The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-03
COULDN'T OPEN COUNTY SAFE.
DTNtHTTER CALLED IN HASTE
BY REPT BIIC4N COMMITTEE.
Mathews Had Forgotten tho Combination.
and Railroad Tickets for the lnauSu-
ration sightscers We're Inside-Con-
Ncrnation Among the Paid-Jp Faithful.

A man who didn't expect 10 go to Wash
ington for the Inauguration on a railroad
ticket purchased through the Republican
county committee entered the committees
headquarters at Madison avenue about
noon Yesterday and found Secretary Armi-
tage Mathews on his knees.
Beads of sweat stood upon the secretary's
brow. With one hand he supported his
head in an attitude Of fervent thought;
with the other he turned the indicator on
the door of the committees 1900 pound
safe notch by notch. The door OF the
safe was locked.
Around the kneeling Mathews stood the
members of the Inauguration committee,
William II Ten Eyck, Morris y. Mckee.
Jacob A. Newstead Herman Javeshof and
Theodore p. Gilman intent and silent.
In the outer offices were probably fifty
ordinary members of the county organi-
zation They had something on their minds
Those who stood nearest the door leading
into the inner Office and could see the secre-
tary and his advisers were more deeply
affected than the others All looked glum.
Gentlemen said Mr.. Mathews. shift
ing his weight to the other knee, under
which Chairman Ten Eyck had tenderly
tucked a small pile Of sample ballots. there's
no use continuing on this tack. I've for
gotten the combination. that's all there ~
about it, The clerks who know how 10
open the safe are gone. and we can't get
EN- Something else has got to be done
This announcement caused a stir among
the waters in the outer office They had
come 10 get their railroad and berth tickets
for the trip to Washington. They had paid
for them something like $40 each, and they
were locked up in the safe with, as Secre-
tary Mathews himself admitted. mo imme
date prospect of their being distributed. ~
8 II Goodacre. the clerk Of the committee,
and Edmund Bodine. the geantat-arms,
the two men who knew the combination of
the safe and ought to have made arrange
ments for its opening had left for Wash
in gton early in the morning, and nobody
knew where to find them. There were about
$50 tickets in the safe. something like 500
having previously been distributed.
1T oughtnt to be such an impossible
lob for an organi zation man to crack the
safe. suggested one of the impatient ticket
owners.
But Secretary Mathews was busy with
the telephone. He had called up the com
many from which the committee bought
the safe and was asking them II they had
any record OF the combination. Yes. or
dinarily they kept a record, but not 50 far
back as 1894. the year in which the Re-
publican county committee bought Its safe.
We'll. would il be possible to blow
omen the safe without destroying the rec
ords and dana ging the Office asked Sec
retary Mathews The voice on the other
end of the telephone said that it certainly
would be possible, but it would cost $50,
and the door of the safe was pretty certain
10 be wrecked or course. the county com
mittee could buy a new door
This information SECRETARY Mathews
conveyed t. his advisers and the waiting
organization men, II might be mentioned
that the men who were after tho tickets
expected To be In the parade in Washington.
III we have 10 blow up the safe, said
one of the walters. whats the matter
with blowing her UP with organization
Yes ohimed in SOMEBODY else: where's
Abe Grlber2'
Bv that time Secretary Mathews had
Chairman Halpin on the phone. Blow
mo the county committees safe and spoil