New-York tribune., 1903-07-09
THEIR PLAN TO ESCAPE.
Continued from first page.

teen. and President FOrnes. of the Board Of
Aldermen in three.
Mr.. Clarke said it was no defence for Gaffney
and Murphy for their counsel TO declare that
other city officers had been guilty and declared
if proper proceedings were brought by the
proper authorities action could be taken against
those officials mentioned.
Il have nothing to say except that have been
careful not to divulge anything in connection
with any deposition that has been made by
any witness summoned" said Mr.. Clarke. II
the counsel appears for the Dock Board, which
is not a party in this inquiry, then it is some
what remarkable that he should object to pub
liclty, for the commissioners have said more
than once that they courted the fullest public
ity 1 understand that Mr.. Murphy. former
treasurer Of the Dock Board, wants a chance TO
be questioned. II the learned counsel are gen
tlemen interested in good government and in
clearing up certain questionable features of
municipal administration. then their attempts
to show that 1 have acted in unprofessional
manner are in bad faith What we want to
know is whether James F. Gaffney and John
]. Murphy at the time they were holding Off
cial positions secured pier leases from the old
Dock Board"
Justice Mayer made short work of the 'grand
stand" effort Of the defendants counsel to have
Mr. Clarke brought TO book for talking to the
Il do not take cOgnizance in this hearing OF
what the newspapers have printed" said JUS
tice Mayer. MY own view of the matter Is
this: If any one connected with this court gives
any information in any proceeding pending pc
fore me- prior to the issuance of warrants. that
tends in any manner to interfere with the
proper prosecution of the case, 1t warrants ac-
tiOn on the part of the court toward stopping
It, | told officer in connection with the
Aqueduct Commission inquiry that If he had as
reported given out information about arrests.
10 IA 1
would cause him to be arrested. So far as this
matter ia concerned I have issued warrants
and l cannot admonish anybody or chastise
anybody for anything not directly concerned in
this proceeding"
Mr. Deering and Mr.. Hendrick apparently
were satisfied with this. and Immediately fur
nished extra copies of their pronunciamento to
Justice Mayer accepted the protest of the de-
PENDANTS counsel as a courtesy but not as
right. he said.
LAYS STRESS ON KNOWINGLY"
In closing the hearing and in commenting on
the law which says that in case any city off,
cial shall knowingly accept any lease or con-
tract he shall be punished. Justice Mayer said:
THE word knowingly is to me the important
one in all this matter. and wish the defend
ants counsel in their briefs to be submitted
would give that more attention"
Justice Mayer adjourned the hearing till
Saturday. at which time briefs will be sub
mitted by both sides. and at that time Justice
Mayer will tell when he will hand down de-
cision on whether the evidence thus far pro
duced warrants continuance of the prosecution
on the warrants on which Messrs. Gaffney and
Murphy are held. The prisoners were paroled In
the custody of their counsel
Assistant District Attorney Clarke said that
he had received information yesterday that war
ranted him in believing that the mysterious E.
I Gaffney, who succeeded Alderman Gaffney as
a director of the NewYOrk Contracting and
Trucking Company when Alderman Gaffney's
dropped out of the directorate, was
Mrs. Essie Irene Gafney, the wife OF Alder
Caffney. Mrs. Gaffney is not In the city.
1t is said that as soon as her name was printed
in connection with the Dock Board scandal she
left the city to visit friends ard has not re-
turned since
A. C. Chenoweth, contractor. was again on
the stand before Justice Mayer yesterday
Other witnesses were Mrs. Florinda Burke. wife
of the former secretary Of the Dock Board, and
Mrs. Burke was questioned about the lease Of
the baths at One-hundTed- -and-fOrty- -ninth-st
by Thomas Monahan, who in December. 1901.
received the privilege there for $500 a year for
a term of ten years. with power Of renewal
Mrs. Burke said that she mortgaged her coal
yard at One hundred and -sixth-st. and North
River for 81, 900 and piece of country property
for S35O0, and the $500 was invested in i'm
proveInent of the baths. She said she under
stood Monahau got the lease through her hus-
bands influence.
Mrs. Burke identified Joseph Egan. whose
name has been prominent in the investigation.
but said that she never knew he was interested
in pier leases. He had been employed by her,
she said. as a bookkeeper in her coal yard at
salary Of S15 a week for two years She did not
know Of his connection with contracts or pier
privileges.
To Burke was shown papers in connection
with the lease of the Pike Slip pier. dated De
cember 20 and 81 which bore his signature
The earlier dated paper stated that the priv
ilege for the pier had been granted. and the sec
ond paper stated that mistake had been made
and no privilege could be granted for the pier
Mr. Burke said that he had no recollection as TO
the bearing Of the papers, and that. although
they bore his signature, he remembered moth
ing of the circumstances connected with them
He said that probably they had been prepared
by one of his assistants
Experts examined rs to the value of the leases
given out by the old board, Mr. Clarke said had
testified in the inquiry that most of the piers
were leased for about 10 per cent of what they
we're worth. This however. Mr.. Clarke pointed
out wes before subway operations greatly
raised the value of the uptown piers.