The evening world., 1894-08-25
HIRED TO KILL OPPOSITION.
His Bill of Particulars Tells How
He Persuaded" All to
Change Front
EVEN THE COURTS MANIPULATED.
Backed by croksr's Crowd, He
Carried Through the Ne.
farious Deal.

The secrecy which has characterized
the taking Of testimony before a referee
In the suit brought by Lawyer Matthew
p. Breen and his associate, Daniel F.
Cohalan, to recover s135,0oO for services
rendered to the Union Railway Com
pany In the "Huckleberry" Railroad
grab 10 in a fair way to be explained.
There is every prospect of scandal
Of such MAGNITUDE growing out Of the
testimony now being taken that many
of the franchise grabbing jobs which
have been engineered by political tricks
tiers within the last few years will pale
into insignificance beside It.
The history Of the "Huckleberry"
Railroad grab, or so much Of 1t AZ APP
peared on the surface, was printed from
time to time In The EyeninS oWrld'
during the progress Of the negotiations"
which attended the acquiring Of the
franchise by the Union Railway Com
pany. But the inside facts concernins
the Vaccinations which brought vic
tory to the road, which Croker. Murphy
and others are said to control, remain
to be told.
Until within a few days the papers in
the suit of Breen against the Union
kuaed by h
both sides that It was impossible to OBJ
tain an authentic story Of the facts
brought out during the progress of the
lars asked n for by the e defendants law
yers and furnished them by the plain
ing World, and for the FIRST time
enough of its contents is made public
to suggest to those familiar with the
to obtan s What they Ss 'S desir eP that the
same old tactics were used in order to
gain the favor of persons whose an
resiization Of Croker. Murphy & Com
pany's dreams.
There was something very like a panic
she9 ahs Ss saes
had discovered the nature of the tes-
timony brought out before the referee
The reporter was for two days re,
back again in an effort to avoid the re-
gponsibility' of making the inevitable
disclosures. and 1t was only after con-
siderable pressure was brought to bear
duced.
Why Breen Was Employed.
Matthew P. Breen, who claims the
credit for having obtained for the "Huck-
!eberry,' road a franchise worth between
800. 900 and 100000, is counsel to the
and Of OF
Up to the time Of his engagement by the
Union Railway Company, Mr.. Breen has
not, 1t Is said. figured In legal cases
He lives In a modest house at 25s Wills
avenue, near One Hundred and Thirty
eighth street. According to his own
statement. 1t was not Mr.. Breen's repu-
tation as legal light which earned for
nm the distinction Of being retained by
es was HhsksSss RrSas Ps01p ssi
District affairs. and the politics of the
adJaeent territory which caused him t.
pc selected to engineer the "Huck.eberry'
Mr. Breen has chosen Martin ]. Keogh
OF Beekman street, to represent him In
hsl suit. and Hoadly, Lauterbach & John
son, Of % William street, appear for the
Union Railway Company.
The suit was brought in the West
CHESTER County Supreme Court In Janu
airy, 1894.
Afraid of Jury Trial.
Mr.. Breen declares that he favored thu
uylng Of the case before jury, but tina
the matter kept from the pubic that H.
nhai;y agreed TO go before a referee. Ac
eordingly, Justice Cullen appointed ROB
tb sewell, OF 80 Nassau street. to tax
The bill OF particulars ned by tn
pialntlHs cover seventy-five typewritte
pages. and 1t Is only necessary to rea
between the lines to discover the mani
Iold opportunities for 'persuasiveness
which presented themselves during tn
period covered by the Huckleberry fran
chise fight.
Seemingly insurmountable obstacles
the way of obtaining the frnchise wer
SSnoothed away by the force of Nj
nIeens persuasive powers and legal skill
according TO the bin of particulars.
IN order that a proper estimate OF IN
character and value OF the services rer
aered by Mr.. Breen to the Union Raj
Way Company may be had, lac mas sui
divided his statement as follows:
what the Services Were.
flrst-Relating to the services rer
aered by plaintiffs from January, 1891. I
tnG Gate OF the passage OF the so-calle
"Huckleberry bin" in April, 1882. Chat
ter $40, laws OF 1892
Seeond-Relating to the services rel
aered IN the contest for franchise In III
town OF Westchester.
Third-Relating to services rendere
Railway Company. -