Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 133, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 June 1910 — LONGWELL AFTER GRAFT IN NEWTON COUNTY. [ARTICLE]

LONGWELL AFTER GRAFT IN NEWTON COUNTY.

Scheme of Swindle Discovered That Is Believed to Have Been Largely Worked Over State. William Fenters, a road supervisor in McClellan township, Newton county, has been charged and has practically confessed to fraud in giving a road tax receipt to the C. I. & S. railroad, when the work that was receipted for had not been performed. And Charles G. Mauzy, a contractor of Benton county, is charged with having tried to bribe ano:uer road supervisor of Newton county. Railroads are taxed to keep up the roads. They have the option of working out the tax and thus it is possible for the railroad to give the contract for working out the tax to some contractor, and the contractor can arrange with the supervisor, if both are dishonest, to have the receipt for the work supplied and only a small part or none of the labor actually performed.

In the case of Fenters, the receipt was given to the contractors and by them to the railroad, and the work was never performed. The receipt called for $333.20, and the township was therefor defrauded out of that amount of road labor. Fenters is said to have admitted that he furnished the receipt because the contractor, who was a personal friend, was badly in need of money. The supervisor declared that he ..did not get one cent of the money, which, of course, would be quite improbable, as, if he was dishonest enough io defraud the township, he would be dishonest enough to shat-e in the illgotten moifey.

The Newton county grand jury also returned an indictment against Chas. G. Mauzy, a well known politician of Benton county, charging him with having attempted to bribe John Starkey, a road supervisor in Beaver township. The amoiut involved is said to be about SSOO. Mauzy. of course, denies the charge. Prosecutor Long well is after the grafter in every form and wherever there is guilt it Is trusted that convictions will be secured. It is not improbable that he has uncovered a form of graft that has existed for years and that has been worked all over the state of Indiana and not a township in the state through which a railroad runs should escape investigation. Persons who are of the opinion that the railroad road tax has not been worked out honestly in their townships or districts should report the matter and testify at the next grand jury, furnishing the prosecutor with the evidence.