The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-04-10

Wien commlttee Oh OoHBIess OeBuii,
some years ago. to investigate the frauds and
thefts of the Washington Improvement Ring
the influential persons concerned, whom a
discovery would have ruined, stopped at
nothing to prevent it. The committee had,
fortunately, help from some of the honest
and substantial citizens of Washington,
chief among whom was Mr.. Columbus Alex
ander, gentleman who has shown remark
able pertinacity and ability in his long pur-
suit of the Ring. 1t was, we believe, at Mr..
Alexander's suggestion that the committee
required the leading men of the Ring to pro-
duce the books in which the course and cost
of the city improvements were set down, and
who pointed out, when a set of books were
produced, that these were false and that the
genuine books were still concealed.
Thereupon it occurred to some of the
Ring to endeavor to get rid of Mr..
Alexander, by duplicating him in what
would have the appearance of criminal
act. spy was sent to Mr.. Alexander,
who told him that the real books were
in q safe in the Office of the District
Attorney, and that if he would pay certain
sum of money the Office could be entered,
the safe broken open and the books handed
over to him. Mr.. Alexander replied that he
would have nothing to do with such trans
action, and this little plot failed The plan
of entrapping him, however, had been
formed, and was not so easily abandoned.
Two burglars had been hired, and other
preparations made, and so the spy was again
sent to Mr.. Alexander with simpler propo-
sition--that on q certain night the books
would be brought to him; and it was deter
mined by the conspirators to post well
instructed policemen in such way as to seize
Mr.. Alexander while he was in the act of
accepting the books.
All the arrangements were, therefore,
made for given night The police who
usually guarded the District Attorneys
Office were dismissed or sent to q distance !;
two professional burglars, hired for the pur-
pose by agents of the Ring and brought
down from New York, were introduced into
the building, and policemen in the conf
dence of the Ring were stationed outside,
for the double purpose of preventing inter-
ruption and of following the burglars to
have obtained the books. The safe was
blown open, sham set of books taken out,
and with these the burglars proceeded tow
ard Mr.. Alexander's house, followed at q
short distance by the policemen, ready to
pounce upon Alexander at the critical mo-
ment and to conveniently suffer the burglars
to escape after having identified them.
A droll incident happened on the way.
The time was one o'clock at night. The
burglars carrying the sham books, had for
gotten the number of Mr. Alexander's house;
and after wandering past it, and when about
to ring the bell of the wrong house, the po-
lice, supposed to be in vigorous pursuit of
them, had actually to call to them and direct
them to the right house Arrived there they
rang the bell, but in vain. Mr.. Alexander,
thinking little or nothing of the proposed
delivery of the books, and at any rate deter
mined to take no notice of irregular proceed
ings with which he would have nothing to do,
had gone to bed at his usual hour. The bell
wakened no one in the house. The burglars
and the sham police were both perplexed;
the area bell was rung with no better sue
cess; and, finally, after consultation between
the burglars and the police, the whole. party
decamped.
The next day Washington was excited by
the report that most daring burglary had
been committed and the safe blown up in
District Attorney Harrington's Office, and oil
means were used to show that the persecu-
tors of the Ring had been guilty of this
crime. But after while the true story
leaked out and several of the actors in it
were prosecuted but always unsuccessfully
And no wonder, for the chiefs in this con-
spiracy had very powerful friends, and
moreover the conspiracy had been very
shrewdly managed so as to conceal the chiefs
from the knowledge of the subordinates in
such q way that but two confidential agents
knew who were the real authors of the plot
At last, however, by the persistent efforts Of
Mr. Alexander and others. Harrington,
the District Attorney, . particular friend
of Shepherd and Babcock and an in
innate at the White House, was in
dictcd and brought to trial. The case
against him had been confided to Mr.. A.
G.. Riddle as Assistant Attorney General;
and Mr.. Riddle, who had received his ap-
pointment because he was known to be the
personal friend of some of the Ring, but who
happened to be an honest and incorruptible
lawyer, was about to convict Harrington,
when the public was astounded first to see
Harrington. then under trial for felony
and a prisoner on bail, conspicuously in
vited to the White House, where he appeared
as welcome and favored guest, and second,
Mr.. Riddle suddenly and for no reason re-
moved from his post of prosecuting attor-
ney. Thereupon the trial broke down. But
the general conviction of Harrington's guilt
was SO strong that the Ring, who had used