The New York herald., 1873-09-24
TDoTNCING PUBLIC THIEVES.
The Four Year-Old Long Island City
Beating Its Tammany Ring.
Impeachment Of the Mayor. Commissioner Of
Public Works and City Judge.
Mayor Debevoise Issues Bonds by the
Bundle and Keeps Accounts
in His Memory.

Long Island City Is only four years old, but it
would seem from Its recent municipal records that
In all the corrupt practices that have made Cesar.
lsm one OF the great questions OF the day. the fag
end OF the City OF Churches and OF Rodman, which
has emerged from the chrysalis Of Hunters Point
into the full blown butterfly Of Long Island City,
can give every corporate town in the country the
longest Of odds and beat them all with great ease.
Some months ago committee OF fye OF the
Board OF Aldermen was appointed TO take tes-
timony and report upon certain charges made
against the Mayor and other executive officers Of
rendered report which the Board was kind enough
to characterize as simplya
THICK COAT OF waITEwAsH,
Whereupon 1t was resolved that the Board go into
. committee OF the whole and see whatever was
60 be seen for itself which II accordingly did. It
has been examining witnesses for some weeks
past concluding its investigation late on Monday
evening. Yesterday afternoon 1t resolved itself
back again into the Common Council with the OBJ
ject OF hearing and acting upon the report which
1t had to render as an investigating committee.
President George H. Hunter having been chair.
man OF the committee, vacated the chair and
called upon Alderman Bebec to preside over the
meeting OF the Common Couucil. MI. Daniel r.
Lyddy counsel to the Committee on Investigation
was on motion, admitted TO seat with the Coun.
cilmen. The reading OF the minutes having been
dispensed with. Alderman Mclaughlin called for
the reading OF the report Mr.. Hunter, Chairman
OF the Investigating Committee, said the report
was ready, and called npon Counsellor Lyddy to
read 1t, which was done "with fine effect"
THE REPORT
was q volumincus one, filing large CLOSELY.
printed book. 1t recited that the committee was
ha NJ thof
had examined, under oath, the Mayor, the City
Judge, the Commissioner OF Public Works and the
TWO citizen Commissioners thereof Messrs Brad
ley and Bisby, also the Clerk OF the Commissioners
and oil the books, records. papers, contracts and
accounts OF the Commission; also John Horan
City Treasurer. and his accounts With the Water
Board; also Survey Commissioners Van Alst and
Anable, Corporation Counsel Ralph Burnett, ex.
Corporation Counsel John b. Madden. ex-City
Clerk P. J. O'Grady, and Mr.. J. II. Allen, Bati.
more builder and contractor, as an expert on the
works rr:riormed or alleged to have been performed
In Long Island Gify. From the evidence extracted
from the above cloud OF witnesses charges are pre-
ferred against the Mayor and City Judge ana their
snbordinates OF which the following is the sub
stance OF the principal ones:-
TIE LITTLE GAMES
In accordance with provision of the LONG
Island City charter to that eTecs q resolution was
pushed. on the 2Sd OF January last, through the
then existing Common Council, that the Board of
Water Commissioners be empowered to raise
$3oo,0to on bonds OF the city for the water works.
'Said bonds" said the resolution, "shall be Issued
by the Mayor, under the direction OF the Board OF
Water Commissioners, at not less than par value,
and not sooner than the Mayor shall deem them
tol be required by the cxigencies OF the improve.
ments under charge OF said Board Of Water Com
mtSsioners."
The reader win please marx the words "the
Mayor and "deem them to" above enclosed in
brackets. In the resolution which passed the
Board OF Aldermen those words did not appear.
They were inserted -interlined--i the document,
in the Mayors own handwriting when the Official
copy OF the resolution was laid before HIS Honor for
The executive signature, for the purpose which
may hereinafter make itself apparent.
TIE TESTIMONY
nov proceeds to charge that scarcely had the ink
decided that right then was the time when 'the
bonds, and tie Whole d he tosa. Is BE- lsspes
n as a @ ssYs ns 'a i isSyV55ans 5Ss 81 asm Il
lave never been seen 10 Long Island City; They
were taken om the Thets theS
Thompson, 80 Wap street, tp this city. Then the
Long Island Cit. seal and City 6efh were i'm
were attacked TO the bonds Ia the once OF Mr..
Thompson, after which the Clerk returned home
months Afterwards TIis is the place to state to- that
Gr. Thompson is the owner OF about 81, o00 OO0
wosth nS o. propss1S IN ana near Iona Island CITY
u
Mr.. TuoMpsoN's LAND AGENT.
IL is further charged that, In violation OF the
provision OF the CHATTER stating that the bonds
must be sold at par the Mayor, without any au-
ihor.ty other than his own sweet wtll had, up to
the 10th OF July, sold sl55,0V0 worth OF bonds l0r
their lace, without the accrued interest alnce
March last. amounting TO s9'4o. He issued the
Mr.. fhompsons Office IN Wall street, notwithstand-
ing Which he some months afterwards induced
UGy Sne Sl.y NieIh, an unsop hstca.eu youti named
dollar bond for whose issue there color Of
authority whatever. "a thought it was TO pay for
printing and other expenses, says Mr.. O'Grady.
THE WORST PART OF THE STORY
was told when Mayor Deoevoise was asked to pro-
duce his accounts and show what had been done
with and for the cash obtained by the sale OF the
bonds. he was Obliged 70 confess that he Kept n o
mIttee a little nemorandnm Just made from
memory" which he produced model OF an Official
statement OF which 1t is 10 be forever amented The
reportoral space does not allow the public TO enjoy
the benelt
the report goes on to show that few days after
the passage OF the resolution TO issue the bonds,
Mr.. Thompson purchased place. called Gosln
farm, lor $3.50 an acre, which he subsequently
sold, through his land agent, Mayor Debeyosc,
TO the said mayor and the Water Commissioners Tor
$1,000 an acre. A few days subsequently the Miln
Springs, also owned by MI Thompson, which the
local agent o. the Union College estate valued at
$1,000 sn acfe was sod 20 the Board for 800 an
acre rn,s land e alleged TO De half salt marsh and
hall sanu hiil, Without drop 81 tresn water In the
whole VI II. The day tuis land vas pur.
chased tae Long Island CITY Water Board
held It's meeting IN Mr. lhompsoa's oirce in
New York. Furthermore. when the Water Board
laid down the main. instead OF running IL through
the already settled portion o the city they caused
II TO diyerge over mile out Of ITS way go as 10 run
H. through the N doIe OF MI. ThOmpsons property,
materials OF over t30,0 ,000
The above form only a portion Of the long string
Of charges contained IN this report At the conclu.
sion OF Mr.. Lyddys recitation exercise the Common
Council passed the following
RESOLUTIONS OF INpEAcHM2NT
against the Mayor, Commissioners oi Public Works
and City Judge -
Resolved, That Henry 8. DeBevoso, Mayor OF Long
Island city uumndful Of the duties OF his oice aad IN
vioshon Of his oath Of once was guilty q mai and cor
high crimes and misdeme and that sad ueury s
DeBeyo be and he hereby Is impeached therefor
Same about Alexander Moran, Commissioner Of Public
Works.
Resolved That william g. Pca-se, City Judge OF Long
Island City unmndiu Of the duties Of his sfce and IN
violation OF his oath OF Office was guilty 9 mai ana cor
iupt conduct in office, as water Comm 'ssfoner ana J