Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-08-18
MADE $1,000 ON
SCHOOL LOTS IN
A SINGLE DAY
MOney-Lender Says He Sold
$500 Option to Board
for $1,000.
TELLS OF LOANS TO BOARD
OF EDUCATION EMPLOYEES
Architect Testifies Brick for
Schools Was Bought from
Man Named Wittpenn.
[From a stafr oorrespohdent.1

[From a staf Correspondent
JERSEY CITY, Aug. 1~s.rThomas
Fallon. a money lender. testified at the
session of the Senate school investi-
eating committee in the City Hall at
Jersey City yesterday afternoon that
In October, 1901. he had options on land
owned by Robert Davis. the Demo-
cratic leader of Hudson county, and
BENJAMIN B. Dumont. and the day he
secured the options he sold the land to
the Board Of Education of Jersey City
at a good profit. He paid Davis, he
swore. 3d. 500 for his lots and Dumont
$4,000, and he transferred the property
to the School Board for $500.
How did you know the board
wanted that land for a site for School
29?" John p. Murray. counsel for the
committee, asked.
New Land Was wanted for School.
"Oh. it was common report" Fallon
replied.
Then why didn't Davis and Dumont
know of it?" the lawyer asked.
Il don't know" said Failon. Davis
bought thes lots at public auction two
years before / got the option from him.
He did not tell me the Board of Edu-
cation wanted the property"
Michael Pagan, a lawyer. testified
that he made out the deeds for the
transfer of the property from Davis to
Fallon, got the money from the city
and paid 1t to Fallon. He said he did
a good deal OF business in land deals
for Davis and other men. He had no
records. he said, of the sale of the
lands to the school board or the pay
ment OF the money to Fallon, only a
record of the making of the deeds on
the docket of his firm, Pagan & MUIR
ply. Davis owned twenty-five lots in
Bayonne. and sold thirteen lots to
Fallon.
Man Named Wittpenn Sold Brick.
John T. Rowland, architect for the
Board of Education for two years.
testified hat a firm in which a man
named Wittpenn was interested sold
brick to the city for one school build
ing.
WAS that wittpenn til mayor"
Counsel Murray asked.
TT was" said Rowland. 1T don't
think he was mayor when the sale was
made. I do not know of any city Of
liCAaAe LidL i CHI IoIueIIlDeT WIN SOtu
supplies to the Board of Education"
Rowland testified that he was paid
a salary by the school board for his
work as architect. but hat he charged
for extra work such as making blue
print drawings for additions. and these
extra bills ran from s62 up to nearly
$500 each.
Fallun admitted that he was a money
1onAar and that ha rnQhod NJ rra MT q
for employees of the school board and
charged them 5 per cent. for the money.
He had cashed a warrant for over 500
for men who wanted money and
charged extra In some cases. He said
he did not keep any records of these
transactions. and his bank books would
not show the individual sums he adj
vanced on school warrants. He said
the banks accepted from him the war
rants he cashed. The secretary of the
board told him If the warrants were
correct. but he never paid the secre-
tary a commission for the information.
Fallon had a poor memory when
asked about the lane he bought of Rob-
CIT Davis and Dumont. He did not
remember the streets or avenues the
lots were on, only that the property
was in the Bayonne section of Jersey
City, and near jackson avenue.
Architect Rowland. who was called
to the witness-stand a second time by
Attorney Murray, said the firm Mr..
Wittpenn was in that supplied brick for
a school were sub-contractors under
J.. F. Walsh G. Co., but he did not know
the members of that company.
Insurance Mans Friends ON Board.
William George Nelson, a fire insur-
ance man, testified hat his firm placed
a good deal of insurance on school
buildings. Asked by Attorney Murray
II his Arm did not get most of the in
surance through Commissioner Ward,
or the school board, he said he and his
partners n clerks had many friends
in the school board now and In former
years, and that these friends got in
surance for him.
In the testimony of Secretary Eye,
who has served five years for the school
board, nothing important came out.
Senator Frelinghuysen said after the
committee adjourned b, meet today,
that Thomas Fallon may be called
again as a witnes.
All the officers and members of the
school board sale they would answer
any questions voluntarily. The thirteen
members of the board were appointed
by Mayor Wittpenn. They are business
men. The members of the committee
hope to get more about the sale of the
Robert Davis land to the city for a
school site. Senators Frelinghuysen and
Bradley and two members of the State
Board Of Education were the only
members of the committee at the ses-
sion yesterday.