New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-12-22

oil
so;d to have been lost in specnlatiohs III J" an
streot AT n meeting of the Newark Common
Council Finance Committee last evening" some
srrnrisinr revelations were made IN reg'fu "
the financial affairs of the city.
THE DETAILS OF PALMER'S CRIME
u,tfo the officials at the City Hail. Newark were
.raccd with their usual business. yesterday morn
inc and an expert was going over the DooNs u '"0
Cltv Auditor, Frederick A. Palmer, three men
entered the office of the City Clerk. f. b. alien
one of the visitors and sn intimate irlehu Oh !no
Auditor handed TO the City Clerk paper OF winch
the following is a copy
CITY AupIroR's OFFICE, Dec. p, ISL; d.
have embezzed large anGTR5s G96 Se I 'g hands Of
have surrendered mysen d lI'C am now lodged
the ,SG OoG COUNTY 8f ja fni TSsse S% an aad
tSd mainly lm in nTobaT t6s Sf9F Of 25ooo That the
OF Justice NAV be speedily reached nope az, T tbs ad Of
49, On OF these years; that with inc au vi
v once assistant enough items may be found TO secure
my desire SAY VERY Sbom hc ad ino%cGge
cnnnyance or assistance OF any person WkaveL ~ Is
Oh Who know OF care Iexpect only exact justice
bpt ask that it may soon be reached. T. a TALML'
r,he naper was sent by the City Clerk to Alder
man Theberath chairman OF the Finance Commit
tee of the Common Council. 1t was not long Delore
intelligence of the embezzlement and the confession
snread throughout the business community. Inc
,ofrsed TO credit the statement. City Controller
Raksr when he was informed. shed tears. AL the
,;ne this confession was made the Auditor wrote a
formal resignation and sent it to Mayor fledler.
Having written these documents, MI falmer went
voluntarily to the County JAIL delivered hlnSen up
IN the Warden and at his own request was piaced III
confinement. Before he took these steps the Audl-
for consulted William B. Guild, lawyer, ana
through him arranged his property so as TO secure
his bondsmen the bonds being only $1,000 Al the
Iail he sent for a police justice who made out the
commitment papers.
The confession of Auditor Palmer was preclpl-
tated by the prospect of an early exposure through
an investigation now beng made by j. Walden, an
e1pert which was ordered by the Common Council
n month ago at the request of Mayor tledler Ihe
expert began his investigation with the year 1870.
and has not yet reached the accounts connected
with the present administration of the City Govern7
ment. He found that the books of Treasurer Stout
In 1870 were in confused condition. and OF clar-
acter las the expert expressed it ito disgrace
cbapdler,s sbop.D He also found the deficiency ac-
count in bad condition, and the temporary loan ac-
count was much the same. He questioned the Audi
tor and found him morOse and peeylsh. lie asked
for certain books which the Auditor failed TO fur
nisb him. On Tuesday the expert had a long con-
versation with the Auditor, and the impression
which the interview left upon his mind caused him
to determine TO make a demand upon the Audltor
Yesterday for the books and information which he
deemed essential. The expert could not tell now
the Auditor was enabled to embezZle the city's
money but he thought il was done either IN the de-
fc1encv account the street improvement accounts
or the tax leases In any event there was strong
presumption that the Auditor was guilty OF forgery
as we'll as embezzlement None of the officials at
tbe Citv Hall could understand how Mr. Palmer was
m as
money and it was believed that the system of
cbecks was perfect safeguard against cmbezzle-
ment.
To his counsel Auditor Palmer stated that he had
lost the money in spscuatons IN Wal-st. His
salary as Auditor was So. 800 year. He has lived
in good STYLE has cottage at Ocean Beach upon
which he has spent considerable money and owns
other property at Newark 1t has been known e inr or
some time that he has been engaged with Others IN
bnyinp ND property sold under tax-foreclo losures
bv the city, the records of the city showing a
nnmber of transfers Of such prOperty in the name OF
AR Palmer and his relatives. This aud other facts
known and commented on made the Andltor an Cd
ject of suspicion months ago. alIhoqgh tne suEp
i've wears as Auditor and had one year more to
serve. Previous to his appointment to this posi-
tion he was for four years chief clerk of the Con
trol,eTjs office, Tn 70 recent date he uni
yersally regarded as a safe public officer. Tic ls a
member of Trinity Protestant Episcopal Chnrch, Of
which Oscar Baldwin WAS a vestryman: is aDOut
forty wears old. and has wife and one child. ,
Yesferday afternoon Mayor Fielder went % the Jail
TO see the prisoner but the not be seen by
anvbo1y Jt was ascertaned later in the day that he
was partly delITOus from excitement and remorSe,
and could not give any intelligible account OF his
embszzleuent TO his own counsel The Mayor said
that ne proposed to investigate the matter before
making any formal complaint. The peculiar man
per of tEe Auditor for several DAYS was remarked
Inv ms friends 1t is s. 'ated that the disclosure was
prompted by near relatives who, witnessing the
state Of his mind and surnising the cause, feared
that he might commit suicide. lie was known 10
h. addicted TO the Ot chlOTal.
Mr. Yalden. the expert says that he had made n
comparison Of the Auditors 6aiance-Sheets 3r is1 9
showed the total liabilities OF the city TO be
SIS. 400 224 SO and the assets $6O36 25S II, leay-
ING difference of 81 49,, ,9G6 81; while the report
If $50 showed the liabiii les to be $500, 100 II
and the assets So, 1862. AGA 20 leaving deficiency
of $s39,7O4 AZ, which included yaIuall10an OF OF
q o87 on 81. showing that the city fell behind
That wear S343 7S5 sc. This greatly surprised the
expert Mr. Walden was asked oy 1 lkBGNk Ie
ANYTHING indicating other frauds. lie said that ne
had not gone far enough to give any opinion or ven
fnre apy statements. In regard TO the present mat
Ter he Thought that there had been cOlluson some,
where. At the City Hall yesterday 1t was stated
that Mr.. Palmer had got acconmSdatonS ron nnS
that the Auditor and other city officers had had helI
salaries for one month advanced to them at diereh
times
SUSPICIOUS IN REGARD TO OTHER MEN.
special meeting of the Finance Committee OF
Che Common Council, of Newark was held in the
Mavor,s Office last evening. The communication
which Mr.. Palmer had sent TO the Financial Commit
fee was read, and also report which had
been prepared by Mr.. Walden, the
expert for the year 1871. discussion
then arose concerning the ability of the Auditor tc
obtain the money which he confesses TO have stolen
Mir. Yalden thought it impossible without the aid
of accomplices. motion was then made that the
expert should discontinue his present mode
of examining the books III regular order ana turn al
once to those of 1879.
Controller Baker was called upon to give state
ment concerning his knowledge OF the atialr lie
book in which he thoaght he might discover the
errors. but found that in a perfect condition. Mt
Baker was then asked bY Alderman OConnOi