 put w the PROPOSE
ton that tie state was losing money on
the prison construction and VAS not get
ting a fair return for it's expenditures.