The evening Republican., 1902-10-01
HE OFFERED TO PAY
THE BIGGER RECORDS
Eoboken Justice Approached With
Bribes to Find Proof of Actress
Marriage to Bennett.

Law yC40 Slll uCGCSlASOo WIN ttl
gathering evidence bearing on th'
alleged Biggar conspiracy to appro
pirate the fortune OF Henry N
Bennett have found two Hoboke1
police justice, to whom overtures
were made by mysterious caller
who tried to induce them to ''stanc
for" a marriage ceremony between
the old millionaire and Laurs
Biggar. To one of these justices
the suggestion was made boldly
: that if he could find a record OF
such marriage among his papers
it would be worth 80, 900 to him.
Former Police Justice Adam Van
Wyck, who processes to bo distant
relative of the former New York
Mayor, told in detail yesterday how
he was approached. He is a hotel
proprietor in Hudson street, near
Fourth, Hoboken, and is a rugged,
honest looking Dutchman.
+ ut was some time last July" he
said, though cannot remember the
exact date. A stranger came in
here and asked me if l could not
recollect having married al old man
to much younger woman, in the
winter of 1898. As a matter of fact,
! had married one such couple about
that time, and told him so, but |
said I could not remember the
names. The visitor then said the
persons whose marriage record he
wanted to find were named Bennett
and Biggar. I invited him 70 my
office upstairs and he stood looking
over my shoulder as turned over
the records in the stubs Of the book
I keep, from which are made the
returns to the Bureau of Vital Sta
tistics Of the Board of Health.
= II found thu ro ;orl of the couple
I had in mind and told him it was
not tho one he ,..s looking for He
urged me to try to find the Bennett
Biggar record and remarked that
1t would be made we'll worth my
while il I could find such q record.
I did not then suspect he intended
anything wrong, us lawyers often
have occasion to make such re-
yearches. I continued to look
through. my record book, and finally
closed it, saying to my VISITOR
There is no such record here. /
never performed ceremony be-
tween the persons named"
Don't be hasty,' said he. ''lt's q
pity you can't find it, because there
would be ~, 600 in it for you, if you
could" AS he said this, he looked
ut me narrowly and then for the
FIRST time l understood that he was
bffer!ng me a bribe ! told him that
$4,000 could not altar the facts and
That as | had never married such
persons, that was final, so far as
was concerned. He wanted to know
Il l didn't think could be mistaken
and l had to almost order him out
before he would leave.
'When l went down stairs, l said
10 my wife: Il could have made
10000 since l went up to my Office
4 l had been willing to be crook.
Bhe laughed and asked me how,
Ind l told her about it.
1t was not until the wide publicity
recently given the Biggar-B Bennett
that Mr.. Van Wyck asso-
ciated the incident with that al
legged conspiracy. Yesterday A. C.
Young, of council for the heirs at
law, called upon him and took his
statement. Mr.. Van Wyck told the
Dounseller he thought he could iden-
tify the stranger, whom he de-
scribed as of medium and rather
heavy build about thirty to thirty
i've years old and wearing a dark
mustache.
INQUIRED OF JUSTICE KEEFE
Similar inquiries were made Of
Justice OF the Pe,ce Craok O'Keefe.
those Office is in First street, near
he City Hall, bya man who repre-.
entet himself 70 Justice O'Keefe
10 a law clerk, Mr.. Van Wyck said
that Mr. O'Keefe's name
vas among several that he had men,
loned when his visitor had asked TO
70 directed to other Justices who
requently performed marriage cero
nony. 1t is believed BY the lawyer
hat this unknown emmssary final
y reached Justice Samuel Stanton
nd found him more oblging than
be others had been.
Despite diligent effort no hody had
'een able to find the nurse who, ac- ,
ording to DR.. Hendricks 's . worn tes. 1
imouy on September 10. attended {
aura Biggar during the birth OF her