The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-22
AFFIDAYITS OF PARK GRAFT.
JACOB A. COSTI'MA DESCRIBED
As STRIKING FOR S75, 900.
Represented That He Was PalIass Conn.
DENTAL Man and Told Two Bidders.
as They swe He Could Land a Big
Contract for Them--No Crime shown.


dental Man and Told Two Bidders.
as They Sw ear, He Could Land a Big
Contract for Them No Crime shown.
When the Hecla Iron Works OF Brooklyn
failed TO get the contract for furnishing
the book stacks 10 the new Public Library
although its bid was nearly 100000 less
than that Of the Snead Iron Company of
Louisville, Ky, to which the Board Of Esti-
mate awarded the contract some OF the
officers Of the Heca company intimate
that II they had been willing to pay out
money to certain officials they could have
obtained the contract. Comptroller Grout
asked the District Attorney to make an
IN vestigaton.
MIR. Jerome made the inquiry and as q
result OF It he sent Yesterday to Mr.. Grout
afiidavite made by one Of the officials Of the
company. The affidavits mostly repeat
the acousat ions made before by the COM
pany's representatives but they also give
the name Of the man who IL alleged TO have
approached them as Jacob A. Costume,
who until last October was foreman In the
Park Department at SO a day.
Accompanying the affldavits sent TO Mr.
circuit was letter written by the District
Attorney IL which he said that nothing in
the affldavits showed that crime had been
committed
One Of the affdavits was made by Robert
A. McCord, secretary of the Hecla COM
pany. After stating that, when he went
in September last to Park Commissioner
Pallas's Office to listen to the reading Of
the bids Costume invited him 10 step into
his office, Mr.. McCord adds:
He asked me If there was $4,000 in It.
II there was $4,000 in il. he knew the people
who could land us the job, whether our
bid was high or low. l told him there
was not rs cents in It. that we would stand
or fall by our bid. Then | walked out and
sat down with the rest Of the bidders await
ing results. | had no further conversation
with him on that day.
About two weeks later some one tele-
phoned me, saying that he was Mr. Cos
tuma-and | think ! recognized the voice
as Mr. Costume s. asking me to come up
and see him at the Arsenal. I said An
right and made an appointment TO see
him.
L went right up to Mr. Costuma's Office
and found him alone in his office. Accom-
panying me was Mr. Albee. who was EN-
partment We spent altogether about ten
minutes in Mr. Costuma's Office As soon as
got there he said right out that he thought
that $4,000 to certain party would land
the job to us and that was not enough TO
take care Of him. but that | would have to
take care Of him outside Of that. ! en-
swered him at once that there was not %
cents in it for ANYBODY. Then he asked
me if / could not bring it around in some
way "a campaign fund. Then he asked
me II would not speak 70 Mr.. Poulson. who
IL the president Of the Hecla Iron Works.
about il. l did not say one way or another;
hut my idea is that left him with the inn
preston that would speak TO Mr.. Pouleon,
which did not do until yesterday
In another affidavit William c. Post,
vice president of the Post 4 McCord Com
pany. stated that while ne was examining
the specifications, with a view to bidding
for the stacks. Costume approached him
and represented that he was Mr.. PHllas's
confidential man and could assist us in
getting the work"
Costuma's wife has informed the District
Attorney that her husband il in Florida.
but that she does not know his exact where
n houta