The sun., 1897-10-21
CTS SWINDLED BY CTS.
FRAUD WITHIN FRAUD IN THE
SECOND ASSEMBLY DISTRICT.

SECOND ASSEMBLY DISTRICT
Men who We're in Charge OF the Collection OF
Bogus ma illegal signatures TO the Low
Petition Render False Account or CIT
Campaign Funds Intrusted to Them.
Tho revolt of tho Citizens Union Campaign
Committee of tho Second Assembly district and
its Endorsement of tho regular Republican
ticket and platform has brought to light some
queer transactions the part OF the Cts In that
district When Citizen Reynolds and Citizen
Pine and some Of tho other citizens concluded
that they must have ON organization In the Sec.
ond Assembly district they consulted with
man named A. s. Wasserman Wasserman
lives up in Harlem, but that didn't matter to
Reynolds and Pine They selected Wasserman
chiefly because no used to be Brooklyn police.
man, and rs such was bodyguard to seth
Low when ho was Mayor. Wasserman Is now
n printer, and Reynolds and Pine thought that
he could influence other printers In the district
to join the organization. Wasserman was APP
pointed by tho Boss Cts as secretary OF the dis
trict organization. Those who Joined the or
ganization were to havo nothing to do with the
election Of officers. That was to be attended
to in East Twenty third street. Tho Cts de-
clare for popular rulo In all things. This is
the way they carried out their declarations in
ono Assembly district. Wasserman. knowing
Low methods OF old, suggested that Maurice
Simmons would mako good Chairman OF tho
Campaign Committee, because he had once been
a student at the Columbia Law School. The
Boss Cts assented.
These details having been attended to. they
looked about for headquarters. They selected
n room at 26t William street, a building owned
by Mrs. Comasse. Wnsscrman and Simmons
30 Mrs. Comlassic says, agreed to hire the room
from July l until after election, at n monthly
rental Of $25. These headquarters were opened
on June 20 and remained there until Sept. l.
when they were moved to II Madison street.
where all that left of the Cts in the dis
trict still hold forth. 1t was arranged between
the Boss Cits and Nassernan and simmons
that the district organization should receive
800 a month from the headquarters in Twon-
ty-thlrd street. This sum was to pay tho run
ming expenses and the expenses Of getting sig
natures TO Low pctitione.,, As soon as tho head.
were sent out Any body who wns willing TO
take out signature blank wRs made n mem.
her of the organization. A man who was elect
ed an officer OF the organizat ion came into THE
Sun office yesterday afternoon and told how
these signatures were obtained.
"Oh, yes" he said III answer to q question,
~ got some signatures. ] worked Pearl street
on both sides. from broadway down to Beaver
became SO hard to get any more that gave up
the job. Those who got signatures were prem
ow Ss rsGycd nothing
know a dozen more who haven't received any
moro than l..
What about the notaresi Were they paidi"
What notariosl,, don't know anything
Wasn't each man who solicited signatures
accompanied by Il no'ary publicI
81 guess not. ! never had any notary with
me, and none of the other solicitors that know
-~"Pcrhaps you and they were notariesi' sug-
The man laughed heartily before he
answered: oh. no. none of rs was notary.
Just went from store TO store and house to house
and asked: DO you favor Seth Lows nominn-
Vixen ws peHse @en for
other. When our blanks were all filed we took
em around TO headquarters and turned them
Didn't you know that you were compelled
by law. to have notary public present when
every signature was taken 10 acknow ledge III"
NO ! didn't. Never heard OF such thing
until this minute. They never said anything
told us 10 go out and get names and get as many
Of EN- and get EN- as fast as we could: II the
law i.5I:res what you say it does. ! don't be
in the Second Assembly district. | know the
200 took are not legal and know of several
hundred others taken Just as mine were
why didn't they tell me.about this notary
busincssl These men. who pose AS the only
former. Who % want "a ito to be % rcsaonsiblc only to
the people. they knew about It. and yet they arc
u remedy. Mr.. Low knows the law. and he's
n good man. When h" hears OF this he'll re.
iilsc TO take advantage or suCh rascallty. zen
decline to run. | know he will because
he's n good man. the President Of great uni
vcrsity and an example to young men. He
wouldn't have anything to do with thievery like
this.
Interesting ms this account is of how sigma
lures 10 the Low petition were obtained in the
Second assembly district, il was not the only
or even the chief story that THE suns inform
formation related to the misappropriation of
funds on the part of the Cits connected with the
district organization. According to the man,
a fraudulent accounting was made by the dis
trict managers To boss zine Tor the 500 re-
THE suns informant called attention to one
item OF S9.o6 for gas from July TO Aug. -.
He said that he knew the mnn who paid tho
gas bill. was present when he paid il, and
knew that the bill, instead OF being $9.9i. was
only 90 cents. Another item appearing under
different dates WAS for monthly rent of the
William street headquarters. The amount
actually paid only $50 month. THE
suns informant says that when Boss Pine
found out about these things no discharged
one of the men whom he suspected but retained