Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-02-10
Il Tamuinrr Dob frustrated.

The recent death OF Comfy Audi
tor Watson, of New York, by acct
dental collision of sleighs while
driving his $4,000 horse on one of
the avenues, has been the means Of
bringing to light one of the most
stupendous swindling jobs by the
Tammany ring. The following are
the particulars:
The Legislature of New York at
its session last winter, passed an
act authorizing the widening of
Broadway from Thirty-fourth to
Fifty-ninth street. Commissioners
were Immediately appointed to as
sess the damages for injury inflicted
and benefits for value conferred
upon property affected By the pro
icct. The Commissioners working
in the interest ofthc Tammany Ring
were not faithlcss to their master.
Proceeding to the work entrusted
to them, they succeeded in paving
the way for ONE Of the most shame
less swindles Of modern times. BY
collision with the owners oe the
! property taken for the widening,
they managed Il scheme which but
for it's timely Illustration, would
have enriched the members Of the
ring by several millions of dollars.
The allowances made to these prop
perry owners for damage done to
their property were far in excess of
what they ought to have been. The
ring had voted themselves bic job,
and they were resolved that thc OPP
portunity which il afforded for a
prodigious swindlc should not he
lost. A share albeit n small share
of the excess was to have gone TO
the property owners; the remainder
was to have been prcketed by the
men who had initiated and were de-
velopine the scheme. But then it
| would have been far from safe for
| the ring to have permitted the whole
amount of the allowance to pass d.
rcctly from TIL city into the hand;,
of the owners Of the property as
sessed. The ring would, in that
| event, have been hv no means sure
| to have secured their share Of the
| plundcr. There was bit one course
I to pursue: the money must be pass
ed from the city into the hands ofa
| stakeholder, as it were. who should
give to each claimant his share Of
the funds AS, under the agreement.
the County Auditor. Mr.. james
Watson was selected for this pur-
pose, in consideration of excessive
allowance, the proneity-owncrs or
most of them, had been induced 70
| assign their claims against the city
! for damages over to that gentleman,
| in trust, to pay to the ring its shape
and to tn" propertv-cwners their
share OF the proceeds. Most Of the
property owners made tiis assign
mont, and il is said that. 1T the time
of his death, Mr.. Watson was trre-
tee on this account 80 .000. 900. Much
; less than onc-half &c Mis-. in tho 90
orcrate. was ~ have been Naid to
the nrorcrtv-nwnPrs: much more
than one-half Of this YVES 10 hove
hccn received for division amonr
thc members Of the RING. It was
Mr.. Watson'S death which defeated
the fraud No sooner had tn" lost
breath lef. the hody of Mr.. Watson
than Mr.. TN ecd left the house and1
WINS quickly in communication With
his fellow constructors The trus
too Of the MONEYS. which their fraud
was to have secured from the city,
WIS dead Wis estate must be taknr
before the Surrogate, and then all
tho cirrum st"n"oS connected with
tho creation or this truS, estate Of
so.ono, oon would I've incurred into
The fraul-thc sv intl' c-of The riu~
would thus he Laid bare 10 the pub
We razc. What shoull be done tn
binder this undesirable exnosure9
The debate upon this question was
short md decisive. The act cnfor
cling the widening Of tho street must
be repealed. The "HoSs" nuictl"
communicated his directions to bis
minions at Albany. and The reveal
act has already passed to its third
rool;nr