New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-10-09
MORE CORPORATION PLUMBER.
Oct 1860.


BONRS-TIIE SECRET SESSIONS VI LIE 'iA III
COMMISSIONERS ACCOUNTED FOR
Tn Heal Commissioners a majority oil whom Oc-
,or ., the Mayor have il ia we'll kno Nn, been meet
; nh clossd doors two or three times week ut his
Honor Office duripg the past Summer. Ins tessi>ns
An ing MAYOR Tenants administration wsre held
Nth orp doors at least to the reporters OF the Press
end evarv import lut measure faithfully recorded
But secrecy suited the paposes Of the present organ
zs,ion much better and reporters ware not only re-
fused ajnittauce but even the usual Information re-
oardi, the enton Of ships and suppression OF local
nuistnoes mas withheld. IL was then suspected that
,ome fat Jobs were being disposed of and at last one Of
tenn s brous h. TO light and the secret sessions Of the
Mayor aud hi. instruments par ly accounted for.
A few wears sgo, it will be Temem0ered, the Com
mon C,unc gave a contract TO person TO remove the
d,ai bodies from the old Peters Field, On Fourth
avtpue. 10 tie new burial gIOuud on Wards leland.
This contractor made the snog sum Of $1,000, without
half doing the work. Two Winters ago, cry Of
sbsue was raised against the city authorities in conse-
onslce of the exposure Of human rsmsins at the same
grounds, upon Which Mayor Tiemsnn and Controller
Have had all the Iemains removed that were 10 The
way Of public improvements, OF likely TO be exposed
from any cause whatever. The expense was aoo1t
$4,000 TIE work was deemed finished, especially, as
the Pc ters Field hal passed ont Of the hands Of the
city, tie Common Council having given it away, or
eaied at 81 psr year, the Roman Catholic Orphan
Asylum aud ,le Womaa's Hos i,al. These in5iu iJns
were not 10 remove any of the remaiDs bot bald
uron the grounds they STOOD. However, It appears
that some Interested person complained to Mayor
Wood early last Spring, that tie pubnc tealsh was en-
dapgered y the exposure of mora tones, and tho
Mayor laying tie subject before the Health Commis-
sirne,s at secret nesting, had no difficulty ia con.
ytcipg EN- tha the farther prosecution OF the work
was necessary.
There was scarcely yestigs Of human remains 10
he found except by excavatiog 10 the depth Of several
feet and thsn only dried boaes, that Were no more
detrimental 10 the public health than 30 much eartb
Still it vas evident hat here fat job for come
po ical favori.e and work for scores Of Corporation
laborers Charles Wiegand, who keeps lager-beer
saloon in Fifty second street. nsar the old Pot,ers
Fi,)d, rs well az another at Yorkville, was selected
by Mayor Wood for the job. To WiegaDd wa also
consigned tbetas of proposing the boxes for removing
the bones ana ne was allowed 20 cents per load for
taking IN to the pier preparatory to their removal
to the Island.
These expenditures were protested against by the
Control er az being entirely unnecessary and he con
tinued TO urge bis remonstrances d1Ting the whole
Summer. butwi.hout effect. Weigaud must have the
lob, and the Mayors f.vorites must be employed.
shot time ago the Controller dispatched one Of his
clerks TO see what going on when about eight or
ten usn were fsutd at work. The week
Wegsnd presented pay rel for twenty Een psr day
Persons living IL the v3inty state that there were az
most times not over half the number employed, and an
affidavit given below partly confirms the statement.
Some idea may thus be Coined how the city has been
swicded by the false returns male by Weiglnd, 10
say nothing Of TIE fact that there was work that re-
CURED 10 be doDe. In come instances the names Of
men who were known to be otherwise employed were
inserted in the pay roll.
The Controller on occasion cent his Clerk to for
bid any further expenditures when Weiglnd called his
la5trers Together and took vote on the question
whether they should proceed with the work Or not,
and the result Of course was that they proceeded with
the Job. When nothing but Garth could be found,
Wegand consented 10 give up the tlsk, bui few days
afterward person informed him that no knew where
" to strife bodice aud Weieand 2, proceeded to
the Mayor and obtained permission to 50 on sgan.
He hen sunk trench at cost Of several hundred
dollars finding nothing bat few small pieces Of bone,
but persisted in continuing the wogk and did up to
last Saturday afternoon.
A gentleman who had watched the perpetrstion Of
the sgince for several Dag called Saturday last al
the Controllers office and informed him of this cream
stances MIR. HAYES declared that he woud 90 before
the Grand Jury and have all the parties implicated in
ire affair indicted, if The work was not stopped The
gentleman above mentioned had previously applied to
Tie Captain Of Police in the ward where the work
going on but that official had pc in tue matter.
He stated, however, that the clpttin had examined
three Of the boxes Of human remains cartsd down
to the dock, and h4d found nothing but oirt. with
fragment of one small bone. 10 the other two boxes
he found nothing but mud and shaviDns. Tn. Con-
trosr assured the gentleman that lie had taken every
possible means to put stop to this fraud uon the
treasury but n consequence OF the land being out OF
the possession Of the city be had power 10 enter
upon i. and dsperse the gang Of workmen.
On Saturday, Weigand fl ding that the cheat had
been discovered sent down his last payroll to the Con-
troer and ntinated bis intention of dscontinung the
work.
Tee amount paid Weigand during the carJirg out |
this bsreisced swindls up 10 the date Of the last
reci pted pay roll was 1892 T. The amount Of the
pay roll handed TO the Controller Oh Saturday was
500 making the whole 50 go -.
TIE following is aegpy Of the affidavit referred to
above:
Cayond County ef NeD. YORK. e: John Shea being duly
Fmye fth street: that he engaged By Charles Wegnd,
bodies son the old Pottes Field ~ F5y.nia stree I'D
Fomth ard Lexington avenues and woIked there hore G
he paid In pat for said wok tie lh Of july 1860 be-
heard e names five persons csed g receive f york
W5 GsIriehy TIE others 5crasus; h heard the
Aasstsnt Robert aunsou say tht these
oaid DtpoDe had whole boards tI hsi been sent
uocd sawed up Into short pieces FOR GOD and
as be was informed BY M Cumnss to Chses Weeard. house.