The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-01-01
BROOKLYN OFFICIALS INDICTED.
Accused by the Grand Jury of wIckedIy Con-
spring to Drfrnud the city.

The Grand Jury i'm the Kings County Court
Of Sessions yesterday presented through Fore
man Li;chleld. indictments against Commits
sioncrs John ". Fiahcrty and George G. Ben
nett Of the Department Of City Works; Peter j.
Milne. Jr.. Water Purvcyor. and Michael j.
Dady. Superintendent Of Sewers. for conspir-
acy to defraud the city of $4,000. Tho in
dctmcnts have been expected for over MONTH
and their presentation did not. therefore, cause
much surprise. The charges that the Commits
sioncrs had put upon the city pay rolls men
who did no service to the city emanatcd from
Mavor Howell. who called tho attention Of the
District Attorney to the discovery. The Grand
Jury took the testimony OF the Mayor. Presi-
dent Massey Of the Board Of City Works and
many subordinates of the same department
The allegations are that sinecursts were main
tanned in the Water PurveyOrs Department and
in the Department OF Sewers.
The indictments cover several hundred pages
OF manuscript. and. after rcciting the laws
under when the different officials held ofllcc
ana the duties cnioincd on them. which they
had taken Oatis faithfully TO perform. add that
nevertheless. being persons OF owl minds and
dispositions wickcdly intending to inIurc and
defraud the city of Brooklyn. and the people
thereof. they fraudulcntly. maliciousy unlnw-
fully. and corrupty conspircd. combined. con-
federated, aud agreed together to defraud the
city of $4,000; that John W. Flaherty on
Oct |. 1878. secretly directed Michael J. Dady
TO put upOn the pay roll OF the Bureau OF Sew
crs. Of which Dady was superintendent the
name Of John Wallcn. for whose services the
city of Brooklyn had no ueed. and TO whom the
city could give no employment Further that
the name was placed upon the pay roll and in
pursuance Of the wicked and corrupt con-
spiracy. Michael j. Dady certified that the said
John Wallcn had performed twelve days labor,
and was entitled to receive therefor the sum Of
SIS. whereas. in fact MichaelJ. Dady well knew
that John Wallen had not performed such labor
and WIS not entitled to receive the money. and
that the Commissioners. John w. Fiahcrty and
George G. Bennett. and each OF them. knowing
that John Wallcn had performed no labor, and
was not entitled to any money. endorsed and
approved the pay roll.
There are sixty more similar allegations In
the indictment. each naming u different laborer
and different sum. and involving Michael j.
Dady or Water Purveyor Milne. according as
the fact happened in connection with the APP
pointmcut OF the men in the bureau Of one or
the other official The amount varies in the
different cases from fiS to 500 the whole
amount involved being about $4,000
The second count rectcs that q conspiracy
WIS in existence among the four oiicials 10 pay
seventy persons for the month of September for
work that was never done. and with money 10
complained Of, with the names Of the different
persons. who were benefited 10y the alleged
frauds, are recited in several shapes.
There wore also indictments found against
the same officials for alleged mulfcasance grow
ing out OF the transactions alleged. but these
are for the present not made public
Commissioners Flaherty aud Bennett came
into office through the political revolution
der's administration. when the late Patrick
Shannon's vote in the Board OF Aldermen
turned things upside down politically. The
Commissioners are r"tlccnt about the indict-
mcnts. but their friends aver that they are the
victims OF a political conspiracy. and that they
mean 10 retaliate by procuring. II possible. the
Indictment OF some Of their predecessors. who
were nagrantly guilty OF the acts now charged.