New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-06-03

everything forth with uramalc ulstinctneS0'
We see the conspiratos sitting down together
behind barred and bOlted doors at the City
Hall, pulling out the warrant which one OF them
has lust received from the Controller, and be-
fore the ink upon it Is dry, proceeding, with
much mutual help, to figure out and appro-
pirate their respective shares We are treated
to fragments Of tho choice conversation in
which they discussed their little arrange
ment and full particulars of their percent
ages. We get portraits OF Connolly,
| grumbling at one time because ne
has not been allowed toll on certain bills for
the new Courthouse, and at another time
tickled to death" and Laughing all over
"hs face" when he gets his proportion OF q
seventy-five per cent robbery. certain dis
crcpancy in figures which often baffled Messrs
Tilden and O'COnOr in their celebrated bank
book Investigations is now explained. When
the auditors were appointed under the Act OF
1870 to pass upon old claims against
the city, Ingersoll and the other "sup-
"ply-men," as they were called, were
instructed to date their fictitious and
fraudulent bills very far bsRk, so that they
might carry q good rOusing sum for interest
The warrant, therefore, was always for much
IilOTt tidU tHc OIlSllldl Chilli, anu IL nho
divided in o peculiar manner. The claimant
had no part Of the interest, and only 80 per
cent of tho principal. Tweed took 20 per
cent of the principal only; Peter b. Sweeny,
10 per cent of principal and interest; Connolly,
20 per cent Of principal and interest; County
Clerk Watson, per cent of principal and in
terest and Woodward, per cent of principal
and interest. That left 60 per cent of the in
tcrcst TO be accounted for, and IngersOll sup
poses that Woodward and Watson divided it
between them. If IngcrsOll tells the truth
and we have 10 doubt he does-the payments
10 Connolly, Sweeny, and the others were
direct and personal, and there was no more
aifcctation OF fair dealing by any of the gang
than il is to be presumed there was among the
Forty Thieves
Ingersoll seems to have been in business
with his father when, about 1867, it was I'M
derstood for the first time that persons who
supplied the public buildings would be required
to allow percentages to the Ring. AS the firm
was not disposed to do business in that way,
our eneIprising young chairmaker resolved to
set up for himself, and accordingly waited upon
Mr. Tweed. Tweed referred him to Wood
ward, and with this Invaluable official he soon
came to terms it was only necessary to "put
cup" 20 per cent for the Boss and 10 per
cent for the Controller, and with that under
standing he could have all the orders he
wanted at his own prices. Accordingly, at the
beginning of 1868, Ingersoll opened his
furniture factory" which consisted merely of
an Office and set of books, and went at the
manufacture of bills for supplies with will.
He never had any partner, but he called him
~
"Smith," or &C. ID. BOllar 81 Co.. or ga. G.
miller" so that the mOnOtony of the warrants
was pleasantly varied. Things ran on with
charming simplicity for some months, but be-
fore long the arrangements began to get COM
plicatcd. When the municipal treasury ran
low, the Ring got up the Especial audit" law,
authorizing the issue of bonds for the payment
of adjusted claims" and as this involved the
expenditure of money in the Legislature, the
"supply men were required to put up 80 per
cent for the officials, instead of 50 as before.
namely, % for Tweed, 20 for Con-
molly, and 10 for Sweeny. In less than
two wears there was another increase IngcrsOll
was instructed "tO make his bills so that 80
"per cent would suffice for HIMSELF" and
when be remarked that 60 per cent was %
pretty large sum to put up, he was asked in
tone of surprise, what difference it made to
him 40 long US he got his full claim2 Then
he was obliged to increase WOOdwards and
WatsOn's percentage from 10 to Is; to take
charge of u branch Of the Garvey accounts,
connected with the building of Tweed's house,
all of which was paid for out OF the public
treasury by means of fictitious bills for work
and supplies, to lend Tweed money, and to
10 Son Of f,,rnitura
The most curious chapter in the story is the
account of 1.-THE Court house job" Inger'oll,
Conan, Walsh, and Norton were appointed
Commissioners of the New Courthouse under
the Act of 1870 and in announcing the APP
pointment the Boss told lngersoll that " this
"was an outside affair. and he supposed the
" Commissioners would want to make some
ching out of il for themselves" The Com
missioners accordingly met and lngersoll, with
the promptness of a thorough man OF business,
remarked to them ut once: Gan we have to
"dO. gentlemen, is to certify the bills and re-
"ceivc for ourselves about 5 per cent apiece"
To which they all assented. There never was
any meeting to audit the bills, but the
Commissioners signed them separately. To
their incxpressible chagrin however they
discovered that they must "put up" on these
accounts, although many of them were old
ones. Tweed complained that legislation came
very expensive and demanded Is per cent on
the entire appropriation of $750,00O voted by
the Legislature for the completion Of the Court
house. Watson required 10 per cent for the
Controller and pig per cent for himself, and
Connolly refused to honor a requistion of the
| Commissioners for funds because he had not
| I, Il. .1,,ft