New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-04-01
BRAND TELLS ALL
To Hear Ferguson Today
CoH for n. Y. Hotel Re glsters.

r,,+sb,,re March S1-Willam Brand
tor-,,ar president of the Common Council.
who was brought from the -peniteftiarE ~
testify before the grand jury to-day con
,r;huted his full confession to help the
craft probers in trailing the men hlsheF
up"
District Attorney william 4. Bakery
saws that Brand completely gave way I'M
der theg rilling which the inqulsltors gave
him. "I don't believe that he could have
suffered more In years of Imprisonment thar
he has bv the worry and humiliation OF the
last week." said Mr.. Blakely
Brands confession. and that of Charles
Stewart yesterday. leave only one more M
nortant witness to be heard, 1T is said, be-
fore more sensations become public This
witness is Councilman Hugh Ferguson, who
was at the courthouse to-day seeking an
onportunity to tell his story The grand
Jury was too busy. however. and put him
off until tomorrow.
P.R. Kearns. a former Select Councilman.
was mutinous when brought up as witness
To-day. but was forced 10 submission by
threats of commitment to Jail for contempt
of court More directors and employees OF
banks were before the jury to-day, as WEI.
as two young women, Bessie Curtin and
Nellie Sherlock telephone operators at the
Farmers National Deposit Bank
Three more councilrnen took the immun-
ity bath to-day by pleading no defense TO
charges OF taking brides. These were Sam
uel Poster, who admitted getting $500 from
Stewart for his vote on the bank ordinance
T c. Atkinson, who confessed taking 500
from DR. w II. Weber for his vote on a
street ordinance and $500 from Stewart 20
support the bank ordinance, and John Nc
CARNEY, a former selectman, who said he
got $500 for his votes on both ordinances.
Under threats Of commitment to Jail
fourteen Of the men recently indicted APP
peared to-day with bondsmen, who gave
bail of 5000 each for their appearance in
court later.
To strengthen the evidence already OBJ
tanned about the transfer of $4,000 to Coun-
Gilman Stewart at the Hotel Imperial, in
New York in May, 1908. for alleged use in
bribing Pittsburg Councilmen to vote for
the bank ordinance, the grand jury is said
to have asked for the 1908 registers of sew
eral New York hotels. Handwriting experts
are TO be employed. il is said, to determine
definitely what Pittsburg men were in that
city at the time the money was paid to
Stewart. 1t has already been published
here that the unnamed man who paid Stew
art the money is known not 10 be a banker
but zone of the most prominent business
men in the entire country
It is said that before final adjournment in
dictments will be found against persons
who are not identified with either Councils
or the repositories but who acted as
''middemen'' in the bribery transactions.
Some of the men indicted Yesterday will
make a strenuous fight. DR.. E. r Walters,
now head of the Department of Health and
a member Of Mayor Magees official family.
commenting on the grand jury's present
ment. which accuses him of having received
81 coo in connection with the bank deposit
tory ordinances, said to-day:
The only immunity / shall ask for is a
fair and impartial trial. Being absolutely
innocent of the charge of the grand jury, T
will give bail and fight the matter TO a
finish
There are SO many gentlemen convicts"
abong the seven hundred prisoners of the
Western Penitentiary that Warden Francies
announced to-day that the stripes are to be
practically abandoned. The conspicuous
prison sarb only serves to embitter men,
said the warden, and makes reform more
difficult Neat suits of blue. with letter.
designating the class of the wearer. are 10
be substituted gradually for the stripes and
only the very worst behaved men are TO be
punished by uniforms of the zebra tyre
At present bank president and two former
Councilmen are wearing the stripes.