The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-06-22
QUEENS GRAFT and GUN PLAY
UNDER SHERIFF PHILLIPS UN-
DER ACCUSATION AGAIN.

Commissioner % Accounts says We Got
$4,000 on Fraudulent OpcR Orders
: ana Drew Pistol On Omeinl uhe NSulSi
Noe sign VOurhers Gresser signed.
In a report 70 MAYER Gayuor Commits
sinner OF Accounts FOsdick accuses Under
Sheriff John " Phillips Of Queens Of get
ting 81. 600 from the city treasury by means
~ fraudulent open orders based on forged
bids. for useless repairs Of culverts and
bridges. and says that Phillips dii it with
the help Of Borough Preside dresser of
Queens. The report contains a story Of
a bic Of gun play by the under sherry
According 20 Mr. Fosdick when Phil
lips presented the vouchers for the repair
WORK in the summer OF 1900 90 Alfred
Denton. then Commissioner Of Public
Works. Mr. Denton refused 10 sign. and
that -thereupOn Phillips drew pistol
from his rocket with the threat AZ serious
business unless the orders were signed.
Denton reiterated his refusal AZ the pis-
tolls point and Phillips Withdrew.
Later Phillips got President dresser TO
sign the vouchers without having TO use
pistol.
Commissioner FOsdick's report says
that tho expenditures incurred on the
open market orders were supposed 20 he
Tor the rebuilding Of brick aud stone work
on various culverts IN Queens and for
covering the work with cement wash.
An the city got for its money. says Mr.
FOsdick, was "a liberal coat OF cement
wash applet ~ thick to the stone work
a. 20 cover any defects which might have
existed
The contractors who received the orders
were Louis Cohen. who got a S51j job
and an SS25 one. John Kron. an ss73 Job;
Thomas Burke. an $3.50 job. and Joseph
Phillips. whose contract callei for Sas7
According 10 Mr.. Fosdicg Cohen IA a
truckma1. Kron i employed by a tele-
phore company. Burke Is a plaSierrr aud
Phillips, a brother ~ the under sheriff.
h a conductor on the Long Island Rail
road Al % them except Burke. who
coul1n Z I've found. we're unable 20 tell even
where the culverts were They said thay
hal suhlet the work hut were urahle %
recall the names Of the sub-contractOrs.
Inc FHIhnEN SAYS NlluN lllesf AlNu WIEN
the originals Of their bids were shown
10 them were forced to admit that their
signatures hal been forged An exami-
nation of the bids showed that Ia every
case they bore the address either 81
Phillips's political club az go Jackson
avenue. or his home az ~ Academy
street The warrants were IndOrrei hy
JOSEPH McIann or James J. O'Rrie1. EN-
ployees Of the SheriHs Office IN Queens
and both men testified thar thev hai
cashed the checks for Phillips aud had
given him the money.
Mr.. FOsdiCk reports that In al least two
cases the endorsements u the contractors
were forged. He says too that IL appeg r.
that the reports Of the inspectors forming
part Of the Certiiicatiun upOn the basis
II which the money was ussid were signed
a the request Of the Superintendent ~
Highways. Mr. leahy. after tho cement
Nas Fppued hut that none ~ the lnsp~C-
tors had rren the work going On aud none
could tell What work WIS done u WIS
also asCsr;ained. according TO Mr. Fos-
dick. that az least a part ~ such work -
was done was done by CITY employees.
Mr. FosdiCk notes that al ~ the
vouchers for payment on this work we're
signed by President dresser and not -
~ ctfstumr ~ bv the Commissioner ~
Public Works In gll other cases hun
dreds IN number. says Mr.. Fosdick the
vouchers and orders wers signed by Mr.
Denton. who "a now Justice vt the Nh
niCipgl Court ~ the Third district Mr.
Fosdick srys ne Psked Denton 9b1ui
this and 80 henrd the story III the gun
pgy
President Grpsser End Phillips we're
put under oath end questioned by Com
missioner Fosdick hut he ~ ~ that both
-prOfessed 90 be- ignorant II the entiTc
situation end no Information could he
obtained from them
In conclusion Mr. FosdiCk says
Prom the records nd testimony &c
II clear that sores oi ~ ldul"ut open
orders hs sed on forged bids WERE issued
by the Borough President ~ men who
acted 90 dummies for John VI Phillips.
that the work done under these open
orders wgs praCt cally valueless and w's
performed In pert 20 least by city en-
ployee-, that the INSPECTORS reports ac-
cump-nying the vouchers were signed
by men who did not so the work IN the
course q Prosecution and that the money
PAID by the COmutr1iirr's ONCE for thus
work was diverted by iai.s addresses
nd forged iudors' mrnfs 20 the under
sheriff Of Queens county
Mr. Flsdick recommended that the
report he cent "a District Attorney De
Wit q Queens for his immediate cotton
before the Or, nj jury Mayor G.ynor
acted on tho rugge~tion
Phillips ~ nov 1ut on s. 0O0 h q Oh two
indictments charging him with grand
larceny IN connection with plumbing job
done in the Queen county jail II Is
-glid the members 0f the present Crane
Jury are ANXIOUS % he continued until
he end Of the graft hunt iE reached