The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-19
STREET GANG SCANDAL
CROOKED PAY ROLLS IN COMMITS
sIONER HERPICK's DEPARTMENT.
Foreman Collier Arrested for Embex-
~.lcment-An OMce Where emocra
ic Heelers Get Their Reward.

Thomas Collier, a foreman on a street.
repair gang in the employ of the city. was
arrested yesterday on the charge of en-
bezzlement. The charge was preferred by
Street Commissioner Herpick, after an in
vestigation held in the Mayors Office. 1t
seems that John Keefe, one Of the laborers
under Collier, informed Mayor Tageart that
his name had been used to pad" the pay
roll, and tina he had divided the money thus
received with Collier.
Keefe was called to the Mayors Office yes
terday morning and he made a full confess
sion of his part in the transaction and put
it in the form of an affidavit. He says that
he was in the employ of Collier and that
last week he was sick and did not work for
three and a half days; that he was placed on
the pay roll for a full weeks time. and
when he drew the $3.50 which he had not
earned he gave Collier $50.
Information was received that William
Lyons was also used as a means of drawing
upon the city treasury, and ne was sent for.
He denied all charges, however. The street
commissioner believes he has three or four
other instances where Collier padded the
rolls in this manner, and that the evidence
will be forthcoming at the proper time TO
convict him. Instances during the past three
weeks are cited, though without any specific
a. ~ tAO oAAoaAl Va AhC PCNuAd-
tions.
AS soon as the investigation had been con-
cluded the street commissioner went to JUS
tice Nickerson's court and made affidavit
against Collier, and the latter was placed
under arrest. He asked that his preliminary
hearing be postponed until Thursday and
which ne went to jail. Collier was seen at
the jail during the afternoon and pronounced
the the T snous,. matte! skss q Rns-up pas job s.s to get e , him
Keefe," he said, Il admit that he did not
work on the three and a half days for which
ne was q m paiaj but A plsc msn him 4. iIs apSn 70 the m aSll
a mistake. 1 handle from thirty to sixty
men and it is not wonderful that I should
while he was sick. / don't know what Ly-
ons Claims. but IL he says / used hts name
when he did not work he lied. i can prove
an charged with doing. Only a few days
ago Bill Kelly came to me and said ne
wanted to lay off a day and asked me not 10
ton. He offered me 80 cents and I still re-
fused. Simon Wiseman, a teamster, was
standing by and heard the interview"
Collier Is a married man, with a wife and
two children and his mother depending upon
him.
The fact that 1t was possible for a person
occupying the subordinate position OF that
held by Collier to open such a pipe line as
he may have opened to the city treasury
WdS IA Will 61A-
prise by persons who have been familiar
with the affairs of the city during the past
few years. 1t seemed strange that a fore
man of a street-repair gang should have
the opportunity to make out a pay roll
which should go to the controller for pay
ment without any sort of auditing or check
ing by the street commissioner that would
detect padding. Under az ordinarily safe
and Conservative method OF business, IT was
believed, the street commissioner should have
discovered any fraud that might have been
perpetrated.
Under the Denny administration there were
established and enforced civil-service rules,
which in a measure insured the honesty and
faithfulness of the city employees. Inc de-
struction OF these rules was considered az a
possible cause of the embezzlement which IL
charged against Collier. Under the rule of
no examination OF applicants for positions in
the city work. The only requirement is that
the man Is a good Democrat, ana the more
unsavory his reputation as a ward heeler
the stronger seem his chances OF appoint
ment. The class OF men. therefore, cannot
be expected to be the highest. and IL ought
to be expected that a closer watch would
be kept Of their movements sand official con-
parent by the loose methods which make IL
possible for a street-Tepair foreman TO re-
turn whatever pay roll ne sees Mt without
The charges against Collier were made by
the man who claims that he drew more
money than he was entitled 10. The alleged
periors. Collier admits that the mar did not
earn the money be was paid, and. taking
his view OF the case. that the payment was
made by mistake. there is exhibited a de-
city which is shocking 20 people who voted
for a business" administration.
Works hoard Routine.
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