Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1892-10-19
JEHNE A FREE MAN.

Doodle alderman, walked out OF Sing
Sing prison this morning a free man.
He served six years four months anu
twenty-seven days of his sentence Of
nine years and ten months at hard
labor. The prison was opened
at $50, and In fifteen min
utes after that time J8hne was
at the office receiving his possessions
that he had left there when be entered
Sing Sing. He looked better than he
did when walking the streets of New
York. In fact he has gained twenty
pounds during his confinement in
prison.
There was no one at the prison to see
J@hne except Keeper Connaughton and
Clerk Dillon and a reporter. 1t had
been stated that J8hne would be liber-
ated at 1880, but J9hne wished to get out
He had 30 planned matters that
by the time he had said
goodbye to the keepers and
arrived at the depot the o'clock train
could be caught, but he was just a min
ute too late and had to wait until 7:23,
and those twenty-three minutes were
like SO many hours. He nervously
paced up and down the platform
of the depot until he was
recognized, and then he did
his walking behind some freight cars
across. the track. He did not take the suit
given by the prison authorities, but was
attired in neat business suit of black and
a light fall OvercOat and swung silver
handled cane. He looked like prosper
Gus business man, happy and healthy.
J8hne said to the reporter: 'I'm
going out into the world with serious
handicap, but | will come out all right.
ho Gofo of T
cannot say. The stories that | have
money hidden away are absolutely
false There has also been report that
| had prepared statement detailing at
length the Broadway franchise deal.
That also is untrue"
what have you to say on that inter
esting subject" was asked.
Not one word" remarked Jaehne,
and, as he quickly looked up and down
the tracks, he said impatiently: "Why
doesn't the train come? 1t seems as
If | would never get home"
Upon his arrival in the city Jaehne
went as fast as he could to his wife and
children, who are living at As Vamdam
Street.
JaenneS conviction marked an epoch in
the political hiStOrn of New York City,
eQualled only by the downfall of the
Tweed ring in 1872. For a long time it
had been matter OF common talk that the
Board of Aldermen for 1884 was purchaS-
aDle, but 1t was not until June of that
year that anything occurred to crystalline
suSpician into doubt and doubt into GER
tainty. Evidences OF corruption were first
made manifest on June % by the almost
unanimous opposition to the proposition
to sell the franchise for a street railway ON
Broadway at public auction.
The next step in the way of defrauding
the public took place on June 80, when the
petition TO permit the Broadway and Sew
enth Avenue Railway Company to build a
line from the Battery to Fourteenth Street
was presented. No compensation was
suggested IN this petition. TT, too, was re-
ferred to the committee on railroads. On
August the petition was reported favor
ably. while motion TO sell the franchise to
the highest bidder was allowed to rest in
the pigeOn-holes OF the railroad commit
tees desks.
Hugh j. Grant moved to table the report
His motion was lost by vote of 20 TO l,
Mr.. J8hne being conspicuous for his OppO-
sltiOn to the motion to table. Then the re-
port was accepted by the same vote and the
steal was fairly under way. On August Is
Mayor Edison vetoed the report III a strong
message. Alta special meeting called for the
purpose and held with great secrecy on the
morning of August 80, at which the report
was passed over the veto, JPhne was again
the most prominent champion OF the rail
way OOhlpoh4s anu uC IL "dS VIII lION6u
the passage of the ordinance granting the
petition over The mayors veto.
When the facts became public q storm
OF indignation followed. Another meeting
of the aldermen was held on the following
Monday, at which the three honest mem
berS OF the board made feeble and una
valling protest. On September s Mayor
Edison sent note to the board containing
an offer from Wallace c. Andrews to pay
700 for the franchise. Jehne moved
to return the communication to the mayor,
bit his fellow cOnSpiratOrS did not dare 90
that far, and it was simply ignored.
The promoters Of the scheme began to
have some doubt as to the legality of the
special meeting of August so, and on Oc-
tOber a second petition was sent in by the
Seventh Avenue Company. Again did
J8hne and his associates grant the petit
ton. Mayor Edison vetoed it tor the Sec
Ond time on November "a, but it was
passed over his veto and became a law
on December 8. on the motion Of
J@hne. Thus far everything had been
smooth sailing for the "bOOGIers," but in
the following March the state senate took
hand IN the matter by ordering an in
vestigation. A great deal of indirect ties
timOny was taken, but it was not until
J&hnes record began to be investigated
than anything positive came out.
To woman, Mrs. Schuyler Hamilton,
belongs the credit of having directed at
By her testimony it was shown that
large lot of silverware stolen from her
house had been traced to Jaime, and that
he had paid her 81 800 to settle the matter.
Two days later the whole city was
astounded by the announcement that
Jahne had confessed to Inspector Byrnes
and that the latter had caused his arrest.
The ''boodlers" were thunderstru ok.
They hardly knew what to believe, but
many were willing to wager large sums
that it was not true. J&hne was admitted
to bail in the sum of $4,000, Joseph
O'Donnell, saloonkeeper of al West
Twentieth Street, becoming his bonds
man. Two days later ODOnnell heard
that Jaime was getting ready to skip, and
surrendered him. The amount of
the bond was then increased to $4,000,
which J@hne managed with great
difficulty to give. On March % the grand
jury indicted him upon she charge of hav-
ing received $4,000 from some unknown
person for having voted for the Broadway
franchise petition. About this time there
was a great exodus among the persons
known TO have been connected with the
steal.
J@hne was brought to trial on May TO-
and was convicted mainly on testimony fur