New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-16
PLIGHT OF MAYOR BOODY.
PLACED IN THE PUBLIC PILLORY BY THE
GRAND JURY.
HIS EFFORT TO GET 4 COPY OF THE EyIDENCf
AGAINST HMM A WORSE SITUATION
THAN MAYOR CHAPLIN

AGAINST HMM 4 WORSE SITUATION
THAN MAYOR CHAPLIN.
David 4. Body. who gave up seat In Congress ~
become Mayor Of Brooklyn. would doubtless gr'a's
pr.for hi, former Office with the prospect OF an
nxtro session In August. TO his present one IN VIZ"
~ the storm which has burst about his head since Nv
..,urncd from Brooklyn Day. at the Chicago r"i'
lie found himself confronted by scathins present
mon, by the June Grand Jury, and by the mct "'''
the jury was only prccuded from indicting MN ny
tho ntcrpoStlon OF the law laid down by the DIS
trct- Attorney. A..
lime Grand Jury. Il copy Of which he Is seeking W
SECURE by order OF the Court Of sessions that IN case
H.. secured them and was not restrained by order Oh
,b> Court he would make them public. lie add'n
eft Is nv Intention publish all OF the testimony
relating TO the matters embraced In the preSeh'""''
N, motive Is to investigate everything In relation 10
I'm. action OF the Grand Jury. to discover mt whose
suggestion the inquiry made, and to reveal every
thing and TO punish the guilty
The MAYOR made this statement after conference
with his spccal counsel General Tracy, having fOuhd
that he could not depend entirely upon Corporation
Counsel Jerks to guide him In the perilonS waters
ne IS navigating. and not knowing something Oh 'uc
law himself" AZ his predecessor, Mayor chaplin Sau
NJ himself in the famous legal proceedings In when
bo figured when he chief magistrate OF the city.
Although Mayor Chaplin found himself dlScFeui""
in office. his plight by no means rs bad as that
NJ N,vor Boodv for he managed to CT through MS
first term without official scandal and 1t was ho'
rnul tho second that the Long Island Water supply
affair .n,irch.d his record. But Mayor Body din
no, get through his first year Without serious "''
credit Ills course In approving the uniawini anu
grossly excessive expenditures Tor the 'olu"""N
celebration was hagrant that the December "ra"'
Jury sought to ndict him for his share In the trans
In, IL,
o. laid down by the District Attorney that his offence
vas a misdrmcanor and a. such could only BE- IN
y.stigntrd before a police magistrate tn" December
Grand Jury indicted hlryfour city oncials' Aiu''
men supervisors and contractors. but only 'uge''ou
that suits he brought against the Mayor 'oh'r""er
and contractors to the money paid IN eAc"s'
~ the lawful charges. The powers OF both the
District Attorneys ofc" and the Court OF SESSIONS
werr invoked nj that time to prevent a full ana com
plctc investigation Of public affairs.
The March Grand Jury undertook 10 hnlsh inc Ut
vc.iigation begun by the body In December DS d"
inquiry in regard 10 Mayor Boodys approving DIS
for thousands Of dollars for REFRESHMENTS for inc
committee u tho Aldermen arranging III" Columbus
celebration aud other thousands Of dollars ior
dinner I'm Prospect Park after the parade was over
as we'll n the enormous bill, for reviewing stands
decorations music etc. which caused tho city To
cxpcnd 10000 for what should have cost less thah
half thi. sum- Assistant District Attorney CLARK
informed the Grand Jury that no further inveStisa
ton Of THIS subject could be- made. When the "rahu
Jury asked him for the law Tia" subject he sent
for Jude,. Moore who visited the Grand Jury room
and said that the cde Of Criminal Procedure set
forth fhnt when a cllr"gc had been once dismissed
by the Grand Jury IT could not be- again submitted
10 a GRIND jury except by direction OF tho court
This cli.ctually c,cppcd any further inquiry by the
March Grand Jury in regard TO tho Mayors actions
In the matter Of thc Columbian expenditures.
