Show NOW TRYING TO TOp TOr r p ESCAPE First Bunch of Pennsylvania Capitol Grafters on Trial at ANOTHER OUTFIT WAITING PELF AMOUNTED TO SEVERAL MILLIONS M I Harrisburg Pa Jan 27 The fea feature feature feature ture of th the first day of the trial of the capitol prosecutions which began in the Dauphin county court before Judge Kunkel this morning was the agreement of ot the commonwealth o a separate trial for Architect Joseph M Huston The commonwealth objected to the thc motions of Hustons four eo en codefendants defendants for separate trials which motions were wore overruled by the court May Turn States Evidence The action of the commonwealth it a t agreeing to a separate trial for Hus Hu Huston Huton Huston ton has given rise to a rumor that the thc architect will tutu tUg states and tell all he Knows of the alleged frauds in furnishings for the new cap capitol capItol capitol itol Counsel for tor the thc commonwealth decline either to affirm or deny this rumor Vait Wait and see Iii e Is all they will say George S Graham of counsel for Hus Huston Huston Huston ton said tonight that it was unusual for the court to grant an severance In conspiracy cases Mr Graham also said that Huston had been subpoenaed by the other defendants and must re rt remain main here during the trial of the cases eases If Mr Huston Is IB called railed to the stand knowing himself to be an Innocent man Mr Ir Graham continued and as we know him to be he will tell the truth He has not been subpoenaed as asa asa asa a witness by the commonwealth Of ot course we know nothing about the way the commonwealth will conduct the case Surprise for Defendants The alacrity with which the common commonwealth commonwealth wealth agreed to a separate trial for Huston evidently was a surprise to the attorneys for the defendants Contract Contractor or John H Sanderson former Auditor General William P Snyder former State Treasurer William L Matthues and James M lI Shumaker former su superintendent superintendent superintendent of grounds and buildings building The attorneys for these defendants Im Immediately immediately mediately m asked that the court take tak taka a recess for br fifteen minutes to t give them an un opportunity to consult In Overruling motions for separate trials which were made after the con consultation consultation consultation Judge Kunkel said the de defendants defendants defendants would be afforded their con constitutional constitutional on rights to have their cases casts fully presented and argued and that the reasons for separate trials were not sufficient to justify the court In granting them The entire day was taken up with the futile efforts of the attorneys for the four defendants to obtain separate trials and the selection of the Jury THe selection of th the jury was completed late in the day Testimony Begins Today When the court adjourned tonight Judge Kunkel instructed the jurors to allow nobody to speak to them about the case nor discuss it among amon them themselves themselves selves or to road read about it in the news newspapers newspapers newspapers papers The taking of testimony will probably begin tomorrow In the case which is being tried first the commonwealth alleges that the state was defrauded out of 1920 In payments of 49 for sofas tables and clothes trees This furniture was supplied by Sanderson at the rate of ot 1840 per foot toot The commonwealth will try to show that the defendants conspired to cheat and defraud the state by paying for forthe forI forthe I the furniture in excess of the contract price and by falsifying the measure measurements measurement measurement ment ments Neither Congressman H B Cassel whose Pennsylvania Construction com corn company company pany supplied the metallic furniture for forthe forthe forthe the capitol nor the remaining eight elgh de defendants defendants defendants figure in the five conspiracy cases called today There are thirty seven cases against the fourteen de defendants defendants defendants in thirty of which the charge is conspiracy and in seven the de are charged with false pre pretense p pr tense |