New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-05-05

ditiors were inserted, end prices were raised "
charging the figures.
Having thus got job arranged exactly 10 MS
liking at rates from fifty to one hundred per cent
above fair price, the contractors next move was
to Get surveyor whose ideas OF iberalIty were
,uciepty loose TO allow him to certify ths: 10 such
A place there WAS thousand yards Of filling where
there va, in reality only about two-thirds as much;
and 60 with excavation, removing powders, and all
work not readily judged by the eye. by this
mesps the contractor would swell bis receipts say
twenty FIVE per cent al of which was clear pFon''
or rather theft from the city or the property
owners. In ca. be got badly in want OF money,
site ring few figures in the surveyors very LIBERAL
return would double or treble his BILL aud put him
square on his feet 10 Wall street. Then, IN dull
times, when the people did not ask for paving or re-
pairing, the contractor would go about tue city
doirg I'D jobs here and there, without shadow
Of authority, and coolly assess the expenses upon
the property--for specimens Of which see the lat
ter portion Of the above table.
But to get all these snug sums of money 1t WAS
nee ssary to have accomplices. The Street Com
missioner must not notice the difference between
mountain and molehill; the Deputy Street Com
missioner must certify to whatsoever the contractor
said was all right; the surveyor must be generous
in estimating amounts, and there must be somebody
in the confidence of the Controller to msnage the
asst 81 ment bonds. These necessary conveniences
weIe on baud as desired, and all worked well; and
all would hive worked beautifully to this day had
- .tr.,oar IN tho hu oot into he csnn Of
the coDspiratOrs. Mr. Coboyer was not long puzzled
to account for the desperate efforts made to drive
blm out He was the custodian of all these precious
secrets, and through him finally the facts came to
light.
Such is brief outline Of the operations displayed
in our table. But who were the conspirators and
where is the money James Furey and Joseph S.
Taylor were Street Commissioners; Charles Tur-
Ter, Deputy under both; George I. Rogers, Con-
tract Clerk; J. B. Smith, the clerk having charge
Of these accounts in the Finance Department;
Charles DevlD, John Fitzpatrick, John Quin,
John Pettigrew, Terence Farley, John McGrane,
Oscar Taylor and c. c. Ellis were the leading con-
tractors; the Bowery Bank Eooch Dean, Presi-
dent, was the financial agent of most OF them and
sort of general assignee; while John t. Dodge,
Robert J. Dodge Francis Vidal, Edward Boyle
and r. GraveSdid pretty much all OF the surveying.
Messrs. DevD, Fitzpatrick and Farley seem to
have been the prices among the contra tors, act
ing either as contractors or as suretles in numer-
Gus instaDces as the case required. The remarka
bic operations of the Bowery Bank in discounting
Smiths notes to Devin, and in getting large sums
as payment for work long before settled, must be
studied in the Controllers own words; as also the
coincidence of certain alleged fraudulent bonds
bearing the transfer of the who sold to the late
Joseph s. Taylor the house in which he lived.
Now that the facts are known, what is to be done
The men whose names are ne .esssrily involved in
the charges never received such swindng PAYNE It's
without knowing it; yet they loudly proclaim their
innocence and profess to court investigation. Why
shall they not have IL! Why, after sending such a
mass of charges to the Grand Jury, withdraw them
and practically say to the offenders, You are free :
Admitting the incredible proposition that there has
been no such conspiracy as would send the parties
to the State Prison, there yet remains the heavy
overpayments, "by mistake, if you please, all of
which may be recovered by civil process; and the
men are amply able to repay them. Such are the
facts The duty of the Mayor, Corporation Coun-
81 and their assistants in the premises is to punish
fraud wherever a conviction can be had, and to re-
cover for the Treasury 60 far as possible that of
which it has been defrauded. The people are wait
rg TO hear that the good work has at least been at
tempted How long shall they wait