The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-09
RECORDS FALSIFIED
THE PARK BOARD SCANDAL BE-
COMES MORE FOUL SMELLING.
Commissioners English and Perry
Find They Were Deceived in
Taggart Land Deal.
SLIPPED INTO THE MINUTES
ENTRY WAS MADE by SPENCER
WITHOUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE.
Taggart Dictated to Duncan Dewar
Proposition to Buy This Swamp
Land ON Feb. 26.
-A
HOLT ALSO INSISTED ON IT
FULL TEXT OF ORIGINAL AGREE
MENT NOW EXHIBITED.
-A
Mr.. English Forces Mayor Taggart to
Permit the journal to See
the Park Records.
Taggart Dictated to Duncan Dewar
Proposition to Buy This swamp
Land ON Feb. 20.
HOLT ALSO INSISTED ON IT
FULL TEXT OF ORIGINAL AGREE
MENT NOW EXHIBITED.
Mr.. English Forces Mayor Taggart to
Permit the Journal to See
the Park Records.

Denals that there was not conspiracy
to have the land below the Belt road be-
tween the Bluff road and White river be-
longing to Thomas Taggart, included in the
park system, are no longer of any avail.
Mayor Taggart has said in his speeches
and in interviews, that his land not
considered after it was dropped out by the
park commissioners in order to reduce the
price of land that was to be taken to the
amount the Council was willing to appro-
priate-$350OO 900. That action was taken Feb.
s. The records in the office of the Board of
Park Commissioners show that on April 16,
1897, the board ordered that the Davidson
property, the Bobbs property, the Dean
property. the Ballweg property and the
farm belonging to Thomas Taggart, below
the Belt Railroad between the Bluff road
and White river, be included in the park
system.
Oran Perry, a member of the Park Board,
returned to town yesterday, after having
spent some time in Denver and the West.
He lodged reporters all day. but was found
at his residence on North Delaware street,
last night. He was told what the park rec
ordS disclose. He was aStounded He said
that he had always opposed taking in that
land. The records show that at the meet
ing at which the land was taken in Messrs.
Lieber, English and Perry were the only
members present. Mr.. Lieber presided. The
record does not show that there was mo-
tion to include the lands set out, nor that
vote on this very important transaction was
taken. All these facts were laid before
Colonel Perry and he still insisted that no
action had been taken by the board to in
clude this land of the mayors.
If the records show that it was taken in
on that day said he, there is an abso-
lutte Justification of the records by some one
and the guilty man snould be dealt with
most summarily."
Mr.. English says that he has no recol-
lection of the mayors land having been
mentioned on that date. Mr. English real
ized when he was seen last night, that af-
fairs were taking very bad turn and tried
to shield whoever is responsible by suggest
ing that his memory might be faulty and
that something might have been done on
that day toward correcting errors in the
records.
'At that time'' he said, "I regarded the
proposition to take in the Taggart land as
long since abandoned and / have no recol-
lection of its being mentioned in any way
at this meeting. However, it might have
been and not recall it, as it was under
stood that the action was simply a matter
Of form in the correction of technical err
ror of Colonel Holloway's, and 1 gave it no
special consideration one way or the other
However, cannot say positively that this
action as to Colonel Holloway's minutes
took place at this particular meeting, but
it was at some meeting held along about
that time"
"You were opposed to taking in the may
or's land, were you not?''
81 was, and had so expressed myself to
Colonel Perry"
''If you had heard the mayors land men
toned on that day you would have been
careful as to what was said about it?"
Most likely"
would not the record show on it's face
that it was made to correct an error?"
II should think it ought to-
Would not formal motion have been
made and voted on?"
.'It strikes me that that would have been
the proper way"
ENGLISH AND PERRY DECEIVED.
The record does not show that the board
took any action for the correction of
technical error" Neither does it show that
there was motion of any kind with regard
to the lands Included in the park system"
on that date, as was the custom in other
cases, notably at the very next meeting,
when, on motion of Mr.. English the bound
aries of Sections and of the Fall creek
system were changed so as to exclude the
Maus, Stout and other tracts and the
record shows unanimous affirmative vote
by the five commissioners.
The record has never been signed by Mr.
Lieber, who acted as chairman on April 16
AS shown by the agreement he and Mr.
Holt signed, published elsewhere, Mr.
Lieber was committed to the inclusion of
the mayors land Mr.. English and Mr.
Perry were both known to be opposed to
it. At the next regular meeting, held April
27, all the commissioners were present. The
minutes of that meeting show that "the
reading of the minutes of the previous
meeting was dispensed with" The minutes
had been transcribed by Mr.. Spencer, clerk
of the board, as on April 20. 1897. His GER
tificate of the proceedings of the meeting of
April 16 was filed in the Circuit Court
where they are now of record. 1t was at
the meeting of April p that the deception
so long and so successfully practiced be-
gan. If the minutes of the previous meet
ing had been read on the 9th of April
Messrs. Perry and English. both of whom
were opposed to including the mayors
land, would have discovered that since the
meeting of April 16 was held, the mayors
land had been slipped in. BY dispensing
with the reading of the minutes they did
not discover this fact, as they had no oc-
casion to look at the minute book Any
one familiar with the proceedings of boards
of any sort knows that 1t is customary for
the clerk to keep rough minutes of what
is done and afterward transfer them to the
permanent records. In such case it is gen.
orally the custom to preserve the rough
notes SO that they will stand as corrobora-
tive evidence in case any question is raised
as to the secretary's accuracy. Charles II.