New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-05-17
PIECE OF PROPERTY
OFTEN USED AS BAIL
Brookiyn Magistrates Accepted
II. Despite Forfeiture Judg-
nentS, SAYS FOSdiCk.
ASSESSMENT BELOW VALUE
Accounts Commissioner Says
Facts Should Go to Bar Asso-
citation and District At
torney for Action.

Vew a piece OF property assessed on
,ho FAX books for $3.50. although it
ov,~jea mortgage Of $4,000. was re-
r,atedlv accepted as security for bail
so,ds by city magistrates in Brooklyn
a. mid IN q remarkable report made TO
Naver Gaynor by Raymond B. Fosdick,
| commissioner of Accounts, yesterday.
IN MAY ! there were sixteen judgments
mon forfeited bail bonds. obtained be-
.ueen February Is and April q, on this
,7onertv. which Is at No 140S Sterling
psce, Brooklyn. Its owner, as given in
,be hail bonds, is Michael H Feeney.
Tho made a practice of offering bail
1T is difficult to find justification for
/ she acceptance Of Feeney as q bondsman
ty Magistrate Tighe in twenty two
osses." SAYS the report. and 1T seems
.,rerlv inexcusable that in ten days
Cor instance. between March and March
4 l91o-this magistrate should have
socepted Feeney as surety in seven cases,
although at this time there were judg-
ments Of record against the property on
rreyiouslv forfeited bail bonds"
keGdIulHS 1itVlllNl mas. 4ChAt NAAN Il
mort saws: without imputing the gross
sst negligence it is difficult TO under
stand why Magistrate Manner, in the
short period between December s. 1909,
and January 2, 1910. accepted Feeneys
single piece of property as bail in four
eases. aggregating liability of $4,000
Advises Action by District Attorney.
The report. which is a preliminary one
IN an investigation of the accounts Of
the magistrates courts of the I'd Divls-
ion. ends as follows
The abuse of professional bondsmen
appears to be so pronounced in our
criminal court system, particularly in
the courts of inferior jurisdiction, and
the cases above cited bear so directly
upon the situation, that L recommend
that the facts included in this report be
forwarded to the District Attorney OF
Kings County and TO the Bar Associa-
ton for such action as may be deemed
advisable in the premises"
In the course of the investigation ii
was learned that Michael H. Feeney ap-
peared as a bondsman on the records OF
The various magistrates courts in Brook
l,,n rflirfv-eight times in twelve months
ending April 90, 1910 in each case the
property at No. l40S Sterling Place was
offered as security. The report says that
it was purchased for 1915 in 1895 by
Mrs. Feeney. who transferred II to her
husband in 1903. on June l, 1909 Feeney
reconveyed the property to his wife, but
took it back in August of the same year
In the mean time it had been mortgaged
for $500.
Calls Feeney e Perjurer.
Commissioner Fosdick alleges that
reeney perjured himself more than a
score Of times He became surety on
seven occasions while the property was
in the name of his wife, it is charged,
making affidavit each time that he
owned the property which he offered as
security. = On twenty-three occasions. 1t
vas alleged. he swore that the property
WAS unencu1nbered, although there was
sS2.50D mortgage recorded against it.
OF the thjrty-eight cases in which this
property was accepted for bail in the
year under review, Magistrate Tighe ac-
repted TWENTY-FIVE of the bonds. Magis-
trat, Manner six. Magistrate Hylan
three and Magistrates Higginbotham,
Connolly. Doeley and Harris one each
The latter was recently appointed TO
succeed Magistrate Furlong by Mayor
Gaynor, who sent him a letter advising
him 10 exercise the greatest care in his
work On the bench.
Magistrate Hylan, who accepted bonds
three times from Mr.. Feeney, said last
night: There is a clause in every bona
which protects The magistrate in such
cases as that Of Mr.. Feeney- This
Cause states the value of the property
and also declares what membranes
there are upon it. The bondsman swears
10 tie truth of the statements. IL per
5ury is committed, he is to blame, IL
seems TO NE. The Magistrate mas no
way of finding out whether there are
any membranes on the property Of
Tered. No court official is empowered TO
make an examination Of the records.
never accent bondsmen unless they are
recommended by reputab bic business men,
except when ! am w1ell acquainted with
then do not know Mr.. Feeney- and do
at remember the cases. referred TO.
Magistrate Mariner said he had for
ieted bond az Mr.. Feei.ey the i1rst
day hat he sat at the Adams street
iEiice court lie said tha- lie Would
AXE Z statement to-day
District attorney Clarke said last
light 1nat he had 20 official cognizanee
Of .he facts presented to the Mayor py
M Fosdick. dc did. however, he sald'
slow that the Sheriff was about 10 levy
Oh The property Oh 2ccourt of scVerai
forfeited hail bonds