The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-26
MUNICIPAL CORRUPTION
BATCH OF FORMER CITY OFFICIALS
OF BROOKLYN INDICTED.
Charged with Securing $4,000 by
Means of Fraudulent Contracts
Placed Under Bonds.

NEW YORK, March 25.-In the Kings
County Criminal Court in Brooklyn to-day
nine indictments were handed down by the
grand jury against former city officials of
Brooklyn, as follows: Former City Works
Commissioner Theodore B. Willis and Police
Commissioner w. e. Phillips, indicted joint
ly; Robert w. Fielding, former deputy city
works commissioner, indicted on three
counts; Oscar Knapp, former water pur-
veyor, indicted on three counts Fred Milne
inspector, indicted on three counts; former
Alderman William J. Leacraft; former AL
derman Clarke A. L. Jensen, a clerk in
Controller Palmer's Office an official in
Former Auditor Sutton's office, name not
known.
1t is alleged that the indictments are the
outcome of an investigation that has been
proceeding for some time into the opera
lions of the Public Works Department of
Brooklyn. 1t is also said the indictments
charge a conspiracy by which the city was
defrauded of $4,000 by means Of fraudulent
contracts. The records charge the 200 in
question to emergency work. The law
required that all work, the cost of which
was to exceed $1,000, should be awarded by
contract or advertisement for the regular
time. To evade this law, it is alleged the
officers of The Brooklyn City Works De-
partment had been in the habit of ordering
work and paying for it in sums of 900 or
less. Most of these small jobs and the
money for them went into the hands of a
firm that appeared on the books as Thomas
Frazier & Co. little detective work dis
closed the fact that the contractor, Daniel
Doody, was really Thomas Frazier & Co.
All the bills for this emergency work" had
Knapp, be certified as correct by Deputy
City Works Commissioner Fielding, passed
haf of pa Inns r fine lIxy
paid by City Treasurer Taylor.
Theodore b. Willis, former commissioner
liam E. Phillips, police commissioner of
peared before Judge Aspinwall in the Kings
County Criminal Court. and furnished bonds
in 5000 each. Willis stated that he was in
nocent of any wrong doing and that his
arrest was a rank injustice. Willis is a ma
tive Of Brooklyn, forty-two years of age;
and has been active in politics Repub-
lican ever since he attained his majority.
in the anti-Platt faction in Brooklyn. In
1889 President Harrison made Willis the
naval officer Of the port of New York.
Mayor Wurster appointed him commissioner
of city works in January, 1896. William f.
Phillips is related by marriage to Theodore
b. Willis and has been one of his political
lieutenants. He has been member of the
New York Board of Police Commissioners
Robert w. Fielding, who was Williss
deputy in the department of city works, is
a native of New York city, and was born
in 1885, He made a good record in the civil
war rising to the rank of major He has
been in office in the custom house at this
port and was United States marshal for
the Eastern district of New York. 1t is al
legged that in the last two years considera-
BILE property has been bought in the name
of Fieldlng's wife.
Oscar Knapp was appointed water pur-
veyor of Brooklyn on July /, 1886. He is
native of Alsaoe. where he was born in
1S47 but he came to this country when very
young
Peter Milne took the office of engineer of
the city works of Brooklyn late in May
1896. Before that time he had been water
purveyo~ and had held various other offices
in the department. He is native of New
York CITY, but has lived in Brooklyn since
his childhood.