The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1910-02-03
CHICAGO HAS A
BIG GRAFT SCANDAL
Eleven Officials Indicted BY the
Grand Jury,
AMOUNT INVOLVED IS OVER S25O,OCO.
Paul Redieske, Resigned Deputy
Commissioner or Public Works;
Michael McGovern, A Wealthy
Contractor, And Nine City OFF,
cials Charged With Conspiracy To
Defraud City In Connection With
Tunnel Construction.

Chicago Especially Paul Redies-
Ike. resigned deputy commissioner OF
public works; Michael H. McGovern,
wealthy contractor. who has had
many big city contracts. and nine
city officials and employees Of Nc
Govern, were indicted by the grand
jury The men are charged with
conspiracy TO defraud the city OF
S254,000, according TO the sum men
toned IN the true bill
The indictment on this charge
came as a complete surprise, as 1t
was believed the alleged frauds In
volved only about s45,000 In the So
called "shale rock" scandal.
The men indicted besides Redies-
Ike and McGovern are: Otto Niehoff,
secretary TO McGovern; Max Land
guth. former superintendent for Nc
Govern; George Moore, a foreman
for McGovern Ralph Bonnell, re-
signed assistant city engineer; John
G.. Parks. assistant city engineer; ;
Robert Green. a foreman for Nc
Govern; Richard Burke, John Nc
Nichols and Joseph Maher, city in
spectors in the engineers department.
Did Not Fill Contract.
The indicted men are superficially
accused of conspiring to defraud the
city by laying only one-sixth of the
concrete and brick work called for
in the contract for the construction
of the Lawrence Avenue tunnel.
The Merriam Commission. which
has been investigating municipal ex-
penditures. brought out the fact that
the city had been charged about $45,-
900 for the cutting out of shale rock
in section d. of the tunnel. The
"shale rock" proved to be only hard
clay. Evidence concerning the al
legged s250,000 fraud upon which
the indictment was based were not
brought out by the commission.
In the indictment the men are
charged with trying to obtain nine
warrants for payment of $254,0O0
by the city of Chicago. The last
payment on the quarter-million dol
lar contract for the Lawrence Ave-
nue. tunnel or sewer was made by
the city on July 10. 1909.
The witnesses upon whose testi-
mony the men are believed to have
been indicted were: John J Han
berg commissioner of public works;
John Ericsson. city engineer; E. j..
Miller, voucher clerk in the city con-
troller's office. and five employees of
McGovern's.
Redieske International.
Redieske displayed little emotion
when he was told he had been indict-
ed and shortly after furnished the
$4,000 bail required of him. Nc
Govern was also held in 100000
bonds. while the others were placed
in $4,000 each. McGovern announc-
ed that he would furnish the bonds
tomorrow.
Tire following statement was made
by Redieske:
THE only thing that can say is
that no report of any Irregularities
of shortage of material in the con-
struction of the sewer was ever made
to me. had reports that the work
was progressing very favorably; in
fact, the city engineer reported 10
me that the job was one OF the fin
est pieces OF sewer-building he had
ever seen"
Mayor Busse refused to make any
statement when he was told of the
indictments having been returned.