The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-04-12
TROUBLE IN NEW ROCHELLE.
THE DEFICIENCY Nv THE ACCOUNT or
EX-SUPERVISOR 4CKERMIN.
BIundsrs In n Bond-His Bondsmen Liable for
Only n Part Of the sii,13O Duc-The Neg
liGeBce OF the Auditors of Ills Account.

New Rochelle has been agitated since |
Tuesday by the financial troubles OF ex-Supcr-
visor George b. Alderman. There had been !
various rumors OF an embarrassment just be- |
fore the town election. on the 25th ult. MIR. |
Alderman had been nominated by the Demo- |
Gratis for Supervisor for tho fifth time he
having been elected in 1875. G. Z. and y. His
opponent in tho latest election was Henry ID.
Phelps. son-in-law of Robert Morris. Tho
election was hard-fought one and Mr.. Ack-
erman was defeated by 55 majority. In 1878
Mr.. Alderman was elected by about 175 ma
jority. II is the custom OF the town officers to
make statement OF their accounts. mt the
town meeting on election day. On the 25th ult.
1t was noticed. when Mr.. Ackerman rs Super
visor read the items of his account. that his
hands shook and that his voice was husky. BY
some il was thought that he was agitated be-
cause he thought that he would be defeated be-
fore the polls were closed at sundown. but since
then many persons have attributed his
agitation to guilty conscience. know
ing his inability to turn over to his
successor the amount that his account
called for. After the election tho rumors
OF defalcatlon were moro definite. but until
recently Supervisor Phelps did not know the
exact amount Supervisor Phelps got from eN-
Town Clerk Roth the first intimaton that Mr..
Alderman was deiauter TO the town. He i'm
mediately made n demand upon Mr.. Ackerman
for the book in which the town account was
kept. On Monday last j. W. Todd as the rep.
resentative Of Mr.. Alderman. told f. NJ TOmp-
kins. one OF Mr.. Ackerman's bondsmcn. that
Mr.. Alderman desired to notify his bondsmen
that he WAS unable to turn over 10 Supervisor
Phelps the amount that he had said that he had
on hand at the end Of tho year. The informa-
ton was like n thunderclap to Mr.. Tompkins
because he had never imagined that MIR. Ackcr-
man was in such pressing straits as TO be COM
PEELED to fall back upon his boulsmrn. Mr..
Tompkins Immediately went to the other bonds
men and told them Mr.. Ackerman's message.
That evening tho hondsm"n met in the Oflice Ot
Martin j. Keogh. their lawyer and requested
Mr.. Todd TO bring, 10 them statement from the
actual figures OF Mr.. Ackerman's account. On
| Tuesday the bondsmen met again. and Mr..
| Ackermnns statement was pres.nied 10 them
| 10y Mr.. Todd. who said that Mr.. Ackerman was
| unable To- meet the deficiency that the account
! showed. None Of the bondsmen having rcmem-
bered what the conditions o. the bond were.
| copy of IL was got and two blunders were dis
covered on the close examination OF IT,
! Mr. Ackerman's bond Of 1878 WAS prepared
by himself. and i is in his handwriting; The
| II. lie Count and Edward VI. TompkiEs. The
bond declares tnat they are held and firmly
| the penal sum Of ten thousand dollars. TO he
paid TO the said Charles VI. Roth. Town Clerk
| and that for the payment well and truly to be
made they bound themselves. their heiis. cNecu-
| tors and administrators. IL is dated llth April
| The places OF residence OF the bOndsmen nre
omitted and i does not say Of what town Chas
| NJ. Roth is clerk; and instead OF its being n
Joint, and several bond II is only a Joint
| Board as sufficient in amount The members
| OF the Board are: William L. Count. who. as an
| William Brady. A. c. Wllmarth. William Pinck-
ney, Justiees Of the Peace; and Town Clerk
the, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. q the bondsmen. He
omitted the word Wcstehester after the
| ahpve only TINT IL l "a nfl.at
| where in the State OF New York That omission
makes the acknowledgment defective. and the
| notary public liable 10 he punished for misde
| meanor. Another striking popularity is that
william lie Count appears in connection with
| the bond in three different characters-as a pri-
vate individual in signing as witness as a
notary public, IN taking the Acknowledgement
| and as a member OF the Town Board. In pUss-
ing upon the suiiiciency Of the amount and
The bond for 1877 was dated the sO,h Of April.
| and In IL Conrad Roth. A. :. Boyd. and William
| VI. lie Count bound themselves unto Charles VI.
