New-York tribune., 1903-07-28
PLUGS A DOCKS VOLCANO.
RESPITE FOR TAMMANY.
AUoids Threatened Exposure by
BrOzcn s FLEMING Arnistice.

Charles A. Brown and John Fleming, partners
in the towing and contracting firm of Brown S
Fleming, have practically agreed to a truce.
Fleming has been told that the pier leases
granted to him individually, as was supposed,
by the old Dock Board are owned by the firm.
The old partnership whose internal fights have
caused more apprehension in the innermost
circles Of Tammany Hall than anything else
that has happened this year is to go on It
is understood that James J. Coogan is to with
draw from the receivership, which the Appel
late Division said he could not hold, as soon as
his bill for services can be arranged for.
Fleming, instead Of getting a large cash bonus
and withdrawing from the concern, as his
friends announced on Sunday. will get little or
nothing, at least, for a long time. It was q
case Of hang together or hang separately as
one Of the partners admitted yesterday
The partners are out of pocket between $50
600 and 100000 apiece on account Of their
brief and inglorious last battle, with James J.
Coogan as umpire. The bitterness between the
partners is more intense than it ever was be-
fore. Charles A. Brown is a Republican. while
John Fleming IS Tammany Hall Democrat
The game of politics has been worked along
with the contracts but it has not worked well
in recent years. For twenty years the two men
labOred together, Brown as the real head of the
business, looking after the accounts and super
intending the bookkeeping, while Fleming who
began as a laborer, did the outside" work and
pulled of" to use a Tammany phrase good
things partly engineered by his friends in
Tammany Hall In twenty years the firm ac-
cumuIated more than S100O,0O0 of propertv
They have been forced to a semblance of arity
along business lines by the failure of an al
legged plan to deprive Mr.. Brown of his interest
in certain property Of the firm. This plan is
thought TO have been worked through when on
July ], 1901, the old Dock Board, without the
knowledge Of Mr.. Brown, revoked the permits
held by the firm for dumping board and pier
privileges and transferred them to John Flero-
ing alone under long term leases. There are
many chapters in the record left by the old
Dock Board that cannot stand the light. but
this the investigation Of which AT the
present time is fraught with the gravest nos
sible consequences TO Tammauy Hall and its
leaders
Charles A Brown and his counsel Frederick
W. Park. served notice that they were ready
for fight TO the finish. and witnesses would
nave been called upon to testify to alleged fe-
lonious transactions. These facts uronlDted
Charles F. Murphy and his friends TO labor long
and earnestly with the warning partners TO bring
them together. Bruised and weakened from the
struggle, and still with tightly closed mouths
the old partners return to their desks-until
they fight again.
Mr.. Coogan is still to be settled with" The
Appellate Division once decided that he was not
Mt man for the receivership. But he still
hangs to It, and Will continue to hang on until
his bill for services is paid. 1t is understood to
be good sized bill.
Meanwhile a large and constantly growing
number of persons are awaiting the decision Of
Justice Bischof the application of the coun-
sci for John Fleming for a writ prohibiting any
further John Doe" investigation on the part
Of Justice Mayer and District Attorney Jerome
1t is regarded purely as coincidence that Nj
Kellogg made his application to the only Su-
preme Court Justice whose term expires this
year. If he decides to issue the writ the Sc
quence OF incidents doubtless VIII warrant the
placing before the grand jury Of the mass of
evidence concerning the old Dock Board now in
the hands of Assistant District Attorney Clarke.
With reference 10 what that evidence may con-
tain the declaration made by District Attorney
jerome on July 30 before Justice Scott is sig
nihcant. He said:
I desire 70 say that June 16 last a Grim
inal action was commenced against Charles F.
Murphy, Peter F Meyer and J. Sergeant Cram
This information was laid before Magistrate
Mayer and it is in writing and describes the
nature of the crime. its date and that it was
committed within the period prescribed by the
statute of limitations. and was committed
within the county of New-York"
WILL NOT PROTECT MURPHY.
In the face of that explicit declaration il is
regarded as certain that no matter what hap
pens in the case of John Fleming, an appi-
cant for protection to the Supreme Court. Dis
trict Attorney Jeromes hands viii he left IN
tied by the court far as Messrs. Murphy,
Cram and Meyer are concerned.
In any trial OF the former commissioners the
men who prohted by their almost unexamPied
Continued fourteenth page.