The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1894-09-07
A ROTTEN BOROUGH.

Wholesale Indict m~nts of New o.,
sounetinnen Charged with Selling TIL.
Votes Many Others Relieved To b.. t.,,,.
Against whom the Necessary rx,a..s
Could Not b~ secured-A scathinr H.
nunctation.
NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 1. AFTER in.
dieting eleven members Of In. c;,v
council. including its president. and
besides. the city engineer. the term ~
the grand jury expired yesterday and
il was discharged 10y Judge Noise after
presenting "A report which is mos,
scathing denunciation Of the crooked.
ness rampant in the city hall and ex.
plains why several indictments which
were expected could not bc found. nv.
ing 10 the inability to get evidence ON
which a conviction in the court would
be certain 10 follow.
The frs, subject treated OF Is the sale
Of railroad franchises by the city coun.
ell for ridicnlonslv low prices An IN.
vestigation of the books Of the New
Orleans Traction Co. which now owns
nearly all the street ear lines az the
city. shows remarkable discrepancies.
For instance. there Is the sale of the
extension Of the franchise OF the
for which the city received S-tn..
600. The Traction companys book.
show that s-00.vOu was paid "a Henry
Bier. the broker. for il. besides COM
mission If 1000. The books 81 Mr.
Bier do not show where the 100000
went To. and he could not produce Ms
ledger, as he said it had been io,t.
The traction coinpany'> books show
the disappearance of so 900. which was
paid 10 Maurice J. Hart. who is the
manager Of the Rosetta Gravel Co. and
who is generally supposed to have en-
gineered the railroad deal through the
council.
The gravel company's books do not
show any entries OF these checks A.
To contracts. the report refers 10 tn,
Jail contract and recitcs all the crook.
ednes> connected with it.
A deal. which failed To- 90 through.
in connection with this contract Nas
to have nct,cd this official and the
members of the special committee d
the council $1,000.
Favored legi>lat ion in the interest "a
a certain paving contractor l. strongly
commented on. but there was no posi-.
bility Of getting at sufficient evidence
to indict for bribery. The fact that
not one member of the city council re-
sponded To the request Of the grand
\ jury 10 assist in exposing the Gro '.sed-
ness among their colleagues il cited
and then the new garbage scheme I.
treated 70 severe roast. Franchise.
granted TO the Illinois Central road an,
shown 10 have been given regardless y
the public interests.
Two indictments for bribery accom-
panied the report. One was against
Councilman Dan A. Mayer and "a,
other against Alderman John "
Clark The former was charged with
feloniously and corruptly proposing u
receive a bride from Narccssc Lucas
for "A steam boiler privilege in the san
mill al the corner Of Marais and Il.
Ferdinand on December 8. ls9e. The
consideration was $500.
The Indictment against Clark was
for receiving bride Of SIS from W NJ.
u. vardell. clerk Of the National Rice
Mill Engine Co. September IL. i-a-
for favoring an ordinance giving ihs
company permission To lay pipe from
it, mill 10 the river. Mayer has beer
indicted before. but this is the first in
dictment against Clark. He is the rep
= . 90 . fns l.