The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-11
BOG SCANDAL GROWS
DUNCAN DEwAR SHOWS UP DEMO-
CRATIC RING ROTTENNEss.
sterling n. Holt, Since His Disgrace,
Beseeched the Councilman Not
to Reveal the story.
THE LIEBER-H HOLT AGREEMENT
FACSIMILE OF 1T SHOWS THE LINES
THAT WE'RE DICTATED.
Finance Committee Deceived by the
Vagueness of the swamp
Land Description.
PLATS WERE MADE In JUNE
A DRAUGHTsMAN WORKED ON THEM
IN PARKS BOARD OFFICE.
This Was just Before the Board "sus-
pended"-Engineer Powers ExpIa-
nation of This Feature.
Finance Committee Deceived by the
VaEueness of the swamp
Land Description.
PLATS WERE MADE IN JUNE
A DRAUGHTsMAN WORKED ON THEM
IN PARKS BOARD OFFICE.
This Was Just Before the Board "sus-
pended"-Engineer Powers ExpIa-
nation of This Feature.

The Taggart organs made a grave mis-
take Saturday afternoon and yesterday
morning. Taking 1t for granted that the
action of three members in exonerating the
clerk of the Park Board from the charge
of juggling the records, had settled
the whole controversy they went to the
length of assuming that Duncan Dewar
had made false charges from personal rea-
sons and declaring that it was now set
tied that no consideration had been given
the Taggart bog land since Feb. S. The
mayor fatty denied the existence OF
the agreement of Feb. 26, signed by
Messrs Holt and Lieber, of the
Park Board, reserving the right to buy
part of this land for $4,000. and the or
gans followed suit Well the Journal this
morning prints the fac-simile Of that
agreement. The Journal further demon
strates this morning that plat of this
bog land was made in the Office of the
Park Board by one of the draaghts-
men working there in June; that this
draughtsman was working on this very platN
at the time the whole park business was
suspended" by Mr.. Liebers suit against
himself. And yet Mr.. Taggart has repeat
edly declared that the consideration OF his
bog land was dropped Feb. and has n0e
been taken up since
Since Mr.. Holt's disgrace he has sought
out Mr.. Dewar and has made efforts TO
shut up that honest councilman on the
park scandal. When Mr.. Bookwalter first
made his charges Taggart did not reply at
once. A day or two later Sterling r. Holt
sent for Mr. Dewar to come up to the Holt
ice plant, and there beseeched him not to
make any revelations of the park scandal
to the enemy. He recalled their acquaint-
ance and their labors together In the Dem
ocratic party, and showed him how disas-
trous it would be to the party to expose
any of the Taggart bog scandal Mr. De-
war finally agreed to keep his own coun-
sci, but after the exposure came and Tag
CART denied statements made by Mr.. Dewar
that gentleman concluded to give to the
public the full story.
While this park scandal is no worse than
the sewer scandal, it cuts a bit closer to
the mayor. He was able to, in some de-
gree, shoulder the blame for the sewer
deal upon his best friend, Holt, but there
is no getting a scapegoat for the park deal.
Mayor Taggart owned this bog land, which
cost him $45 an acre, and the documentary
evidence shows plainly a persistent effort
to unload it upon the city at $500 an acre.
At first the effort was to sell the whole
thing for $4,000, making for Mayor Tag
gart the neat profit of $25, 500 In time this
was modified and he tried to unload half
Of it, netting him profit of $l2, ,750. That
was more than the 5000 paid Holt in the
sewer deal, and there is no evidence that
the mayor had promised to divide up this
pie with anybody. He was going to have
the good thing all by himself.