The Elbert County tribune., 1906-02-22
JEROME ACCUSED
ATTACK ON NEW YoRk's REFORM
DISTRICT ATTORNEY.
ASSERT HE AIDED FRAUDS
Charged with Conspiracy to Enable
Criminal Railway Managers to
Escape-MiIIions Made by
Illegal Methods.


New York.-A special to the Tri-
bune from Albany says:
Charges including subornation Of
perjury, bribery of lawyers. miscon-
version of millions of dollars and the
enlistment of District Attorney Jerome
in conspiracy to whitewash the
offenders were made against the
Metropolitan Street Railway Company
and its officials at a hearing before the
assembly committee on ways and
means. yesterday.
William Amory OF New York. for
merly treasurer of the Third Avenue
Surface Railway Company. and who
has been fighting the Metropolitan for
several years, made a virulent attack
on District Attorney Jerome. Amory
submitted figures which he said proved
that frauds amounting to millions OF
dollars had been perpetrated by the
officers of the Metropolitan system on
its stockholders and the public. The
company, he charged, bribed judges,
juries and witnesses.
Information of this in many cases,
and especially in one case where he
himself furnished the material, had
been sent to the district attorney, said
Mr.. Amory, but instead of acting to
convict the offenders, he had entered
into a conspiracy to let them escape.
Because of this. Mr.. Amory declared,
he intended to ask Governor Higgins
to remove the district attorney.
The Foelker resolution asking for
legislative investigation of the street
railways of New York City and par
ticularly of the recent merger of trac-
tion interests, brought out these
charges. A Legislative investigation,
Mr.. Amory said. would force Thomas
f. Ryan and his associates to dis
gorge" thirty or forty millions. Still
the Metropolitan was SO rotten finan-
cially because of its frauds that not
even a combination with the finan-
ciaily sound August Belmont road. al
most its equal in moral iniquity. could
save the system long.
Saying that financial statements is
sued by the Metropolitan company and
it's representatives and filed with the
various state and city departments
were false and misleading. Amory
went on:
Somebody made $4,000 profits in
1903 in discounting S660,000 of three
per cent. notes of the New York City
Railway Company. owned by the
Metropolitan Securities company"
In another instance. in 1908. Mr..
Amory charged that President Vree-
land obtained $11.000,000 from the
stockholders OF the Interurban ito pay
for the Third Avenue stock" which
had been paid for years before Proof
of this, which he laid before Jacob H.
Schiff, he said. enabled Mr.. Schiff to
force restitution of $6000,000 from
Thomas +. Ryan in 1903. OF $12,-
100000 collected at the same time for
electrifying the road. about S3,OOO,OOO
was spent for that purpose. he said.
II declare that Jerome is fully ad-
vised of the guilt of the Metropolitan
managers. l declare that he has in his
possession legal evidence sufficient to
convict them of grave crimes. | de-
clare that he told James w. Osborne
and me that he was satisfied as to their
guilt, and that the evidence was suffi-
cient to convict. l declare that Jerome
subsequently entered into conspiracy
to allow these criminals to escape. l
declare that in furtherance of this end
he suppressed facts and deliberately
! issued an official statement. which is
proved by the records to have been
wilfully false"
No action was taken on the resolu-
ton.