New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-12-26
PRICE THREE CENTS.
JOHN c.. SHEEHAN ACCUSED.
THE TINES CALLS HIM A DEFAULTER

SAND DOLLARS SHORT IN HIS AC-
COUNTS THE POLICE CoMMs-
sIoNER MAKES no EFFORT TO
REGULATE THE STORY.
OF all the wretched, hunger-stricken, sorrows
worn people in New-York on the Christmas Day
of 1898. perhaps the most sorrowful was John "
Sheehan, who is just now a commissioner VI
Police in the Tammany Hall interest Sr
sbeeban Is not exactly hunger-stricken, ana
nrobah,v will not be while Tammany Hall u
,bla n maintain its clutch on the city treasury.
put Mr. Sbeehan Is or should be just now suf'
fering a humiliation and an agony OF m'ho ""-
sneakable in its intensity. Perhaps, however,
his skin IS tougher and his nerve haroer un""
o,,or that of the average Tammany leader.
Among the Christmas presents ieit a' inc u'o'
- commissioner Sheehan's home yesterday was
= copv Of THE New-York Times bearing '"s
date of Christmas Day THE Times" 1t is known,
recentIv embraced he Democratic party. and
perhaps the Commissioner opened the paper
with an anticipatory glow, as he thought OF the
n,eason. little mention Of himself that he might
and in some prominent place. He had NOT fa1
to look. The pleasant little notice was on ths
first page Of THE Times" 1t was just .hree
columns long. and at its head on the top OF 'ne
are, column was the title: John c. Sheehan.
Defaulter"
THE SECRET WEIL KEPT.
This meant. If il meant anything that John
~ cbcebon q Commissioner of Police in the city
If New-Yorlx sworn to serve the city IN the
renression of crime and the preservation VI
good order had somehow appropriated honey
which did not belong TO him. Lest any uouos
on the subject should be left In the NINA Oh inc
reader THE Times" with all possible eiaoo'a-
ton of detail, went on TO charge MT ohee"ai'
with an offence which, II proved, wouio De SUI
ficent to land most men In state frsohs fi'"
January. 1873, to January, 1882, Mr.. sheehan
w-s Controller of the city OF Bunalo Ine
substance of The Times's' charge SET loIs"
in few words is that Mr.. Sheehan ieIt 'he
Controllers office a defaulter 10 the extent ~
six or eight thousand dollars Up 10 nJw nn, r,n
secret had been well guarded Propapiy NJ
more than half a dozen men were ;ogniIant y.
the actual facts and of those SIX tnree -. W
more are dead. Mr.. Sheehan was succeeueu 80 -.
Office by Timothy j. Mahoney, and' soon s 49,
taking office il Is said, Mr. Mahoney dlscoVereo
the defalcation left by his predecessor
THREATENED WITH EXPOSURE.
Then. pursuing the story, The Times goes on
to tell how Mr. Mahoney taxed Sheenan WITH <he
default; how Sheehan promised TO make sooo
the deficit at a certain time how the money ""s
no, forthcoming and how Mr.. Mahoney, an honest
man waiting and waiting until he had ih'oiNeu
himself in Sheehan's crime as an accessory al'e'
the fact finally, broken in health ana nedr,, Sol
Sdad tho whole matter 10 his wife, who IN her
regard for him insisted that the RACES snoulu us
made public. This was in 1855, ana sir. slanoneyI
who was on the ticket for reelection, .htea.sne s
Sheehan il is said that he would wltndraw ION
the canvass and give his reasons Sneehan 'hen'
after long argument, SAYS 80 rnrathan Sco-
posed that they should appeal 10 Jonathan 'S %.
yiIIe a wealthy man, who was then running ipI
Mayor and tell him that there was ceLaue Ian, d,d
and ask him 70 save tne ticke. Ich advance the
iia
monav Is known only 10 three men: Sneeh'.,
himself, his brother William F.. tne pF'svr' ir
Iieutenant-Covernor and Mr. Mahoney' ,; MI;
Ccoville is dead Mr. Mahoney, however, re.iigH tS
from the ticket, and MS succeSsoI, NJ ,n6
Raker. was defeated Between Electioh lay Ss ac nv
January l. 1854, the dehciehcy iei' ~ ~
Sheehan was made good r.. .,,ooaaded
Jonathan Scoville was the man WHO sucS' NJ.
