New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-05-22
A PLOTTER UNMASKED.
SEEKING TO BdPILOATE HIGH CITY Off.
GALS.
INDICTMENT OF PRIVATE DETECTIVE FOR
sUBoRNATIoN OF PEDURY-READY TO
sMIRCH INSPECTOR BYRNEs AND COLO.
MEL FELLOWS FOR PRICE.

A startling attempt TO obtain money from the
city and 10 implicatc Chief Inspector Byrnes,
District Attorney Fellows and J. T. Wilkinson,
the detective who has shadowed the jurors and
de defendants in the recent Doodle" trials, in
conspiracy 70 rob the city in connection with
the bill for services rendered by the detective
company, was laid bare yesterday through the
activity Of Commissioners Holshau and Barker,
OF the Bureau Of Accounts with the aid OF In
spector Byrnes The protector Of tho job
Frank Tcmpleman by name, WAS indicted and
arrested
The basis Of the plot was the bill made against
tho city by Mr.. Wilkinson for the services
Of himself and his under-deRctiyes in the cases
referred 10, amounting 10 $50i7. As Will be
remembered, Mayor Grant thought that though
approved by Disrct-AttOrncy Fellows the bill
was exOrbit8nt, and he refused 10 approve the
warrant for the same, and referred the whole
matter TO the Commissioners Of Accounts for
investigation.
While this investigation was going on, Frank
Tenn pkman the man indicted ycstCrdav, camC 10
the Commissioners olice in the Stewart Building
and stated that he had formerly worked as a
detective for wilkinson; that Wilkinson was
man OF bad character, and that his bill against
the city was fraud. lie offered TO supply evi.
drnce to thnt effect and also 10 prove that Chief
inspector Byrnes and DistrictAttorncy Fellows
were engaged to assist Wilkinson in securing his
dishonest claim and were 70 share with him in the
proceeds lie had seen hrAaid, checks made payable
to Byrnes IN WillInsons Office advance payments
on account Of his portion in the transaction.
TIE PRICE OF HIS TREACuERY.
To rcmnnerate him for the information he was
to furnish. Tcmpleman demanded $500
cash In hand and $500 more for
another witness, who, he represented, would fully
corrohoratc him. When the Commissioners dc
INJURED 10 the amount he reduced his advance
charge 10 $3.50 for each, provided the balance
OF 81 900 be guaranteed.
By skilful handling Of the case the Commits.
sioncrs were able TO diSArm Tcmpemans suspicious
and succeeded in obtaining abundant evidence
upon which TO prosecute and convict him ns has
been stated.
Yesterday Commissioners Holnhau and Barker,
J. + Wilkinson and Chief Ius pcclOr Byrucs, to
grthcr with Arthur Conway and Edward BraCken,
whom IemDlcm IN sought 10 make his tools Tor the
purpose Uf producing the false lridaytS which
were 10 be used IL lmphcate INSPECTOR Byrrcs and
Dlstrct-Attorucy Fellows in the ALLEGED rnscalty,
appeared before the Grand Jury and gnve eyl-
drnce upon which the man WIS indicted for sub
Ornhuon Of perjury In the absence OF Colonel
Fellows, AssiSt8nt District Attorney Col took
chArgr Of pbe Teinplenan was arrested at
his house last evening and locked up ~ Police
Headquarters.
CoHMIsTOSER HoLAHAH's STORY.
Cpmsni, sionrr HoalAu was sen by a Tribune
reporter at his home. No. 1873 East Fiftcthst,
last night lie said
Private Detective James y wilkinson, Of No is2
GroadvAy had bill tur sS,ol7 against tho city for
detective srvoes rendered II shainwng ths various
gss passed ard the warrant was signed BY ths con-
troer and The City Chamberlain. who forwarded t in
due to Mayor Grant for hh signature. The
Mayor laid the warrant over for nvougstion. and in
looking into II he nsught It ought 10 - To d" com
misSiohers Of Accounts, for theHl 10 make t"ruugh
Inv Nosiisauun into the matter. We investigated 10 AMI
found IT apparently all night, and vr wev on
the point ~ Ignn; It, when high city
Official called on tommissipner HArker aud my
sell and told as that a man nAmod Frank 1rmplcman
uvo wa crlng around "a, lu: that bc money which
hah been pad On aoCosnt by ,hc cliy I" wilkinson hr
agency, Inspector Ryrrc, AMI uc'-Attornry Fol.
