The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-24
JOHN MURPHY NOT A HERO.
No Proof That He IL Suffering imprisonment
for His Son.

for His SON.
BURLINGTON, N. j., June 23.-The effort of the
Rev. Alfred Wishart. pastor of a Baptist church
in Trenton, to make n hero out of John w. Muir
ply, twice a candidate for Mayor Of this town,
and now serving two years in State prison at
Trenton for embezzlemcnt, is not likely to be
successful. Mr.. Wishart, as was reported
exclusively yesterday in THE U filed
a petition with Gov. Griggs asking for
a pardon for Murphy on the ground that he was
suffering punishment for an offence which was
actually committed by his 19.year-old son. He
had taken tho blame, the petition said, in order
to save his son from disgrace. Murphy was the
tax collector OF this township. and holding that
place he collected a good many thousands of
dollars.
Early In the present year there were stories
about his having lived beyond his income, and a
demand was made on him by the Town Board
for his books. An examination Of these books
showed q shortage in his accounts of about
81, 200. He was indicted and pleaded non vult,
and on March is was sentenced to prison. Ho
was n man of a good deal Of prominence in
Burlington. having come here from Trenton and
entered at once into the politics of the town. He
held one or two offices before he was appointed
tax collector, and in 1895 he ran for Mayor and
was defeated, and he ran again in 1896 and was
defeated.
AT the time he was accused Of stealing the
money there was a story to the effect that if he
cared to tell all that he knew he would not go to
Jail, and it was plainly intimated that his son,
Reeves Murphy. was not above suspicion. But
this story was without effect when it came out a
little later that Murphy's accounts had been
%doctored. and the doctoring was done in his own
him say $50 in taxes it would appear in his ac-
counts as $3.50. and in that clumsy way the
1t took but a moment of examination to show
the fraud. Nevertheless. there was a great deal
was believed that Of the amount missing that
which he had taken had, been borrowed by him
rather than stolen. and that he intended to make
he had needed the money in his campaign for
Mayor; and not having it himself had borrowed
since his conviction, Murphy's friends have
people pae OF the town. The petition. however.
S SS tb not Rs cite Aired Hns s Wisb sIa'f tRsa M as : that is made sat.
fering for his sons offence.
Murphy was seen to-day in the State prison by
IIeit ali q the work Of the Tax col:
because it was distastetul, to him. and because
his work at Wanamaker s Browns in
most Of his time. when the question, did
your boy, take this money or did you !" was put
and di tnPPi IiEi" tSrn nil et to the Keeper sep as ssfod df L he Us had
to answer the question. He was assured by the
keeper and the reP ports that he NJ not a1STeF
answer. He did say. in the course of the talk
that his boy had got into bad Gompa1y, and had
spent considerable money. He said he did not
know where the money that wa! missing had
gone, and when "A question was asked about bad
bookkeeping. he said that might account for 1t
~ At tHa seeing Murphy 1 TIE sr S reporter port called ed
North Stockton street. Mr.. Wishart said ali
he knew about the case was what was printed
w nmI psrish iHss "S Of hs wa Was Sai inte enas q
in II and asked him to interest himself; She had
iS.d d hr% 1ae ap p'G 3Eo a pesitio sne and GS{s p1 ss,iSi shf It no TO
the Governor because he believed that Murphy
was suffering for his sons crime. and that an
hero TS-H MSisb t nss T faDf sy N Tisitssd the Mu S1SSSF. store sSn'
might not be back all night. So Mrs. Murphy
VAS asked about the case. She said that
them collected tho tax money: that it was not
true that her son had done all the Collecting.
She said she could not imagine where the money
But she was positive that the boy had not
some, 4 Her husband h1t never sr' said to her that
he believed her son HAD taken the money, and
II. Her husband had said to her many times
that he could not understand what had become
the 4b the ne mton @Ih;S nna h sss sou L hf s %ss w to be It f' hsd
gone. She WAS asked whether her son had,
p pun Msllsmsnt'ff for TO his 80 fs at ss'' sh hed sa sas sSe h sHs
never heard him say anytthins OF the kind. sho
taking tho money. rs was stated in the
petition. and she said he had never con-
fessed 70 taking, any. of il. Tho reporter
tSn %en mi and ! h thar su S Wcr we OF tbe one" n npininS'
and none OF them believed that Mr.. Wisharts
effort TO get John Murphy pardoncd would sue
coed II the present line was followed.
But each of them said that he believed Muir.
ply ought TO be pardoned. and that he had
signed a petition for his pardon on the ground
that he intended to borrow tho money and
not TO steal it. Each OF them said also
that tho most serious part OF Murphy crime
WAS the falsilying of the records, and it was
this part of the crime that tho Judge
had In mind when he sentenced him 30
prison. They said II there had been merely a
shortage OF. $1,000 in his. accounts. there were
plenty OF friends who would have paid the money
and that some OF these friends were in court on
tho day no WAS sentenced, ready to pay, II that
method would have saved him imprisonment.