The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-12-15
deed from Albert L. Brown to Jersey City
for the strip called Brown Place
RFIrRIsN SIMPSON TESTIErES

deed from Albert L. Brown to Jersey City
Tor the strip called Brown Place.
REUBEN SIMPSON TESTIFIES.
Reuben Simpson testified that the city had
to purchase the fifty feet strip which is con-
tlnuation of Brown Place, for the sewer
The witness and other citizens were assessed
told of the objections which the citizens
made to the erection of the twenty feet
bridge across Brown Place, and how the
board passed the resolution in spite of the
protests of the Greenville property owners.
Alta meeting of the board William H.
Corbin told witness that the company was
going TO build a fifty foot bridge across the
street, and Mr.. Simpson said that would suit
him. His recollection was that Charles Cor
bin subsequently Withdrew the application
for fifty foot bridge and filed one for a
twenty foot bridge which was granted Mr..
Simpson expatiated at some length upon the
deep mystery of the boards proceeding
in the matter.
The street was afterward declared opened,
but the resolution the witness thought was
vetoed by Mayor Cleveland Brown Place
Is the only thoroughfare the Greenville citi-
zens have from Garfield avenue to the Bay.
CLOSING OF RAILROAD AVENUE.
The closing of Railroad avenue for the
National DocksC Connecting Railroad was then
taken up The witness was then Acting
Mayor He went over the ground with Asa
W.. Dickinson, one of the counsel for the
Railroad Company. AT the witness sugges-
ton Mr.. Dickinson agreed to pave Railroad
avenue about three and one-half blocks.
He also agreed to open and pave Pryor and
Fremont streets. The papers were exc.
cuted by the company. By advice of
counsel he vetoed the resolution
requesting that the agreement to pave and
open the streets be Incorporated in the reso-
luton. But the Board passed over his veto
the resolution, without incorporating in it
the agreement to pave, thus leaving it
optional with the company whether they
would carry out the agreement to pave.
THE TRACTION ORDINANCE.
Witness gave hearing to citizens object
ing to the blanket ordinance for almost all
the streets In the city to the Consolidated
Traction Company and then vetoed the
ordinance. Nevertheless the ordinance was
passed over the veto.
SIMPSON CONSTRAINED.
To Mr.. Corbin, on cross-examination, Mr..
Simpson said that he understood $12, 600 of
the cost of the Brown place sewer was as
sessed on the city at large. He was asked if
he knew whether the city had right of
way for street over the line established by
the Riparian Commissioners for solid filling
on the continuation of the line of Brown
place. Mr. Simpson said he thought it had.
way over the strip was excepted when the
grant was made to the railroad companies
Mr. Corbin said it was not
Mr. Edwards said that Mr. Corbin could
get the original papers if he wanted to, and
that would show
SIMPSONS MISTAKE.
Mr. Corbin asked the witness if he did not
sign as Acting Mayor the warrants for the
payments to Phil Muldoon, which are in
cluded in the charges He replied that he
did.
'Then YOU thought they were all right,
didn't you?"
''Yes, sir; but that was before we investi-
gated the NATTER
''Then you signed warrants without inves-
tigating them, didn't you" asked Mr..
Corbin.
Eyes, sir; they came to me in the regular
way and l thought they were all right"
's'Then don't you think you ought to be in
cluded in the charges?' asked Mr. Corbin.
Il confess the fault, replied Mr.. Simp-
son, "and am willing to take the conse-
quences."
Mr.. Corbin then called Mr. Simpsons at
tention to an item in the charges, of $74. 50,
paid to John Nolan, and asked him if he did
not order that work DONE
Mr.. Simpson replied that he had Frequent
complaints had been made to him of the con-
dition of the sidewalk in front of the house of
the apparatus ran the risk of being damaged
every time it was driven over the walk.
After personally examining the case he
ordered the board to have the sidewalk re-
paired
Then do you think it fair that you should
put that item in your charge. You are one
of the complainants, believe" Mr. Simp-
son laughed at this question and said that
that was for the other gentleman to say.
THE COMPLAINANTS REST,
This concluded Mr.. Simpsons testimony,
and after offering some papers in evidence,
the compliments said that they rested their
case
The Mayor asked the counsel for the ac-
cuSed if they claimed that the board had no
jurisdiction in the Brown place matter, or
that having jurisdiction the Commissioners
acted fraudulently and with bad Judgment
Mr.. Erwin said that they would claim that
the board acted with bad judgment and that
their action in granting the railroad COM
pany permission to bridge the street shows
evidences of direct fraud.
Mr.. Corbin then said that his side would
require time to examine the testimony, which
had been introduced during the morning
He did not think that it was fair to the de-
fense to have 400 items dumped upon them,
and not give them an opportunity to
examine the items. The Mayor said that
the charges were made week ago Tuesday
and printed at that time in the daily papers,
and the accused had had since then to pre-
pare their defense Mr. Thompson said that
because lawyer saw something in news
paper he could not conclude that
he was to be retained. Moreover,
he and Mr. Corbin both had other cases
which would occupy their time for several
days to come The other side had had weeks
to prepare themselves for the case, and ex-
anime the books and records. After further
argument the Mayor said that he would ad-
journ the hearing on the present proceedings
to next Tuesday morning, and would take up
the charges made by Hugh Leslie and others
tomorrow morning.
SHAMEFUL ACTS OF STUDENTS.