The sun., 1910-05-27
JUDGE CRAGRN IS INDICTED
QUEENS MAGISTRATE RELD on
GRAND LARCENY CHARGES.

AAaNAANAa NAaAAsAAAA@a
Commllsloneg FasdirA napsFll o. ~
AAyeP CAeFh MeNnlly'a Confessloa -
psEJuFy - PFOteet CFaRea- An A.
tempt - steal tAs slAmp VOueheFs.
Municipal Magistrate John n. Cragsn.
Who was secretary 10 President IAWFsnce
0reaser Of Queens borough for a year
and half previous 10 he election a. a
Magistrate. vas aFraigned yesterday
before Justice 0&FFstaoa In the Qlsana
County supreme Court. Long Island City.
on four indictments charging him with
Grand larOeny.
The indictments are tho outcome of
the Investigation made by Commissioner
81 Accounts Raymond FOadick into the
purchase % postage atAnpa for uas in ths
Oiiios ol lhe Rorongh President last year
Commissioner fosdick found that twenty
one vouchers Tor postage siamps had
been raissd from 6 70 $50 each. The In.
dictments charge that Judge CFagea nis-
appropriated total Og tsia. One indiCt-
ment charges him Wiah the larosny on
April u Of last year Of t77s. ths second
charges the larceny on July og NO. ths
third charges the larceny on November n
Of tis0 and the fourth charges the larceny
on DeOsmbsr ~ % Sa7O.
Cragsn. had just adjourned a session
of court he was holding in BiEnhurst when
information that indictments Against
him had been handed 10 Justice 0arrst-
son. In company with former Sheriff
Joseph MeyerrOss of Queens county. Tor
whom he served a. counsel during tho
latters term a. Sheriff. and followed by
has personAl counsel. Clarencs Edwards
CrAgsn went 20 tho County Court Hous.
and surrendered himself John J. Hicks
a contractor. gave bonds fOr Cragsn in
ei.soo on each indictment.
Lawyer Edwards reserved for hia client
the night 10 make any motion tssy might
deem necessary and a limit Of ten dava
was ct In which TO put in their plea.
Edwards said that an indictment was only
an accusation and that Il did not prevent
CragsR holdlaR court - usual.
CFagsO's indictment IL undoubtedly
the worst hlOw thus far recsived by the
0reaseT administration since the graft
inquiry beRRn two months ago In a
public speech a few nights agO President
GreNaer declared his unshaken conhdenos
in Cragena integrity.
CvF gAn IL about 81 years Old. He 10
married. well 10 do and lives In Corona.
He was considered one Of the coming msa
in the affairs II the Borough of Queens
and had q good law practice previous 10
his election a. . NaR.Strate.
After q conference last evening With
the Mayor Commissions Of ACCOUNTS
Fosdick gave ont this statement in the
form Of a letter TO Mr.. GaynOr
On May ~ submitted to your Honor
report on me defalcati0n In connection
with the fund for private contingencies
IN The once oi the President % the Borough
n Queens. stated ia the report that
Junior CLERK IN This once had been ap-
proA Ached by stranHer on The street and bad
heen offered a sum ~ money n ss-urs
certain receipts attached 10 CITY vouchers
IN my possession. Nv report waa snbmltted
20 the Grand Jury. and am informed that
Judge CraEsn Of the municipal bench has
bfenJ Jndiotsd.
Louis McNaily. the once nov oF clsss
In CraEsns ONCE. upon whom Nr. Crsgeh
sitrmpied 10 shsfi the responsibility, called
81 ny once rest rrday and made q oomDlsie
confession of hta pariSiR tho sGair Ne
staie - that In order 10 Lrotect Judge CEagen
he had periursd himself In his testimony
before she Grand lury and that The forger-
lev had actually been oOmmitte I'd under ne
direCtion Of Mr CraGen himself Aner q
consVlta'ion uHh District Attorney De Nut
n vas de~ided 10 reserve his testimony
until ne rial of NJ "ragen
Mr. McNally Jhrew considerable light on
the attempted bribery " the iunior c,eFk
in my once Il appears thst az the dirsc-
tion n NJ CTagen hs came over 10 The
Compiroller Ofics 10 secure V p1s-' bic
The receipts for postage stamp. attachrd
10 the vouchers ne sought out . friend
% hts. Frank O'MeAFa. clsTF in the Comp
troli~r- once. and related the " hole cir
cumslances ~ him puitinG the blame
on himseh and asking O'M~ara 10 assist
him 10 s.rure the receipts O'MesFA n-
form-d him that he himself vas not IN q
posif on 70 get the vouchers. but gave him
. nate of introduction 10 alexander Neon
neil mothsr cierk n the C0mpirOller's '
once Whe IL assigned 10 the record room
In the HAL of Records. where the vouchers
are kept. cConnell Informed McNally
that The vouchers we're In the possession
I Of the Commissioner of Accounts and thai
he was not IN = position 70 secure them.
D, seems. however, that on arransemeni
vas made whereby for some remuneration
/ Nc, onnel vas 10 secure he receipts from
representative from this Onics. MoGOn-
nell is the man who approached the clevk
I from MY once and promised him th- money
I for the rcceipis He vas Identified by the
clerk 10 question aud under crO~s-eKsmiha-
! ton admitted his guilt.
" appear that both O'Nlsara and McCon-
nell vere In the conspiracy 10 obtain the rs-
ceipts Both boys however are Young
not more than ?O-and thlnk perhaps The
loss of their DoaitiOsE sOald be salutary
enough 80 q lesson sugEe~i. therefore.
that the Comptroller be notified of their
/ eomplicity in the business.
Justice Garretson remarked yesterday
20 Foreman Henry T. Weeks ot the Grand
jury tha, they were doing satisfactory
w,,rk. and On application o. District
Attorney Frederick q Dewitt thev were
continued into neEt mOnth. Justice
Oarrsts0n said that they could report 10
him again on Thursday 81 next week.