Evening journal., 1889-03-21
HOBOkEN's SENSATION.
City Clerk Mausell Arrested for
Forging Certificates.
ABOUT $4,000 WORTH NEGOTIATED

He Take the Matter Calmly and Denies
Anixing the Signatures, but There Is
No Doubt Of His Gunt--He Is Held for
Trial.
HoBoKEN, n. j., March 21-When the
common council convened at o'clock Tues
day night it was evident something unusual
had happened. After an immediate adjourn
ment a the members hurried into the office
Of City Treasurer Smith. There two forged
improvement certificates Of the city were
laid before them. The certificate which led
70 the discovery was presented for payment
Tuesday afternoon. 1t was for Contractor
Plunkett's Clinton street Improvement, and
She amount was $3.50 and the number l, l29
When Treasurer Smith gave the certii-
cate TO Comptroller Kaufman the latter
looked into the certificate book for the fac
smile of the number He failed to find the
number Of the stub He suspected that some
thing was wrong and showed the two certf-
Gates to ex-Mayor Kerr, who was in the
cfiice when they were supposed to have been
issued. The ex-mayor said, after glancing
forgery City Clerk McDermott also pro
nounced his signature a forgery.
Suspicion at once pointed to William G.
Mausell, for years assistant city clerk for
the reason that he made out the body Of all
checks and certificates, and had free access
to all safes and documents The bodies of the
two forged certificates were made out in his
handwriting. The Endorsements Of p T.
Plunkett on both checks are clever forgeries.
Chief of Police Donovan was consulted and
IN the meantime Mansell was seen leaving the
city hall. He was called into Treasurer
Smiths Office and the two forged certificates
shown him. He was perfectly calm and adj
mitted having drawn them, but denied hav-
ing affixed the signatures The certificate
book was handed to him, but he failed to
find the stubs to correspond. They had been
carefully cut from the book
All the councilmen present decided that for
their own protection aud the interest of the
city it would be best TO place Mausel under
arrest. The chief Of police objected, as no
one woull make an affidavit He said he
wanted TO be right, and he hurried to Jersey
City for the purpose of seeing Banker Dalton,
who negotiated the certificate In the mean
time Corp ration Attorney Minturn was sent
for. Further investigat ON was made and
then it was discovered that at least sixteen
certificates and stubs were missing out of the
book.
When Mr.. Dalton arrived with the chief
he said he saw the name of his father, Robert
J. Dalton, ON certificate No. 1,093 He was
shown the certificate IN question, and after
carefully examining it said:
"That name il a forgery. My father never
signed it. My father, vino died in January
last, negotiated many certificates and war
rants for Mausell. ! have six certificates left
me by my sister and father For heavens
sake don't tell me they are all forged, or you
will drive me to an asylum. Do you mean to
tell me that all have got are worthlessln
The corporation attorney drew up com
plant on the affidavit Of City Clerk McDer-
mott, VIII ch directly charges Mausell til
having committed the forgeries Mausell was
then placed under arrest, Mr.. Dalton having
identified him as the man for whom his
father negotiated certificates and warrants.
In the recorders court Mausell was held for
trial
The books Of the city clerks office were
carefully examined and the certificate books
in Mausell's desk were found to have been
tampered with. Numbers and stubs 1 ,075
1,0T7, 1919, l,O5G, 1880, 1917, 1871, 800
1,343, l,346, l,lSS, 1,203, / ,233, 1,265, 2S5
and 1897 were missing. 1t is thought that
these numbers represent s., 600 The name
of ex-Mayor Tinken was also found to have
been forged. He was in office four years ago.
Mausell is 81 years old and resides with his
wife and three children at No. 254 Garden
street. Hobolen. He was an asprant for the
position Of water register and was working
hard to secure the Democratic nomination.
He had been in politics for several years