The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-11


action on April 16 was simply to correct a
former error in the court record made BY
Colonel Holloway. who failed to describe the
specific tracts that we're under considera-
ton in his application for assessors, made
in September, 1885,. 1t was not their inten-
ton at any time to begin the park systena
over again Just the same as If nothing
had ever been DONE" If that involved the
condemnation, appraisement and seizure OF
the Taggart land.
RECORD MUST BE CHANGED.
Commissioner Perry was asked yesterday
If the board would meet in special session
this morning to direct the city attorney to
make application to the Circuit Court for
leave to amend the application de novo by
striking out the Taggart land Mr.. Perry
was unwilling to say whether a meeting
would be held or not until he had time to
confer with Messrs. English and Claypool.
He could not see that there was any par
ticular hurry. At the same time he said
that if the records were in such shape that
they showed it to be the intention of the
board to take the land, he wanted them cor
rected as soon as possible. If he finds after
the board has taken legal advice that the
records can only be amended by asking
leave of the court to strike out all that
part of the application de novo (anew)
which covers the Taggart land, he will so
vote. Commissioner Perry always opposed
taking in the Taggart land, as he looked on
such a proposition as scandalous, and if he
finds that the board has been deceived into
taking action to include the land by mis-
representations as to what his action would
amount to, he will insist that the records
be changed at once.
Mr.. English says that he will not oppose
a. meeting if the other commissioners favor
holding one to-day. The points raised in
the Journal were new to him and he wants
to be fully advised as to the exact status
of the records before acting. Mr. English
said that if he found on investigation that
the only way to correct the records was by
asking leave of court to strike out the Tag
CART land, he would be in favor of it. He
would want TO know that such action would
not vitiate the other portions of the applica-
ton de novo which cover the Davidson,
Dean. Bobbs and Ballweg lands. Mr..
English said that he did not wish the board
to be bound by the records to take in the
Taggart land. He has always opposed that
proposition, both because ne considered the
land unnecessary and because it belongs to
the MAYOR and if it were taken the action
might be misconstrued.
A reporter called to see Mr.. Claypool to
ascertain whether he would favor meeting
this morning to direct the city attorney to
ask leave of the court to drop the Taggart
land, but he was not at home.
COMMISSIONERS WILL ACT.
There is no doubt that the three commits
sioners who are now in Indianapolis do
not intend to allow the records to show
that they were parties to taking in the
Taggart land, the records now show Mr..
English and Mr.. Perry were. Mr.. Claypool
was not present at the meeting of April 10.
At the next meeting, held April II, If the
minutes of the meeting of April 10 had been
read it would have been perhaps discovered
that they did not show that correction
was intended by the action taken on the
later date. 1t would have been too late to
change them at the meeting or April ~,
however, except by leave of court, as at
the time of this meeting the application de
novo had already been made and the plot
was brewing most charmlngly.
The Journal has already shown that the
reading of the minutes of the celebrated
meeting of April 16 was dispensed with on
April 81 when all the commissioners were
present Now that 1t has been proven con-
clusively that the land Is in and that II
was taken in by deceiving commissioners
English and Perry, they are disposed to
take immediate action to Vlndlcate them-
selves. All through the bog manipulation
and his Democratic associates on the board.
Advantage was taken of the fact that ne
was i'll and knew nothing OF what was pelhe
done 1t is evidence that his name was
banded about by the mayor ana that the
mayor and Commissioners Holt and Lleper
relied on him to support the scheme When
il came to a showdown. Elsewhere Is pup
lished a facsimile copy of the original agree
ment of the mayor who, when II was nahu-
ed to the finance committee by Mr.. Holt,
assured Mr. DeWar that Mr. Eng1Sh would
ratifv the agreement when the time came
The MAYOR reckoned without his host. MIR
English informed him that he could hot
approve the taking of his land into the park
system. Finding that MT EngIsh coulu
not he relied on to vote for its seizure by
the hoard the plot extended to slipping 1T in
under the very eyes of the opposing COM
rnissioners themselves with the nope that
} at some time in the future another could
be won over 1t required three votes 70 get
the land in by regular and legitimate actlon
By dispensing with the reading OF tne mill
utes of April q, neither Mr.. English, Mr.
Perry nor Chairman Claypool had their
susnicions aroused. Who made that motion
To disnense with the reading of the minutes
at the meeting of April q is not SHOWN by
the record. =. - -.
All the qualifications of the plot are not
vet unearthed. Additional evidence OF us
existence and the fact that 1t was pfogres se5
ing rapidly at the time the board ceased
onerations on account of the Injunction SUIT
was discovered yesterday. rats OF the
Taggart bog-dignifed to a farm an the
mark engineers office-were made in Iune
in the Park Boards office. They are now
in nossession of the Journal and can be
seen nv anv one who cares to look at tHeIn