The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-25
INDICTMENTS BURNED.
EI-ASSiStant District Attorney PuT-
dy'S Singular Yarn.
Plot Of the Lottery King-A Clerk
Bribed to Steal Accusations Made by
Grand I11rnrs

From the New York Press.
Ex-Assistant District Attorney Am
brose Il. Purdy yesterday told a remark
able story of alleged crookedness in the
district attorneys Office under the ad-
ministration of the late Mr.. Phelps. 1t
was TO the effect that Moses Clark, at
that time chief clerk in the district at
torney's Office, was paid salary of $500
a week by the lottery men who were then
doing business all oyer the city, to steal
the indictments found against them, SO
that their caess would never be called
for trial. These indictments, to the mum
her of several thousand, were taken by
Clark to his home in Matawan, N. j., and
slowed away in large safe When Clark
was on his deathbed, three lottery men,
one of whom was Eph Simmons, another
is dead and the name of the third is with
held, sat in the house waiting for him to
breathe his last When the end came an
expert burglar was summoned to the
house. He broke open the safe, and the
three men burned the indictments.
MIR. Purdy would not give the names of
any one in New \ ork, now living, who
could verify or contr0yert the story, and
>
accuracy. District Attorney Fellows,
when the tale was outlined to him, said
that 1t sounded very much as though 1t
had been coined from the imagination.
He declared that there was not even
tradition in the district attorneys Office
to corroborate Mr.. Purdy's novelette,.
Anthony Comstock, who was instrumen-
tai IN securing most OF the indictments
that are alleged to have been stolen and
nRGfrONaN said that 6n GprnFiS "a
at the story, as he knew that hundreds Of
Indictments against Simmons men were
stolen at the time Clark was chief clerk
in District Attorney Phelps Office.
PURDY's STRANGE TALE.
According to Mr. Purdy, it all hap
pened over fifteen years ago, when Eph
Simmons, the lottery king of that day,
came to New York from New Orleans
and opened Offices all over the city. Lot
terry tickets could be purchased in this
city as easily as in the southern metrop-
oils and Comstock started a crusade to
purify the city of lottery gamblers
Scores o. raids were made. and evidence
was secured on which hundreds of in
dictmentS were found. But few of the
men AGAINST whom indictments had
been found were called for trial in spite
of pressure brought TO bear on the dis
trict attorneys office. Finally, when
this became so heavy that it could no
longer be resisted, search was made
and it was announced that the in
dictments, together with the eviden, e
on which they had been found, had disap-
peared ....
The manner of their disappearance is
now explained TO the pnblic for the first
time by Mir. Purity Eph Simmons, who
is still living, but is believed TO be in the
south, had unlimited money behind him
to protect the lottery interests in the
north as he was loyal 10 his agents
While his money could not prevent the
finding of indictments, it could forestau
action being taken upon them. This, it
IS asserted, was aG3 omplished through
Moses Clark He was given a Regular
salary of $500 a week. to earn which he
bound himself to steal every indictment
against lottery men that found its way
into the district attorneys ONCE. He put
them into his pocket, took them to his
| home in New Jersey out of the juris-
diction of the New York courts, but was
too much OF a craven to destroy them. So
he placed them in the big safe which
stood in the room adjoining his sleeping
! room. But, so the story goes, he did not
| conhne his thefts 10 indictments against
lottery men. Having gone that far be
went further and for heavy fees held
back the papers in hundreds of cases that
! luiAkON III El dFiIg VI OAAtllSG al lllB way
from petty mfsdemeanors to any crime
! short of murder. In this way he is al
! legged to have accumulated large fortune
,nd finally retired to ENJOY it. He main.
tanned a luxurious establishment in
| Matawan and en- tertained lavishly.
! When the warning came that he was
/ dying the lottery men were panic
/ stricken. They knew that their cOnfeder-
/ ate had never destroyed the indictments,
/ and If they were found after his death
| the result would be serious. So they has
tened to the death bed, Noone knew the
! com bination to the safe but Clark, and
! when they arrived he was past giving il
to them. 80 they waited for the end, anC
! when it came they consulted on what was
TO be done. They searched for the com
/ bination, but could not find it. Then they
decided 10 have the safe cracked, anC
one Of tho three men came to New York
and returned with d notorious safe burg
lar, who is still living, aud is well known
to the police. He broke open the safe, re
ceived his reward and left, The lottery
mon found 5000 indictments in the safe
and then fell to lighting with each Other
as to which oneo of them should become
their custodian.
BURNED THE PAPERS.
But wrangling did not destroy the evi
l 1pupp apaipGt than and IL Hpall;