The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-08-06
VAN CLEEF'S TRIAL
Practically No Evidence of
Fraud Produced by
the State.
VOORHEES, METHODS BARRED
Hearsay and Innuendo, There Is
Nothing to Prove Wrong
Doing.
METHODS BARRED
Special to the Jersey City Netrs.

Colonel Van Cleef was Secretary OF the
State Board of Assessors, and the de-
signer. with J. B. Belts, OF a railroad
map of the State of New Jersey, which
they had copyrighted; that these maps
were by the Assessors made a part OF
their annual report, and that Mac
CrelEsh & Quigley. who were the sue
cessful bidders for the work of printing
the report of 1888, contracted with Mr..
Van Cleef for $500 maps. These did not
pass through the firms hands, but the
bill for the same, amounting to 500, was
audited by the State Comptroller and
paid by the State Treasurer.
There was no evidence yesterday tend
ing to show that these maps had not
been furnished. Colonel Cyrus F. Lou
trel. of the New York lithographing firm
of Francis & Loutrel, with a couple of
hundred weight of the books of that firm,
was on the stand to testify as to the
number of maps his firm had furnished,
but as he had not seen the entries in his
books or seen them made, he was not
permitted to refresh his memory from
them.
Captain Richardson, the ~bookkeeper
who had made the entries, lives beyond
the jurisdiction of the court, and is not
subject to subpoena. He was served
with a subpoena, but it was without
force in New York, where that gentle
man lives.
LOOKED LIKE SPEEDY END
When the court adjourned yesterday
afternoon it looked very much as though
the trial was about to end. for no record
of the number of maps was kept in the
Office of the State Board of Assessors,
and in the absence of the evidence of
tho n ~ ,r;,+ip9 Srp, - win ba 5;fiorl+
for the State to show that the maps were
not furnished in the numbers paid for.
No prima facie case has been made out
yet.
Prosecutor Stockton is being assisted
by Captain W. D. Holt. The Prosecutor
was i'll yesterday and appeared to be
better prepared for a vacation than for
the trial of an Indictment.
Judge Conover did not arrive until
after 1:3o. He announced that he had
been designated by Justice Gummere 10
preside at the trial and that the re-
quirements of the law that resulted
in the postponement of the rrial two
weeks ago had been complied with.
Both sides announced their readiness
to proceed, and Prosecutor Stockton said
he would move the Indictment which
narrated the transaction in which Mac
Crelllsh & Quigley We're the printers.
1,wenty-nine Jurors were called before
: this panel were sworn: Edward B. FIELDS,
forenlan; Augustus L. Clark, Joseph \.
Conrad. Alonzo G.. Cadwallader, Henry
s; Glendenning, Wilmer H. Drake, J. A.
Kuney D. Perrine, George Woolsey and
Sidney Griggs.
All the Witnesses We're excluded from
the room at the request of Mr.. Barton,
OF the firm of Barton & Dawes, who are
defending Col. Van Cleef, when Prosecu-
He said the Grand Jury had charged
the defendant with obtaining, on the
25th Of July, 1894, money from the State
to furnish $500 copies of a map which
he had not furnished, and had thus OBJ
State. %" WIN NC - u'tta"u Inc
He would show that the defendant
was. at the time of the Indictment, Sec
aetary of the State Board of Assessors;
that ne had IN 1887, with j. &. Belts,
drawn a map showing the railroads of
the State and had it Autographed and
in the hands of Francis & Loutrel, sta
tioners and printers, of New York City;
this map as a part of their annual report;
that it became necessary for the printers
who printed the report to have cop-es of
the map.
He would show that IN 1894 MacCrel-
lish & Quigley obtained a written state
ment of the number of maps furnished
and the price, also obtained from the
~defendan', as Secretary of the State hoard
of Assessors. a written statement that
AASS w. tOCAFN 10A az H. .
years Al, 200 maps were paid for, and he
would show that only 10000 had been
printed, and no more than that number
could have been furnished.
j. B. Belts told about making the
maps. He was the first witness and was
followed by Irving E. Mcguire, who ties.
titled that no records of the number of
State reports received and sent out was
kept in the office of the State Board OF
Maps of every issue, he thought, were
still in the Assessors office. There were
oh0lt l mn mans on hand of the nlm-I
Der issued for the report Of 1888. The
maps. were prepared for gratui6ous cir,
sent out maps and no one could tell
how many had been sent out.
Be SimRh f. Of Ing mans Of Elizabeth
with the Thomas & Wiley Lithograph
Company, was next called to show the
his memory, but as he had not written
allowed to use it to refresh his memory.
During a eoiloquy between Messrs. Holt
and Barton over the examination of this
witness the Court manifested displeasure, |
and in tones of assuming injury Mr..
me alone. If your Honor will keep hin
quiet, I'll be very contented."
aS saRte 6Pa Sa F. aH hGu + If t xe0 f Iizss Ct ct
Franeis & LoutreI. No. IA .Vesey street,
was the next witness. He brought eight
printed maps for Van Cleef between the
years of 1892 and 1894. He was asked for |
his books. and they were unpacked from
a large box. Here there was a long de-
lay, and the Court ordered the State to
proceed.
They haven't asked the witness for an
answer" said MFR. Barton.
oh, yes, I have said Captain Holt.
Tn glad you did something right
said Mr.. Barton.
And I'm glad to hear that one thing
was rightly done that you didn't do your
self" twitted the Assistant Prosecutor.
THAT" said Mr.. Barton, laughing, lis
q very good joke, Captain Holt. It has
been so regarded for many years"
During this time the witness was ex-
aiming his firms books, and the Court.
becoming impatient with the delay, said:
You want time to examine your books. |
Take it between now and tomorrow morn J
ing" and then to the Prosecutor-"Cau
your next witness"
MORE EVIDENCE AS TO MAPS.
Charles B. Cogill, a clerk in the Comp
t~roller's Office, next identified a number
of bills of MacCreflish & Quigley, Sin
njckson Chew, John L. Murphy Publish
ing Co., and made way for Howell |
Qulgley, who testifed that his firm
PRINTED the report of the State Board of
Assessors in 1894. He identified the
firms bill and alto two bills for maps.
which he said no one could furnish but
Van Cleef, who had a copyright on them.
M4cCrellish & Quigley collected the
money for them, amounting to S760, and
paid Van Cleef with a check of $3.50. |
The check was put in evidence and was
dated July 3, 1894. The other $40 was