Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1913-09-12
General Expenses Will Take
$427,000 of Fund.
NOTHING IRREGULAR ABOUT IT
Commission Forced to Pay for Memo.
rial Site Three Times as Much as
Property Was on Tax
Duplicate For.
Special Columbus Correspondent.


strings There's the Perry victory
centennial celebration for instance.
The state of Ohio and various other
commonwealths and the national gov
ernment gave an aggregate of some
thing like S1,000,000 to celebrate the
great Perry achievement and erect a
memorial. 1t develops that general
expenses" will gobble up $427,000 of
this vast sum, and the general ex-
penses include such things as prizes
in yacht races, entertainment dinners,
and huge travelling expenses of the
members of the Perry celebration
commission. The report of the state
auditor to the governor shows that on
July l there was on hand $103000 yet
available for expenses, while the per-
manent memorial fund contained only
$4,000. Rodney j. Diegle, now serv-
ing term in the penitentiary in con-
nection with the legislative bribery
cases, made trip to Washington for
the commission and drew $3.50 for ex-
penses-$S6 for travelling and 1924 for
hotel bills. The recent celebration at
Put-in-Bay cost SILL 500. A banquet was
given to 140 people by the commission
on July and the function cost 81
plate with $50 on the side for "wine
and cigars" Then the examiners for
the state auditor found that in pur-
chasing the site for the memorial at
Put-in-Bay the commission was forced
to pay three times as much as the
property was on the tax duplicate for,
and even at that the commission had
been forced to go to court and con-
denim in order to get the site at all.
And after all there is hardly anything
irregular in the expenditures of the
commission for the reason that the
money given for the centennial had no
strings tied to it; it could be spent in
any manner to make the centennial a
success.
Release Recalls Escape.
The release from the penitentiary of
Ed Driscoll, alias William Edgar, re-
calls one of the most unique escapes
in Ohio prison records. 1t was an es-
cape in which electricity largely fig
ures. Driscoll was received at the pen
in 1908 from Montgomery county to
serve term for larceny. He was a
pretty good prisoner as prisoners go,
and nothing happened to excite sus-
picion against him until the night of
April II, 1910 Then suddenly every
light went out inside the big prison.
Pandemonium reigned, with the
guards rushing hither and thither with
drawn revolvers expecting a general
getaway. When the chief electrician,
awakened from slumbers, found that
nothing had happened to the lights ex-
cept that they had been switched off, a
ladder was found against the pen
walls on the inside. A hasty count of
noses developed that Ed Driscoll was
no longer among the prison elect He
had been smart enough to study the
electricity switches so that he knew
how to turn off every light. Then a
ready ladder, twist at the switch.
board, hasty dash, and Driscoll was
free. He was caught some time after
ward in Chicago and returned to the
! penitentiary.
Preach Gospel of Good Roads.
Here's man who's going to take a
long hike just to preach the gospel OF
good roads. He is j. E. Cavanaugh
and he started from Columbus last
Saturday for New Orleans, backed by
the Ohio Good Roads Federation. He
| is going to walk every step, of the
way but by easy stages. In every
large city he will stop and talk the
lesson of good roads. His aim and
that of those who are sending him are
to arouse the people of other states
in the big movement for good roads
that has begun in Ohio, and his in
junction everywhere will be-"Go
thou and do likewise!"
Petitions Liable to Be Rejected.
1t looks as if there won't be any
referendum on the workman's com
pensation bill, the Warnes ta>
measure or the Fitzpatrick enact
ment. The latest tip is that tine
petitions asking for a referendum or
these measures all will be rejected by
the secretary of state within the mex
few days on the general ground thai
there was fraud perpetrated in theil
circulation. So certain are the admin
istration forces that no referendum
vote will take place on the three meas
ures named that they are actively pre-
pairing for the operation of the laws
For example the Warnes measure in
troduced a new tax system in the state
the main part of which is the appoint
S~~~-~~N-NS~~N~~~~o-~~-~S ~~-~-~-"~~-~s~S~-~S~~
VIII Be Reorsanized.
The Ohio State Board of Commerce
an organization Of business men anc
manufacturers whose directing heat
for years had been Allen Ripley Foote
is to be wholly roorganized, accordipf
to the word received here. Mr.. Foott
is to retire and is to be succeeded by
o. X. Shimansky, who for some years
has been at the publicity end of the
State Boards activities. Mr.. Shin
alsky is we'll known in newspaper
circles here. He was confidential
secretary to Myion T. Herrick during
he last year Cf his goyernorship.