The sun., 1910-05-19
NJ STOLEN FOR EACH 50 PAID
plSrtFT STlMP GRAFT ~
Egl,,IFN OFFICE N QUEENS.

r,.dirk SAYS some One Tried % nrIhe Hls
,lsrh 20 steal FrOn lllm TWeNty-oae
torEsd Post once Receipts for Stamps
ra,cr PoAss 10 Dls'rIcI Attorney.
Ararfa- charge of small grating has
ts.a made by Raymond B. Foadicl. !
,rrmI-.,oner of Accounts. against boz
g.EA -Firials IN Queens. In a report
.sr, Yesterday 10 Mayor GaynOr he says
,sa, even the petty cash fund which
"a. ..si for the buying Of stamps in the
R,r5aeh Presidents once vas robbed
Per r1a purchase of stamps and other
.r4isrra.s IN the once Of the secretary
Of ,he Borough President $500 a year
aIl1v "a. and when that runs out Il is
-enlen,shed by another $50 Il has been
tha custom IT the department to buy
samps IN S lots, but Commissioner
Fr.i.ck has discovered that the vouchers
'cr these purchases have been 70 altered
a. 'a indicate that $50 worth instead Of
Sw ,-th n stamps were bought.
W Fosdics has twenty-one of thess
vouchers. and he inf9 nsd tho Mayor
Yesterday that every one of them is a
i,rssry ai'd that the figures on them we're
changed from IS 10 SO. Mr. Fosdick
de- not attempt to show In his report
1 whom the moRey from these petty
t-ef-s vent. hut he does state that the
t.Isverte- occurred while John n. CraRen.
vho vas elected a Municipal Justice At
the ast election. was private secretary
to President Gresser and that the Comp
rroller raid The bills on Craeen's cor
u0cate
Nl.a- reading Mr.. Fosdicks report
NAyor Gaynor -ent it 10 District AttOr-
rsv n' WIT II Queens with an accom-
rinvng letter saying:
beg 10 enDlOze 20 You q report Of
Esruord Fosdick. Commissioner Of
ouu'. NhiCh concerns John n CruRen.
form sr'v secretary to the Borough President
o. lr"sn, ard 7oN a Municipal Jusfice
tsrs having hren elected on the Inde-
tsncen'a League or Hearst ticke, last fall
lr epori- NJ his personal expense. veri-
fsi 1v him he charged the city with go
v"rfh n Stamps tWenty-One times. when
ne actual amount In each casa vas only e..
ed rh" comptroller Of the city raid the
-essiya sims
Do order IN bring thir shout the vouchers
io- 'fe stamps we're In each case forged
3. ddHEE an Edditional cipher 70 tho num-
tsr ~ stamps bought and also 10 the prire
fad therefor In other words IN each case
~ rfe purchase of 80 stamps a cipher vas
dad 20 % 10 make ii appear 2.to. and
DO same way a cipher vas addsd 20 the
lf .o as N make 10 ti0
MAY ask that this matter he laid before
no nrlEd Jury at 0nces have heretofore
forusd you that the Attorney General has
called on NE and desires % intervene in
no ountY Of queens IN thess criminal
ra''sr- against pubic offCIsls unless you
30 entirely confident that Won can cause
ei- Indictment and convicGnr % is to|
.rn purpose thar these oflsisls' derelio-
tons are found oW and exposed hy Tho
r.-snt city government unless the parties
t.. proaeC uted vigorously and convicted
s found by due diligence
The United STATES may take an interest
b this particular case. Mr. Fosdicks
port intimatss that he vas led 10 exam
-e the vouchers closely when, one of his
4nior CLERKS reported that -dstranger In
he street had tried 20 bri5e him 10 steal
he vouchers from the ONCE He gave
zoe clerk the numbers of the vouchers
a vented stolen aud they we're found
'1 be CrAgen's monthly expense accounts
be- attached receipts for postage stamps
hear the initial oi the post ofice clerk
vn0 sold the stamps and the vouchers are
certified by dresser and Bookkesper
arid " Murphy. The forgeries. says
' Fnsdick. were proved not only by a
rvsioal examination q the receipts
r.arselves but by the testimony Of Miss
I.a..de Ryan, the stamp clerk in the
80 flee a. Long Island City. who identi-
'.. a- handwriting on the receipts and
r0sitively that the t5 amounts had
a-a hinged 70 $50 after her initial had
.el a.lsched In each Of tho twenty
oaz@s she had written on the receipts
i0 1o stamps. S. The forgery con-
sd II the insertion Of an extra aiphsr
,.sr the go and after the numeral -S-
Tn" rsertIons were made for the most
ar .n different shaded ink and In 10
.~sy fashion that Il n strange that the
'.r.er, should have passed through the
~r.raers Office without ohAllenge.
'.atu.ain these fOrgeries Judge Cragen
w. ,lbprnaed and placed under oath.
.s aiuUed that he had certified the
''ar'y-nns payments Of 80 each a. part
OF r- own expense account. He could
Ep.an Why the expenditures for
t#.rs had increased 20 materially in the
.s.- 'sq Aside from stating that his
'ar. 1iice hoy had actually purchased
'.. -.ups and had always made up the
'r-"r-" vouchers for him 20 sign and
t .' had never taken the trouble 20
their details except IN a oursory
's.--- ne was unable TO give any ex-
...1 whatever of the forgeries,
l.E1 he readily admitted that they
.H.HaF aa.aNaFsF