Tho, fia, nf
Jurie, tho Mayor doubtless supposed that his Official
action, would not again b. Investigated In Tx"
fashion. But In signing the resolutions granting vnll
ah. railroad franchises. after ignoring the prin ipe
90 ,nr,-'i ION ab down l.! an ooni'' ihr Mayor
rcrLou,d on past Immunity and did not OF SCOT
free He had been stopped by supreme Court In
junction from signing resolutions which did not pro-
vide for compn aiIon for the franchises and he vetoed
them When the resolutions again adopted. they
provided FOR payments the percentage principe
II wax openly declared and not denied that II there
had ieen sufficient assurance that tn" cola thirteen
Of the Board Of Aldermen would hold together ana
pass the resolutions the Mayors veto. he would
To-. allowed Ia veto them. and 50 pose the good
MAYOR all blame being born" by the wi he'd NJ
drrnirn. But the a,>lranc" not being donbiy SURE
the Mayor gave a pretended hearing on the subject
in which IA, pat leading question, to tn" railroad com
panic, be- desired favor and refused to call VII
u.-.. and taxi. t.,timon, offered by the competing
r,,pn,n, in regard to th. way 1t had been shut out
from An, opportunity 10 make oi'r for the fran
,,i.., he then -ignrd the resolutions speedily
q, possible.
IN. luuc Grand Jury set foot an inquiry In n"
gsr, to his action. aud called IN" members ot tn" Board
If Aldermen and The representatives. OF the several
railroad companies and took their evidence. ~
demurrer 10 the indictments FOUND against pn''lc
official, and contractors In December entered on
tho ground that they called as witnesses p'"F"
Ia. Grand Jury and compelled to testify against 'irh'
.ely.s IL wa decided to avoid this by NOT 'diH"e
,i Mayor and Aldermen. hut when II was proposed
IL, iudlrt them on the evidence presented, plN't"t-
Attorney Ridgway quoted TIE law preventing IN IN
,u,tu.n. for ml,drmcunor and the Grand JuIy co"id
,ul, ccn,ur. the Officials Instead OF lnni'uhg 'h'"'
when Mayor BOody returned 10 the city he founl
.vcti OIL, discussing the pir~'nimrhi' lie WIS "Po"
,n,i,. nll,i, ~ much ~ II he Ind been indicted
If. saw nj, official reputation WAS In danger oil D'e
81, ,adly .mirchrd that he could not be- considered n
, candidate, for denomination unles, he puTsu'd
ue.r.ut ,oui,r The tcmpOnhng policy ot Corpora
ZION counsel Icuk- whom Mayor HOnS h'''P''"
,loar with the other members Of his cabinet nom MS
,rs,c,,.or wa, abandoned. and II was decided To
make a bold mo, cmclt Application was ha"' ~
,l. c.ur for the testimony taken by the Grand Jury
and t}, MAYOR made. affidavit that h. believed II was
,.riur A. and he proposed to punish the p'rIni'r' II
,,...lbi, II Iudg. Moore grants m order To sNo
The MAYOR a copy of the minutes II i ai'oS''"'
uk,h that he viii order that ia" testimony p' "''
mi led one of thu features Of Tho "rano jury
tan, T.. tlc secrecy Of the hearings. and many per
.o,, will pc unwilling to speak freely before the
t,iund JURY If there il Il chance that what the! Ny
win ~. publ he'd II Il man Is indicted the r''"ohs
u. fore the Grand jury sometimes produc'N al MS
trial. bu in OF pr"s"nth'ht h'i'D '"r "
Il nee J., not disclosed ManS good lawyers say ul''
,hrc f. no ur, rdcnt for disclosing the secrets OF the
Grand jury aud II Judge Moore makes the minutes
utbIic he viii Let Il bad example and work injury
\ we'll known resident Of the city said N's'''"'N
q. pubIic affairs have gone from bad 10 worse uh"c'
the three successive administrations ol Drinoera'''
Mayors and Mayor BoodyS Official coho"t '"'
placed the city In u pable position Under '"lo'
,r Hr,old,u wa, noted but under Mayor Body II
f.. simply notorious. The only Democratic Mayor
recall whose administration was AT all crrditabh was