New-York tribune., 1901-12-21
CHIPP NOT ALONE IN THEFT
CASHIER WHO DIED IN FTTCHS ADMIN
TsTRATTON ALSO AN EMBEZZLER.
MRS ctyTpp HAS FORGIVEN HER HUSBANDS
CO., UNFAITHFULNESS. AND WILL GIVE
HER ALI. TO SAVE HIM.

HER ALL TO SAVE HIM.
Seldom has prisoner at the Centre-st ponce
court presented such an appearance Of aoJect
dependency. despair and shame was shown
by Charles P Chipp. the former bookkeeper and
assistant deputy collector Of assessments and ar
rears Of taxes in the Finance Department when
he was arraigned before Magistrate Brann yes
terday morning. He had confessed to stealing
money from the city for years, declaring that
he had spent the money fast as it was stolen,
partly to support a woman not his wife. He
seemed to have grown ten years older in the
night he was detained at Police Headquarters as
q prisoner He could hardly speak above a
whisper when he was called upon in the police
court to plead to the charge of grand larceny.
II have no counsel at present" he said 'and
] would like to have until Monday or Tuesday
10 fjnd a lawyer
Magistrate Brann set the examination for
Tuesday at 10 IN. Then Assistant District
Attorney Schurman said that. while the specific
charge against Chipp that he had stolen
less than s272. in the misappropriation of
check, an investigation showed that he had
stolen many ether sums and his thiefts were
believed to reach S3o.000 in the aggregate. Mr..
SchurmaD therefore asked to have Chipp held
in Slo,eoo bail for the examination. Magistrate
BTann fixed the bail in that sum, and Chipp
was sent to the Tombs in default Of bail. The
prisoner talked about his case. expressing much
anxiety for his wife. who, he said, would be left
without means Of support if he went TO prison.
Ee continued:
1t an infatuatien that led to my misap
proprlauons, met Mrs. Kate A shepard ABOUT
eleven years ago aad became infatuated 1t is true
in Mount Vernon. but this was bought not with
my money. but money she had saved herself l
think the house cost $500 and it had $500 mort
gage on it PAID practically all the expenses of the
eral years. though never stayed away from home
Tor any length Of time About a year ago came
away from the woman; Since that time have not
mortgage was foreciosed on her house
The amount Of my defaleations e is not am sure
so much as 10000 1t may be half that amount but
sons concerned in the defalcations so far as know
and had no accomplices.
CHIPP NOT THE ONLY ONE.
Controller Coler said yesterday that the in
vestigation which! had been conducted by Ed
ward a. Slattery. 2 deputy collector of assess
Inents and arrears. and expert accountants
showed that Chpp not the only employe in
the bureau who had been stealing money
The examination shows the Controller said
that Edward c. Taylor, who was appointed
cashier in the administration of Controller
Myers ard who died when Controller Fitch was
In office. took between $1,000 and SS.e00. The
thefts were not discovered in his lifetime L
Go not say that Taylor was accomplice Of
Chip. for / do not know that. Had there not
been reorganization Of the bureau. the thefts
might have remained undiscovered. As the
books have been examined only seven years
back we do not know TO what extent the en-
bezzlements were carried. We did not catch
Chipp at first. in spite of the reforms. He con-
fessed a year ago that he had taken $1,000. and
since then he has confessed TO taklng otheI
sums. He resigned of his own accord"
Theodore w. Myers, the former Controller
said yesterday that he was astonished to hear
that thefts had been discovered in the bureau
reaching back 10 his time. 4 had the books in
the bureau examined by certified accountants
several tines he said. and nothing dis
covered. 1 do not know if l could be held re-
sponsible financially for losses incurred in the
bureau so many Years ago.
IF II is ascertained that ! responsible for
any of Chipp's thefts Il the time ! was Con-
. 10 meet the responsibility. However I would
prefer TO have better authority than Mr.. Stat
terry that there were thefts in the Bureau Of As
sessments and Arrears N my time mao ceru-
fed accountants go over the books in the bureau
when I took office in January, 1894, and after
Mayor Strong went into office the next year
asked him to have his Commissioners of Ac-
counts examine the bureau. They did so, and
reported nothing wrong
Again about the time / LEFT the office in
1897, ! had another examination Of the bureau
by certified accountants, and nothing wrong was
discovered II looks peculiar that Mr.. Slattery,
one Of Controller Coler's appointees, should dis
cover near the close Of his four years admins
tration that there had been stealing in the
bureau, and that the largest part or the steal
ing was done in the administration Of Con-
troller Fitch. The head OF the bureau is pro-
fected by Civil Service rules could neither
appoint remove him in my term OF ONCE
Whether the Controller can be held responsible
for all the money collected by the bureau, in
those circumstances. is a question
WIFE READY TO GIVE HER ALL
Mrs Chipp. the wife Of the embezzler. said
yesterday in her home at No. 22 West One
hundreG-and-twenty- that she would
give everything she had in the world to help
her husband OFT of his trouble She had for
given him, she said. for his infatuation for
Mrs SHEPPARD although she had separated from
him q whole year on account CT the other
woman, and had returned to him on his prom
Use TO leave the woman alone.
Il thought he faithful to tnat PROMISE
Mrs. Chipp said, until last spring, When he
told me he was short 81 600 in his accounts. 1
made the amount good by drawing $500 Of my
savings out Of the bank and borrowing another
$500. Mr.. Chipp at first told me that his short
age was q mistake, but afterward acknowledged
that he had taken the money to pay off part Of
q mortgage on house in Mount Vernon that he
had bought for that womaI. our boy was dead
and ] threatened to leave Mr.. Chpp, but he
said he would be lonely anG out OF work, and
] forgaye him again. When Mr.. Chipp lost his
place had some money in a building and loan
association and we lived on that 1 did some
work also. ] still have e little money, which
am going TO give Mr. Chipp. 1 am going to
give up every dollar have in the world to help
him to get free. ana l viii appeal to my friends
and his friends for help will appeal to Con-
trolier Coler.'
The son of Chipp. who died two years ago was
a graduate OF Columbia University. and had
been admitted 10 the practice Of medicine. He
was twenty-five years old.
Controller Coler said yesterday afternoon that
he was obtaining the best legal advice concern
ing the feasibility of suing Edward Gilon. the
collector OF the Bureau of Assessments and Ar
rears for the difference between the bonds of
Chipp and Taylor and the defalcation in total.
He would not say that Mr- Gilon was guilty of