New-York tribune., 1890-04-02
passed by the Board of Freeholders, was again
ALMOST SUCCESSFUL.

In the following year. however, the attempt
to sell the tract Of ground TO Hudson County
was again made before the next Board OF Free
holders. Another resolution of purchase was
passed This time it got through without ac-
cidcnt and the papers and deeds were drawn up
in great haste. But the people organized to de-
feat the scheme. The repeated efforts to sell
the tract at such an eXorbitant figure had
aroused the public. Indignation meetings were
held able counsel were employed and the whole
proceedings were checked by writs of certorari.
The bonds issued by the Board of Frecholdcrs
in payment for the land, being tainted. would
not sell The was taken TO the courts III
Hudson County, and the BOMBS were declared
not good. The case appealed to the State
Supreme Court at Trenton, and tie lower court
was sustained. 1t carried to the Court OF
Errors and Appeals, thence to the United States
Circuit Court sitting at Trenton, Judge Nixon
on the bench; thence finally TO the United states
Supreme Court at Washington In all these
courts the scheme beaten, and the bonds
were declared invalid. In the United States
Supreme Court Justice Field delivered the
opinion.
TAKING DESPERATE MEASURES.
The money used by Mr. Cleveland under Mr..
Cramptons name to carry on this enormously
expensive litigation was obtained, the cash
payments on the Harrison tract were secured, by
Mr. Cleveland's issuing the Dixon Cruciblc Com
panys paper, drawn to the order Of Joseph
Dixon & Co.. the extinct firm, and discounted, as
before, by Crampton's firm in the New-lork
banks.
Concident with this struggle in the courts Mr.
Cleveland every year secured the introduction in
the Legislature at Trenton Of a bill to lcgallze
these same bonds. One year it would pass in the
House and be killed in the Senate: another year
it would pass the Senate and lie killed in the
House, and it continued this football existence
until the courts dismissed it forever. This at
tempted sale OF the Harrison estate became known
in the parlancc of Jersey City The Court
house job" and il vas the focus for all those
years of jersey City politics. Mr.. Cleveland was
then as now one of the democratic " bosses" as
he liberal giver, probably the most liberal
Of all the gvcrs. to the political funds. and the
money he gave out to the heclers was more or less
obtained by the process just explained.
THEN CAME THE CRASH
These incidents covered a period of eight or
nire years. and when the decision came from the
United States Supreme Court that the bonds
were not good, and when all hope of success
through the Legislature had to be abandoned the
mass of notes aiioat represented over Sl.0o0,000
and was too big a burden to be carried any longer
Fowler. Champion K Co failed first. II told
TO tie world that their business had been bad, and
that they had made losing spccula,ions in East
India merchandise. This all fiction. Their
trouble was Jersey City real estate. The Joseph
Dixon Cruciblc Company failed the day follow
ing Fowler Champion d Co.'S failure. and their
excuse to the world was that their affairs werr
all right. but that Fowler. Champion & Co.
held considerable Of their paper. they would be
foro,d to suspend for few weeks 10 make other
arrangements. IL was hopeless case. Both
concerns had been wrecked by the same scheme
and hy one man. That man was Orcstes Cevc.
land.
1t may be mentioned here that after the Board
of Chosen Frceholders finally passed tho r.solu-
ton TO purchase tie Harrison tract the Board
indicted, and at Of the sessions Of the
Grand Jury Orcstcs Cleveland was summoned and
sworn and declared then and there to the jury
that it was idle for them to ask him anything
about the question updcr discussion, as he knew
no more about it than child that not born
This he said under oath
WHAT THE BOOKS SHOWED
This is the story Of the failure of the Dixon
Crucbe Company told to the public fos the first
time. The books showed that Mr. Clevelands
personal account had been overdrawn about $780,
600. One other account found the books Of
the company showed debit Of $07 900, the same
having been for notes of the Dixon Cruciblc Gem
pany given by Mr.. Cleveland. and for which no
accounting was made. The directors o; the Dix
on Cruciblc Company at that time were men whom
Mr. Cleveland deceived. They hold now, and
can exhibit 20 any oac entitled TO them. state
mcnt after statement from him rs president Of
the affairs Of the company in which the accounts
were faSiiied, and the Indebtedness undcrslai6d
as much as $500, 900 or $500 coo. No part OF
the Dixon CrGcible Company's failure was due to
the business to its business management. it
was entirely due 10 Mr.. Ccvcand's dcfalcajio's
AS may lie surnised, when the crash came and
the stockholders OF the company learned for the
first time Of the trans ciOns Of Mr. Cleveland
they were astoundcd. At a meeting Of the stock
holders on March ., 1881, Mr. Cleveland said
that he himself had done all this mischief with
out the consen: of his board Of directors, the
blame belonging to himself alone. a committee
of stockholders was appointed at this meeting -
investigate tie affairs of tie compony. The
committee reported on April II, 1881. After re-
citing in substance the story told above the re-
port says:
The exposure Of these misaecd + no pleasant task
10 your committee. IN making it VIC have Ic!flluef
recital suggests leaving it 10 vo..r Judgment % take
such action they seem 70 require.
WATCHING THE GRAND JURY.
These affairs were Of course all the subjects
of criminal prosecution. and while the two years
given by the statute OF limitation remained NJ
Cleveland Withdrew 10 the deepest obscury
keeping his eye only the Grand Jury. Two
or three times daring these two years Ac himself
was foreman Of the Grand jury, and tie Grand
Jurymcn of those days were worthy prcdeccs ors
Of Their successors now named by Sheriff Bob"
Davis The two years having expired and the
danger Of criminal prosecution being over, NJ.
Cleveland began 10 pull himself together in jersey
City politics.
The Dixon Crucible Company has he'd 10 take
in all that fraudulent paper issued By its former
president, and it IS only just getting free Of that
tremendous burden. Principal and ntcres', amount
ing TO 81. 700 600. it has paid on on account Of
Mr. Clevelands work, for which The company had