Roth Town Clerk. in the penal sum OF s. 900
each They declared that the conditions of the
obligation were that II Mr.. Ackerman shall
faithfully discharge the duties OF tue office OF
Supervisor, and shall well and truly keen and
pay over. and account for all moneys belonging
TO his town which may come into his hands as
said Supervisor. then the obligation IS To- be-
void. else to remain in full force and virtue.
Ii was acknowledged before William Il. Hum
phrey a Justice ot the Peace. who is now IN the
White Plains lHii as deiaulter 70 the NV 10;
chele Savings Bank. the bonds Of 1873 and
1876 are missing from the office OF the Town
Clerk. demand has been made for them IN
the name OF Supervisor Phelps. II is not known
who the signrrs OF these bonds are. though
the Supervisors OF New Rochelle have handled
about $40 OOO a year no bonds for double that
amount have been given, as they ought 10 have
The discovery OF the fact that the signers of
the bond Of 1878 are liable Tor only 10000
Jointly instead of severally. was pleasing one
Tor Messrs; Roth. Boyd. lie Count and Tomp-
carpenter, Mr. lie Count a grocer. and Mr.
Tompkins dry goods dealer At the Tuesday
evening meeting they decided 10 make an IN
That Investigation tue mex day showed that IN
his house in New Rochelle Mr.. Ackerman had
only an equity Of about $500 over and above the
| encumbrunces that in his business Hs a whole
| sale dealer Of liquors at ~ Dey street. this
| city he had. about five months ago. taken his
brother Frank into cOpartnership' that all th,
debts due tho firm had been assigned 10 his
brother. who has power. however 70 hquidntt
the business and pass over one-hult the amount
| realized from outstanding claims 10 George H.
Ackerman's = bondsmen. The amount that can
be realized s very small. il Is sad. II WAS alsC
ascertained that the title To the store al ~ Drl
street was not in his name. rs was generally
supposed. On the evening 9i lhs, lhN.stEatlo1
! IL became known generally that Mr.. A'kermaI
was "A defaulter The hondsmen tried To kecI
the matter quiet, but lilte daughter Of ono o
the bOnusmcn overheard them talking, AMI in
nocently repeated some of the conversation
Supervisor Phelps Immediately mado another
demand for Mr. Ackermans book, and or
| Thursday the book. small one was sur
rendered in the store Of Boudsman Tompkins
The town account has the following balances:
Was late supervisor. ~. $1,000 e'
Received from other sources up 10 March 10
1915 l'N' ~
Total ............. So 04s 70
Paid Out up to March %, 1875 1924 -
Balance on hand. ...... $500. =, t,ei y
March 23 ls76-ReeeiNed up TO March 23 1877 u $40 q
Total s24ua5 =
Paid out up to March 2s 1877 1895 u
March % ls77-Balance on hand. ..,,..... slllo %
Received to March 49, 1878 ......,....., l''-- II
Paid out up 10 March %, 1913 81
March % is7s-Baiance on hand. ......... - ~ %
Received 10 March 20 1879 81 100 q
Received after report on ~
Total ..... .................. So G.a d.
Paid out up to March 40 1879 1890 .
beHNleHV9 '
The account was certified as correct by th,
town Board OF Audit ON March % 1876, Mnrci
90 1878. and March 20. 1879 The certificate @
. 1877 has no date. The items show that sine
the lst Of January last Mr.: Ackermnn received
about Sl3 800 from taxes, Of which he pad on
only about 81 100 more than s. 600 Of tho den
l cheney having been made, therefore IN the pas
three months Two or three days before tow
{ meeting day large amount Of money was pai'