New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-10-06
DID 1T GO TO THE POLICE ?
MR. GOFF WILL LOOK INTO PAYMENTS
OF MONEY BY ROSTER. bal e. co.
CERTAIN ENTRIES ~ THE BOOKS OF TIE
BROUGHT OUT IN OSCAR HAMMER

COMPANY EXCIrE COMMENT THEY ARE
BROUGHT OUT IN OSCAR HAMMER
STEMS APPLICATION TO TIE
ATTORNEY GENERAL
The attention Of John W. t'off, or conhse LOT ''e
Lexow Committee, called yesterday 10 the
statements made at Albany on Thursday IN '.'e
application to Acknowledgement Hancock Tor Inc
bringing of an action against John Roster and Al
bert Bal. as directors of the amusement corporation
known as Roster. Bial s. co. He was particularly
interested in the statements made by the couh9e'
representing Oscar Hammerstein. the thHd ""ec'o'
in the corporation. to the effect that 'hefe "a'
been improper expenditures, ana thal eNp'i''i'''7
of these expenditures indicated payments OF sums
Of money to the police and to other officials MI
Con- will take steps TO look into the case i"'
enough TO ascertain, II possible what sums were
paid the police IL they were paid ana "ha' hi"'
OF protection the police were expected 10 give :" '
concert hall In Thirty -fourth-st, III return 10Y te
money.
In support of the assertion that there haa pee"
improper expenditures, there was presented 10 Tue
Attorney General a copy Of some OF the accounts
Of the corporation. with report OF an accountant
who had examined the books ON August TO- 1870,
there had been entered in the ledger pay'neh' VI
500 for the regular concert license. siGhei u! 'S'
Gilroy That was the ieea! fee for the license o'V
on the same date the ledger contained the ehuS
Expenses mutually agreed upon, as per MI D.
5000 $1,000,
In his renor; the accountant said that the book
ka.ner Mr. Roedelsperger. had said that the money
had been taken by Mr.. Bal with the UNDERSTANDING
that II was to be paid to certain CITY OFFICIALS
SOME PECULIAR ENTRIES.
On the same page of the ledger were entries snow
Ing payments such these: Excise board 700,
t,cLets for Dalton excursion $25 license bills paid
nv MIR Bal 500 sundries. per Mr. Roster 10
and election expenses. $50" Then there was mum
Der of monthly commission entries "h'ch i""' az
corling to the dates as follows 800
September is, monthly commission 100
October 16 monthly commission, 100
November l6 monthly commission i ,SN
January 49, 1894 monthly commission........' 7 7S
January i5 monthly commission leo
Tbora we're M vouchers for any Of the items the
accountant said but ne had been told by Inc DOOM
keeper that the sums mentioned as monthly com
missions" had been collected by 4 man supposed 10
be a detective who called for the money regularly
about the middle Of each month
ISAAC FROMME's EXPLANATION.
Isaac Fromme the lawyer of No. 25I Broadway
who has been counsel for Roster x Bal sao yes
,erday that Mr. Hammerstein had been MAKING
,breats because he had wanted to get S2oVo Tor
stock worth 500 500 and had been told to 90 MS
worst In reply to an inquiry as to the payment
OF 5000. indicated possible payment 10 CHI!
officials. Mr.. Fromme said
s,ain cSUsent FOR purely legal services In bring
ing about what he desired; that Is, to MAKE IL
Is ali they would risk in the venture go INTO
the new enterprise in corn ora
TO be formed, because ADVISED mem tn I W.:
should not 90 into parnershhp %r Mi made
IL possible that on capita. OF s!oOo' Nos,vi i
so@id get nhe mortgage of 5000 on IT, and IL
Vas done this way The agreed price ior the
and seven lots. 100000. There was mort mort
Of $1,000 on the transfer this
property his son Harry VINO took H. supJect 10
the oo and gave back pGrshnse m nn "nV o' Of
$4,000 The corporation, Roster. Bal GO. was
then formed consisting OF only tnGe
the equity from Harry IA s1d IN s Pa,
Which received from Roster a IN sn ,hrse
i J. 1871 Roster iai received stock amopn,ng
TO "c as P pa the ,or socR and by the terms Of
the agreement Of July IS lssS carpIed ou. ' n
this agreement.
SORRY HE DIDN'T CHARGE TEN TIMES AS
When asked if 5000 was not a large sum to receive
for drawing up an agreement involving stock worth
$4,000 Mr. Fromme said
| think that my fee was exceedingly reasonable
d apa t rsse amount becaue s feel that earned it
bringing about the arrangement. the reason why
siaied over his own signature in the agreement OF
July IS. 1898, namely. their experience At the time
they made from 10000 10 10000 profit in Twenty
third-st. while Mr. Hammerstein had made fail
ure OF his Thirty -fourth-st. place
Regarding the monthly commissions" recorded IN
the books as having been paid, the lawyer made
this explanation:
The 800 paid TO man named Richter who
had been in the employ Of Roster X Bal Tor Twelve
years This Is head waiter. Some waters
receive salaries, some commissions and Others
laria and ovou SiO
very valuable man and they decided instead OF ms
Of drinks he should give more attention to the other
walters and see what they did. ana they agreed 10
his salary of s25 a week 800 a month commits
sions. The other charges of commissions are FOR
thing like Richter, as they are ordinary walters
The regular monthly item of 800 for commissions Is
Mr. Fromme said that no money had been paid
the police and there had been no peed for police
protection the place in Thirtyfourthst. because
the law had not been violated there.
MR. HAMMERsTEIN's IDEA ABOUT 1T.
Mr. Hammersten found later consulting with
his counsel. Benjamin Stenhart. of the law firm of
Howe & Hummel in the latter's Office in Centre-st
He said he had never charged that money had been
paid to the police 10 other city officials i'm
properly, but he believed that his partners in Thirty
fourth-st had pretended to make such payments IN
order 10 put money mo 'ner OWN Poche'9 al HIS
Mr. Stelnhart said that If Mr. Fromme had re-
cc:ved the $500 1t strange that there had been
no record of the in the books. There
records of other payments of money to Mr.. Fromme.
He had presented bill for S,5n for professional
services April 3D. and another Of his bills for
services, amounting to s325 ~. had been passed on
May IL. The books also showed that $500 more
had been paid to Mr. Fromme on September a.
only week ago Mr FrOmme had returned re-
ceip,r1 bills vouchers in such cases Mr.. Ham,
Inersteip consulted on the payment of
the $GCya 10 Mr.. Fromme. Mr.. Steinhart declared.
and he also ignorant OF the payment OF
"nonthly commissions 70 any walter. The books
showed the payment OF regular salaries 10 walters.
Mr. steinhart was busy YESTERDAY getting ready
TO apply 4 writ 10 restrain Roster g. Bal from
managing the rhirty-fonrth-st place while the ap-
pllca ton for their remova! as directors pend
Ing ana he said there would be an application 10
the courts TO appoint receiver. Such steps he