Grover Cleveland as Mayor OF pun 'o. an
Sio,.o,ord in 1871 had once declined 10 run on
tba sar,e ticket with Sheehan, ana iiorh ',,s
noint dates the Sheehan enmity 10 TIN, lii ~ ~
business with Mr.. Scoville was ms y. Sna.har
G Scoville In 1885, on January hr. S".sd , ,ha
,nade two MORTGAGES to Mr. Scovllle, one ID tns
sunn Of S. 500 and the other for $-'o.v :, @ s'.S
mortgage. made in April was lor $500 ia hesn
On August O. 1890, all the mortgages nau pee,. @
lid ..The Times" then gees on 10 tei, NJ"
some additional money had been po.so"eu uncass Tr
vel-known citizen or Buitalo 10. the 81, Htphan
anu anu ,,are nrornises to pay--unfufed-and
Mr. Sheehan's friend it is said hhaIi! leIrd Th,rd
a check from William r. Sheehan Oh! .,n" .,e ., ooo
National Bank for something more than sioov;
I9ut tho check was found to be worthless, anu
after a further delay and many hol wo,u' rhe rhe
amourt of the check was paid In currency Ans
story becoming known TO the party iS,' ieaues' 80
is said. John I. sheendh io"N -
visit New-iork
MIR. suEEHAY NOT At HOME"
Now when an accusation OF this gravity 10
| ,aurch,d at q man-the man himself being guilt
less-what does he generally do? IL ne DE Oh
choIeric temperament he seizes horsewhip OF
cane and seeks out the person who mas maisheu
him Sometimes he adopts other means OF redress.
At the least it may be reasonably asSuHe"
that he will seize the first chance publicly F"
| am, tho accusations and brand the attack as a
,olicious uo He does not hide behind uoor'
yyavs or crawl under couches or other"is'
sneak out of sight in order TO aVoio sasins
Yes" or NO to the obvious question:
truce Those who called at John T. oheehan
house No. i6i West Twenty-third-s', , yeSteh ,e,d
day to talk with him on the sup!sct W. at soat
~, he was mot at home" Mr.. Sheehans coat
ana nat were hanging on the hall rack anu tns
| servant answered the inquiry III the manner -.
| ~ sarvont who has received her Instructions
| Neither could Mr.. Sheehan be touna a, sne
pen,I,d club of which he Is president, tne MAN n
| hattan Club or I'm any Of his usual haunts. fer'
hans he was celebrating Christmas In some
quiet out-of-the-way place, and was harins .S ~"
GOOD a time to bother about ''Ihe iihess
charges. ,.k rho cbarges pub.
| rshed in New-York to-day that Police Comtnis Ci,
sloner John c. Sheehan was oeiaulsea m raat
Ton,ro,iar ~ the city OF Buffalo caused a great
sensation here Ever since Nr sneenan 9u,s
Buffalo about ten years ago the 9Mesaron Tasv: nS
often been asked: why DID ne gol ro'aas !.
story is accepted as the true ahs"s., -
stated on the best of authority that sneenahs
ss@ accounts when he Controller contained ts "a
mystery The who knew II were itm, Nv ,s,a, mar
interested in the latter's Mayoraly canui1scy "a
ss. knew of the mater Mr. ,s, ceye,snas w,h JoSn S
JeVtivn i,t In that campaign was. II Is believed
~ ~ sed entirely upon Ceveand's dislike OF Snes.
han. and not upon the record e,tner pho'c h Cou u
private. which sheehan had hiaue III '''e WV
trollers office
- rypprss MESSENGER ROBBED BY SEGR0