The grnrlnAn said that TcmplrmAn's address wa,
In car" Of st"vArt 4 Co, IN tho pr"Nd building, apI
MS houss ws, at No. 241 Fat Thirty fourth,t We
then laid aside tho warrant and I vrot' Temple
man on Friday last. asking him Ia call a. our
oi,, on Saturday morning. ITO Cdiri A. requested
hat tic money vad Ia wilkinson ~ tho cir on
had boon iIyd,. hctwcor the dr,.-'y" anry,
!n'pecor hyrn"1 AMI District Attorney f"iIo"-. ~"
H. and he tnl me- that when he wa IN Wilkinson
employ hr hal seen chrck made ont IN the oncr 10
,ccn Dsrrcr.Nttorn,y Fellows rcc.vc money
hc gravity and cnormIy 81 the Cha-s" he wa, m,pns
and he said. that he would bring A man who VA as
Clu,c 20 Wilkinson his undri,hlrt and who knHw
all about hi, affair. BOOKS ani h,'uVu.s.
4 TRICK TO CATCH THE TRICK-TrR.
! told him to como IN again and bring his friend
on Monday morning, AMI | again cautioned hlG aui
ASKED him to rcpoat hi, story. which he did.
r also described the shape, slkc and appearance II
wilkinson, account book aud SAID, " Nv friend. who
Is now outside, can prov" my statements ]
a,hrl him where hls flcud wa, and asked
Bf ffNI" tIn aIfl
hat he could prodnrr hi, friend tn four minutes, bnt
he said that before they proceeded 10 prove tlr
chargc, they would want muuoy, A. after the
story cam" out Inspector IyTc, would make the
town too hot 10 hold them.
500 each. then pretended 10 consider The PIupOsi
,Ion, a. wa, s,rCo4s, ,,,nI ana nnaIly sNIlanol =?
from the city Treasury until IA" charges
were pmyco. iIc then SAID that hey
wcIne-hay morning and would see what could
&" An right on II The cash could be- ubraluel
aud he va 10 call Oh IN" Immediately on receipt Of
ihou sent TO the Mayor, and District Attorney
Offices, but fund that tho Mayor wrs not thew and
that Colonel Follows was out OF town just al that
Just thon was told by my messenger tAut two
room. Thoy proved tO be Defective Arthur Conway,
ot Wilkinson, agency, and Dctnctv" Edward Bracken,
way told that Tcmpoman csllcl him al his homo
on Friday nis't last and asked him Il he would Ike TO
Whh T1OD, ana conway SAID h' would II
II in a legitimate way. 1rnpleman then
laid that tho Commissioners Of Accounts
willing 10 pay ~ 900 for testimony
10 proYc that Inspector Eyrncs and Colonel Fellows
we're partners Of WIllinson's and told CONWAY that
hch those officials drew money nom " WllkinSon's
agency. Conway replied that he knew nothing Of any
such transactions: and TrmpIeman sail:
BAD MAN FOR AN ENEMY
what need you carcl We can got the $500 each
and skip You can swear you saw checks male ont
10 tho order Of nyrnes, and Fellows receive
money I'm Wlkinson's Office Conway told T,Tnpeman
that he did not feel satisfied to 60 into the
scheme and Tcmpleman said, Ncll, suppose wo
let Hyrurs out ui this, ga can nght Fellows because
he has been I'm a dozen crooked deals anyhow and
when fight him we kN only lighting Intelligence
but when night HyulJS wo nght brute force con
way then asked TrmNf man TO call him
saturday morning and he would consider tho matter In
the meantime.
~