The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-18
A LIVELY GRIEVANCE DAY.
SUBURBAN TAI ASSESSORS BE-
sIEGED BY PRoTESTANTS.

wants = Reduction OF 5000. 900 q.
oliver Hseiin Has No Personal Property.
TARRyTowS. n. V, Aug. 17.-All day the as.
SCISSORS Of the towns OF GreenburR and Mount
Pleasant were kept busy listening to the gricv-
ances OF those who felt that they have been un.
justly taxed. When both boards adjourned this
evening 1t was found that 400 protests had beon
nledi n Grecnburg and forty in Mount Pleasant.
Many women were present to protest.
In Mount Pleasant township the Rock efcllers
and former Judge Noah Davis were the princi.
pal protestants. Judge Davis appeared in per
son. He Is very feeble and uses crutchcs. lie
protested against his assessment rs illegal and
erroneous. When cross-examined by Frank V.
Millart, counsel for the assessors, the Judge be-
came angry. mistake was made in his assess
ment last year. Three houses are on his place.
Only two were assessed last year. He told
Assessor Martin about 1t. He said to-day that
Martin threw up his hands and said:
MY God, Judge. Is that sol Don't toll any
body, and we will make 1t all right next year."
Assessor Martin jumped up and said 1t was
not so, that he never favored any one and dared
any one to say SO. Judge Davis said that some
scoundrel had Increased his assessment, and
that was the way he was being favored. Martin
said. Tin not the scoundrel."
I'll fight 1t as long as there 10 q court in the
State" said tho Judge as he went out.
Howard II. Morse appeared for John d. Rookie.
Teller and William Rockefeller. He said there
had been a Misrepresentation on the part Of the
assessors in regard to tho value of William
Rockefeller's property. He said it cost only
$4,000 when he purchased 1t from the Aspin.
wall estate.
I'VE have had assessors appraise the prop.
erty," he said, and find that Mr.. Rockefeller's
assessment Is one.quartcr the entire amount Of
the property in Mount Pleasant
The assessors offered Mr.. Hawkes. testimony
OF a year ago. when he refused to swear that
$6s,0o0 was . per cent. of the entire cost Of the
place.
Mr.. Morse said that John D. Rockefeller's as
sessmcnt had been doubled. Superintendent
Hemingway and Abram Hyatt Of Sing Sing
were then cross.cxamined, and the case was ad.
journed till Thursday.
Mrs. Christopher Hillebrecht owns three lots
In Elmsford, which are assessed at $50 a lot.
Her brother owns a similar piece Of property
adjoining hers. Her tax last year was 80 cents,
and her brothers was only so cents. She
wanted to know why this was. The assessors
laughed at her. She became angry and called
the assessors a = pack Of dummies" "chumps,"
and idiots When she was told that her
taxes would amount to about 25 cents she left,
satisfied.
Owing to the large number Of complaints
noard no testimony was taken. Each taxpayer
handed in a written protest.
Among those who protested were Charles L.
Tiffany, J. D.. Archbold, Gen. Samuel Thomas.
DR.. Lucien F. Warner. David Bows. E. II.
MARS, B.. T.. Clark. Louis Stern. A. L. Barber.
Isaac Stern. II. NJ. Hoe, Charles Eddison, Major
r f. Hopkins, F. o. Matthiesscn. Henry Vii
lard. John T.. Terry. J. Jennings McComb. Mary
Q. Whitehonse' Philip schuyler, a. !. Irving.
erick f. Lewis, William J.. Bull. and William II.
Gihon.
MOUNT VERNON, Aug. 1.-THE assessors in
towns along the Sound are among those who
were indicted this spring and are awaiting
heard the Complaints and imp imlprecstions Yes YES.
terday some Of them wondered II, II would
not have been better to have braved the anger
OF Justice kcogh. and have taken the conse-
s sresssd nearly ar ~ 81. c Sss 900 I'VE Vehicles rel; n bloe Issh tn, IN,
modore and ~. charles 4; Gould. who are
estate. $4,000: John w. sterling. $3.50. 600,
600 600; gohn I. Paf 1ssSF" ae ss'S @il isss'' E, p ps Sao1i;
AMI Thomas A. Maitland.
The r larsssS P Wr,d MnGst te Up ssIss in nd mHrrifon
from $685. 900 to Sl0o Mr.. Reid. through
his attorney. Henry W. Sackctt. asks for a re-
duction of S2O0. 900. on the ground that tho
property II placed in the market would not
bring more than that amount.
c. Oliver Iselin. the owner of All View. on
Premium Point, has been assessed for $l65,o 600
at ss"t M"ms sSDeSR pFTFhhG Poash R'R RRs atto OF .He John John
A: Van Zelm. he asks for II reduction
Of Ss9 600 on nj roa! %Erop ,rtyon, and the
ment. He says that the rel assessments
are higher than those OF his neighhor. and that.
having disposed OF his yachts and horses: he has
practically no PERSONAL property. Charles II. Muir.
ray. owner OF The L'rclmont c sino. the Larch-
prot ests against an assessment OF more than half
a million. and Mrs. Catherine a. De La Eergne
who owns the large mansion and home in Or
offers to sell Il for 500. 900. whereas the assessors
have valued II at $4,000. J. II. McCahill.
asked thai its assessment Of $4,000 be re.
duced to $4,000. as the company had sold its
bones and bought real estate and was being
James NJ. Constable. H. NJ. Flneler. Thomas
assessed for nearly 100000 each. have made
no complaint and announ, Q that they are salts.
e tis5 Wiz liz the bo, yTlV MiIi holaa 'r " spe en ,he m. eTiEp;
next Monday 10 dispose OF the larger complaints.
In Pelham and East Chester he assessors we're
payers. The New YORK and Harlem Railroad,
whose valuation o. $s5, 900 last year has been
the assessors OF East Chester. and S. j. Garth,
whom they assessed at 100000. offers to sell
PEEKsKILIr \. Y. Aug. 17.-Nearly 800
protests against the town assessments were
p psslea an" person 2oS before @fn 1 sRs ASSESSOR, Ss%sn here sR;
tomorrow. and II the same class of applications
comes in ana the assessors grant all that IL
asked. there will b. not much LETT to raise taxes
on next spring, The assessors gave no decisions
during the public hearing. but Mt $3.50 7. NJ.
they adjourned to the Office Of Franklin Couch
and examined and acted upon. ffty'one claims.
None OF the changes have yet been made public.
Alexander Armstrong wanted his assessment
for personal property at $4,000 wiped out.
Violet Beach asked to have her assessment al
$4,000 reduced TO $685.. go. II. +. De Graf
wanted his assessment at $4,000 stricken of,
The Knickerbocker Ice Company asked a reduc
ton in the assessed valuation OF their iCchOnst
from $50. 900 to $3S. 900. This and a number OF
other applications will be heard TOMORROW.
NEW ROCHELLE y. V, Aug. 1.-THE town as
SCISSORS opened proceedings in tho Town Hall TO
day to hear grieynnces About i5o Taxpayers mp.
left the hall satisfied with their assessments
Thirty seven grievances were received and
the others took with them application blanks
with which they will seck reductions. With few
exceptions, the grievances were for persona
taxes. None OF tho wealthy taxpayers mp
pearcd. One OF the Assessors, James Ross, I:
away. and 1t is believed that the Iselins and Other
property owners, whose assessments have beer
greatly increased will not file their, protest,