The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-04-30
,Voorhees Investigation Com
mittee Delves Into State
Assessors Expenses.
VAN oLEEF ADMITS NEGLIGENCE
Queer Certiorari Proceedings for
Which the State Paid-Murphy
Hauled Over the Goals.
SpeciaE to the Jersey city Ne,0s.

BILE for his disregard or the committee 5
subpoena last Tuesday. At the opening
of the session Sinnickson Chew of Cam
den was placed on the stand. Last week
he produced a check payable TO Heppen-
heimers' Sons for S575 which he would not
account for. and the impression was that
it was in some way connected with the
Van Cleef maps printed for the State
Board of Assessors.
Mr. Chew said that he had since dis
covered that the check was for maps
furnished to the Riparian Commissioners.
l Then Mr.. Murphy was sworn and took
the stand with a look of defiance in his
eyes which delighted all those who love
scrap. He said he printed the State
Board of Assessors reports. Ex-Unlted
States Senator Alexander Cattell, then a
member of the board. told him to put
in the map. He told the board then thar
= he thought he ought to have the print
ing of the maps, but was told that Van
Cleef and Belts were getting the map up.
After tha1 he made an arrangement
with Van Cleef whereby he was to put
the maps in his bill and give the money
= to Van Cleef, less ten per cent, his COM
mission.
MuRPHY,s UNSATISFACTORY Elk
CUSE.
THAT is all.'' said Mr.. Corbin Mr..
Muruhy was about to leave the witness
chair when Mr.. Voorhees, said
MIR. Murphy, you were summoned to
= anpear before this Committee last week
and did not obey. Have you any excuse
to give?'
Mr.. Murphy said that he had made an
engagement the day before to be in
Philadelphia He received his subpoena
tea time that day. He came to the
State House the next day and waited
antil ii was time for his train, but was
slot called. SO he went to Philadelphia
.Do you consider your engagement OF
Nore Importance than the Committees
2 ubpoena?" asked Mr.. Voorhees,
.sCertainly I did" replied Mr.. Murphy,
kfyith a little laugh, Il had to get paper
get my newspaper out.
&sThe Committee want to know If you
@eant any disrespect to its subpoena"
las Mr.. Corbin's next question.
Murphy replied that he certainly did
s4not. as his nresanee hefore he Commit
---g7--1Xoth last week and today would
Bucf
SCI. Voorhees, said that the excuse
s9uld be accepted. although it was not
entirely satisfactory. 1t would have to
be understood that no matter who was
: subpoenaed the subpoena must be obey
& ed. and with that the great Murphy con-
tempt episode was closed
MURPHY'S BILL
s Mr. Corbin then read a certificate at
tached to Murphy's bill for report of
1885, 1t was signed by Charles Bechtel,
the expert printer. who goes over all
the printing for the State, in order to see
that the work is done properly. The
certificate says that the work was all
correct except the maps, and that was
oasallowed because no contract Was
made for them, and that they We.
printed in New Jersey as required by
law.
Following this was another certificate
signed '.Mr. c. Heppenheimer, Comp
troller" which said that upon investiga-
tion the undersigned had found that
the maps printed were included in the
latter which was before the Committee
on Printing, and that Mr.: Murphy had
said that there was no lithographer In
the State to print them, Il therefore
allowed said claim.
Mr. Corbin then showed that the claim
was allowed and paid in State Board of
Assessors account, although thrown out
Colonel Fraricis Loutrel. a member of
Governor Werts staff and member Of
the firm Of Francis z Loutrel. testified
printed 1.000 in each of the years 1892
1898 and 1894. The cost was S5,775 each
year. His firm still had in its posses
ed in 1884 and four hundred of those
printed in 1892. His firm did not make
made That was furnished by Van Cleef.
The maps were always charged on the
firms books TO the state Board OF As As
billed to Van cleef; why the witness
~ ADAfTTS HIS NEGLIGENCE.
Col Van C1aGf asked at this nCint
if he wished to make any statement He
replied. that he and his counsel were
Y 0qa he &c sad hs s haa aa
aagsng e eIss i wiI Rdf viii Sc sslowe ha
make his statement.
Wa u ss swgsa apgassT Il Se sntTa Ct Tsfshaf Ra
road Company. was sworn, and produced
a large number OF bills which his conn
ing returns to the courts of certiorari
csn5Tac TWicE Ear0ffS Pf6 tfsoea Foa TE woKK si
Mr. cerbin then proSdnIessd bieb blls PAID I'd
Van Cleef for the ssrae work the rail-
between the State and the railroad COM
pany whereby each was to pay one-half
of the cost Of the work; -.
Mr.. Corbln replied that in 1884 and 1885
the Central Railroad certoraried its as
sessments and was beaten in all the
courts. For some reason, to preserve
some legal rights which it thinks it has,
perhaps, the company has taken out
each year a certforati, but has never
pressed 1t in court. Why the State should
pay half of that cost Mr.. Corbin could
not see.
Mr.. Corbin then produced bills to show
that the State had been paying for the
telephone in Van Cleefs house.
General Bird S. Spencer, a member of
the Board of Assessors, testified that
when he went into the board in 1889 he
was told by ex-senator Cattell that the
board had had map. prepared by Van
Clcef and Belts. and that map vas sent
tut which led to the report
ALI. LEFT TO THE SECRETARY
Witness looked up the matter and found
hat the State had paid tWenty-three and
Wenty cents apiece for them. for ne
houeht every map paid was furnished.
Ter Of furnishing the maps was left en-
;irely to the secretary. and witness
.hough every map paid was furnished.
He always though that the map was cor
'ected up to date. He also thought that
he printers ownsd 9TH, the map and and did nc not i
or t. The board 4 never althorizs the
In regard to Murphy bill OF 1881, Rhich
Expert Bechtel rejected and the board
ppfSSyea Genersa .pp speassT ssid - Is