New-York tribune., 1903-05-07


Conspiracy and fraud are charged against
Joseph Egan and employees in the old DOCK
Board by Corporation Counsel Rives in COM
plant filed yesterday with the County Clerk and
served on Egan. The complaint is in an action
to break thirty year lease to buikhead
granted under the Tamrnany administration to
Egan.
Egan at the time of the alleged conspiracy
was and still is. in the employ of William H.
Burke. secretary of the Dock Board under com
missioners ]. Sergeant Cram, Peter F. Meyer
and Charles F. Murphy.
The action is the precursor Of others when
will be begun to invaidate the long term leases
granted by the old Dock Board TO John j.
Murphy, brother of Charles F. Murphy; the
Gafneys. Of Murphy's Assembly district; Brown
& Fleming and others. involving a loss TO the
city if the leases stand of between Sl00oo
and S2OOO.OOO.
When asked last night if he had begun an in
vestigation of the alleged fra udulent practices
of the old Dock Board. District Attorney Jerome
said:
Yes I have begun a thorough investigation
of certain transactions by the Dock Department
under the last administra ton ! have nothing to
say further with reference to the matter
When Charles F. Murphy. leader of Tammany
Hall former Dock Commissioner and cnlet
PATRONAGE dispenser of the Dock Department
was asked last week about the leases given to
his relatives and friends for little or nothing py
himself and his associates, he said:
.'Oh, that's an old matter. There's nothing III
that. That's nothing but an invention py the
Commissioners of Accounts
Mr. Murphy is in Mount Clemens, Mich. on
account of his health.
Messrs. Murphy Cram and Meyer. eX-Police
Magistrate William H. Burke. secretary OF the
old Dock Board and other ex-of1cials wiz DC
conneIJed TO take the witness stand and tell why
the citv's leases were parcelled out TO poEtlcaI
favorites at large financial loss to the city
The investigation doubtless will bring TO light
one OF the most extraordinary pieces OF rsscaii'S
perpetrated in the history of the city
After the fusion ticket was elected IN the fall
of 1901 It appears from the records in the Dock
T,or,ar+rnent which certain former employees and
o+7ciaIs of the Dock Department could not
wholly change destroy or materially mutiiate'
there was something doing" in the old DOCK
Denartment. The Egan thirty year lease Is
fair sample of some of the peculiar things tnat
happened al that time
From an Assistant Corporation Counsel Who -
Investigating queer leases a Tribune reporter
obtained the following statement;
EGAN EMPLOYED BY BURKE.
Altar the election in the fall of 1901 Joseph
r-ya1 Who al that time and still is IN the
employ OF William II. Burke at MS cUaI yoIS
in Harlem. filed an application lor .,tt1 o - "a
Tventy-eighth sts. Right here is where some
thing peculiar occurred 1t came 20 the S Aii9Wt ~
edge of the Dock Department that tne -.t EILle
Iaflroad had bought a block on the NorIh
River waterfront for a freight yaro. INQUIRY
BY employees in the Dock Department CoIlllI i
This report It was understood at the time
that the Erie company had bought the oiock
r,e+v1-een genty-seventh and Twenty-elSnIn Sts-
This would make the bulkhead irnIneolately IN
+ro1+ ~ their plot extremely valuable Egan
application was for the bulkhead Immediately
in front Of this block The old DOCK Board
gave him three-year lease Then a most re-
Tnarkable thing happened. The minutes We're
so changed as to make it appear tnat tne ooaro
had granted thirty-year lease buI tidt "dS
not all Another change was MADE IN the HIN
utes changing the location Of the buIknead
lease from between Twenty-seventn anu
TUenty-efghth to one between twenty
eighth and Twenty-ninth SITS. This change was
made after it became known to certain persons
in the old Dock Board that the Erie hao
bought not the block between Twenty-seVenth
and Twenty-eighth SITS. but the one just nortn'
between Twenty-eighth and Twenty-ninth sts
Then Jim the Penman, whoever ne was.
+bouqb4 II would be good business policy to
shave down the rental price from about S!SVV
a wear for thirty years TO 500 year Tnis
=ag one OF the worst breaks the forgers made
because when the old commissioners are called
on TO testify, they will probably repudiate
scale that does not slide upward
Another peculiar thing about the lessee is that
detectives spent a week or more searching Tor
Joseph Egan before they found him After
chasing all over the city to find Joseph Essan
We discovered that the man we wanted was
Michael J. Egan. No knows him by the
name of Joseph" Egan. but he is well known IN
Harlem and around the Twenty-ninth-st DuiH-
head as Michael J. Egan.
The complaint served yesterday on Egan and
filed with the County Clerk sets forth that
Charles F. Murphy, Peter F. Meyer and J. Ser
qeant Cram were Dock Commissioners; that
William II. Burke was secretary Of the board
and charged with the duty Of making and re-
tanning in the minutes OF the board true entry
Of ALI the proceedings of the board Continu-
ing. the complaint says
THE CONSPIRACY.
On information and belief. the said William
II Burke. besides being until January 1. ISO-.
sec-etarv as aforesaid OF the Board OF Docks.
was and at all times herein mentioned, continued
"a h. also engaged in private business as a
dealer in coal and other merchandise at or
-sar One hundreds -and-sixth-st. East River,
r2orcurh OF Manhattan. in the city or New
York and kept regularly employed in his said
nrivate business the defendant. Egan. and prior
n and at all the times OF all the events herein
arter set forth, the defendant Egan was ana
aver since saId events has been and now - In the
ernnlovueut OF the said William H Burke Prior
20 tho FIRST day of January. 1SO2. said defendant
Esar combined and confederated with divers
nsrsons at present unknown 20 this plaintiff
soT7e OF whom were at the time holcers or Of
So M positions in the said Department OF
norts and Ferries. With access to and controi
=, - documents and minutes OF the said Board
~ Docks and whose names. when discoVerec