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

prepared in the Office of the Park Board
containing a list of the properties under
consideration and the approximate amounts
TO be paid for each. AS it came into the
meeting it was as follows:
Fall-creek system ......................$25 8 900
Davidson (Lot 10 Davidsons third adj
dttiOn) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. l5,UUJ
burn streeo .'.eo.. .De M 1900
subdvisionj -. - '. .e....,.....e.. 1900
Junction of Michigan street and Eng
lish avenue (Christian) ............... 30,Oo
Approach and corner of Garfield Park 800
Rrookside ....................... 1900
system p.ope, y i.o .He ''.l 1900
Meek stPeets) Hsi 'o' anu 1870
Corner Sanders and McKernan streets $3.50
Kirkland (corner West Washington
street and Miley avenue) ........... 5000
Capitol avenue and Sixteenth street
Belt Railroad and White river 10000
Two points about this will attract atten-
ton. One is that the Davidson property,
which was later taken in at something over
$4,000 was here valued at the figure real
estate men generally put upon IT. Slow
but that is another story: The nam
point is that the Taggart bog land here APP
peared as Belt Railroad and White river,
valued at $4,000. There were one hundred
acres In it. The gentlemen assembled knew
that $4,000 would be the amount appro-
priated and the thing they had to do was
to bring down these figures within that sum;
Mr.. Dewar insisted that 1t be cut 10 S5Vg'Vo
for land purchases and $4,000 be devoted to
labor SO that the men could be put to work
at once. Much was said about lana Io Sl.
propagating purposes and 1t was nnaHy
agreed that fifty acres of the White-rlVer
land (Taggart's bog) would be enough. SO
the amount agreed upon for ii was nXed at
$4,000 1t was agreed to cut off the Fall
creek system at Indiana avenue, thus re-
ducing the cost to $lsS o9. II was Csr f aaI1
Park and Shelby street the CHRISTIAN prop
erty, the Brookside Park. the Mansur tract
and the old baseball grounds. Wnen tney
oh wifi document
this shape:
Fail creek system, above Indiana ave 600 ooo
D ilVs dot Is. Davidson's third -.
Dean cam 't Corner Madison avenue and 900
Cn n,,hG;iSis,o % Ray 'oan"ee * 1900
b0 05ei, ' ssreets5 16, $50
Corner otrsats sanders anu ..e''.. $3.50
K irTIeef7 corner :' West washington
street and Miley avenue): ............ 6'VO9
Belt Railroad and White river...... lo,Wo
This figured up a total of 1859, 800, leaving
the board $50 200 and some of this went TO
boostine. up the price of the Davidson prop
erty.
member of the Eighth ward, has in his
Iossession the agreement reserving the
right to purchase the Taggart bog land,
nection with the deal. On Saturday the
mayor and two members of the Councll
finance committee were interviewed Dy the
News Taggart fatty denied the existence
of the agreement and Messrs. Clark and
Dhleyer denied that the mayors lana was
mentioned at their meetings. Mr.. Dewar is
an honest man and does not like the idea
OF having his word mpugned. In order TO
indicate his word in this matter, he yes
ifer.5av permitted the agreement to be etched
and the Journal presents fac-Slmlle OF IT.
II can readily see how Messrs OhIeyer
and Clark can honestly state that no men
tion was made Of the mayors land, said
MIR. Dewar, "for had no idea that the Iahq
described was owned by the mayor ana
do not suppose they did either. Mr.. Tag
CART. however, was present when the agree
ment was signed by Messrsi L1e0 ,ea a mo
land We discussed various pieces men
toned in the agreement and there was dls,
Tor propagating purposes, but 1 do not re-
call that the fact that it was owned by
Mr. Taggart was menpon t Il WaS sp yiaer
after that meeting of the full Council
committee drew up report at Moninger's.
] agreed to draw this other one up and it
was agreed that if this was signed we
would not need the one drawn at Monin-
gers drew this up at home and it came
up at the meeting at the Grand Hotel about
Feb &C. had given the paper to Mr.. Holt,
who was to get Mr.. English's signature,
but he brought 1t to the meeting at the
hotel with the statement that Mr.. English
was too i'll tc sign. The memorandum was
then discussed and the last sentence, re-
serving the right to purchase the land at
the Belt and Bluff road, was written in by
me with the general assent of those pres
ent. We were in the room off the bar down.
stairs and there was no ink there. Mayor
Taggart called a porter and sent him for
the ink and 1 wrote it in. Messrs. Lieber
and Holt signed the document. leaving a
space for the signature of Mr.. English"
STORY OF THE AGREEMENT.
'~The way that agreement happened to be
made was this" said Mr.. Bookwalter last
evening ION Dec. q the Park Board asked
the controller to recommend an appropria-
ton of $4,000 for parks. few days later
the controller replied that he had sounded
the members of the Council, and felt sure
they would not appropriate so much. He
suggested that enough land be cut off so
that they could get along with 100000. On
Feb. the Park Board, in a communication
TO the finance committee of the Council did
eliminate certain lands among them that
at White river and the Belt. Here is where
Mr.. Taggart pitched his line of defense 1t
was then that he began to say to members
of the board that he did not want his land
in anyway, and when Clerk Spencer made
up his record of the proceedings of the
board. he stopped with the Taggart bog on
Feb. s. Then is when 1t began TO come in
at the back door.
About Feb. 10 the finance committee of
the Council had an open meeting in the
basement of the courthouse to discuss the
question of making the park appropriation.
At this meeting MessrS. Allen and Cooper
hi cd net 10 yfracp IN
this Belt road land, it was spoken Of
Mr.. Wolcott also protested, because he
wanted the West Side park to come down to
Washington street. Previous to this meet
ing Mr. Dewar and some of the other men,
bers had been told that If they were not
willing to trust the board as to what tracts
were to be purchased, the members of the
board would sign agreement, setting out
what lands were to be bought. At this, the
only open meeting held by the finance COM
mittee, Mr.. Dewar presented a report in
Guiding the Belt road land. When Mr.
Walcott objected to the report it was de-
stroyed After the adjournment of the
with the exception of Mr. Walcott, met at
Monningers saloon They there agreed
that Mr.. Dewar draw up another report
and he did so. They discussed the question
of having an agreement signed by the Dem
ocratic majority of the Park Board and it
was agreed that Mr., Dewar. prepare such
an agreement and If the park commission
ers should sign 1t, this second report would
be unnecessary. This agreement Mr.. De-
war wrote at his home, just as the fac
siInile is except the last sentence, In addi-
ton to the above named and described, we
reserve the privilege of purchasing for
$4,000 land at Belt road and White river
lie ont to Nv TAIf st,A